SPAIN: On the Road Again

Spain On the Road Again is a television series staring Mario Batali (US Chef Extraordinaire), Gwyneth Paltrow (Hollywood legend), Mark Bittmen (US Food Writer) and Claudia Bassols (Spanish actress). The show follows the Fabulous Four on a culinary road trip all through Spain. The show is fascinating, fun and informative highlighting Spain's cuisine, culture and art! I adore Spanish food and the country itself is beautiful. The show is a fabulous tour encompassing it all. The DVD of the show is now out in stores, or you can buy episodes on ITUNES if you wanted to only watch a few!

The reason I first heard about the show was because my mother gave me the cookbook based off of the recipes from the show. It is awesome - truly showcasing Spain's culinary delights! A perfect gift for anyone - a great coffee table read as well!

Here is the teaser trailer for episode one of the culinary ride! Watch it and I guarantee you will want to see more!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWyOSbJT22g&feature=player_embedded

The website for the show also gives a few of their favourite recipes, here is one of my ultimate favourites, TORTILLA ESPANOLA - their way.

Tortilla Española is essentially the national dish of Spain. You can eat it as a tapa, for breakfast, in a bocadillo (sandwich), or for dinner with salad and a bit of jamón (ham). Basically anytime, anywhere. We had a great one at Valdubón and I think it’s because they weren’t afraid to use A LOT of olive oil. No fear!

Serves 4 to 6 as a tapa (little nibble) or appetizer

Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/4 pounds waxy potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 8 extra-large eggs

Directions:
- Heat the oil in a large cast-iron skillet or nonstick pan over medium-high until very hot but not smoking
- Add the potatoes and onion, season with salt and pepper, reduce the heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat if necessary so that the vegetables do not brown, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with the tip of a paring knife, 15 to 20 minutes
- Beat the eggs with salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl
- Combine the potatoes with the eggs in the bowl; add to the skillet, spreading the potatoes evenly in the pan, and cook for about 1 minute, just to set the bottom of the egg mixture
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes, or until quite set
- Carefully flip the tortilla over (invert it onto a plate if you must, then slide it back into the pan, bottom side up) and cook for 5 minutes longer, until set
- Flip out onto a clean plate and allow to rest for 5 minutes
- Serve warm or at room temperature.

photo credit: on the road again website & google images