American as.

As regular readers of this blog (read: my in-laws) may or may not be aware, I. Love. Fruit, apples most of all! Conveniently, next weekend is Applepalooza, to which I was clued in by tonight's fantastic cider tasting, courtesy of the NYSoM Food and Wine Club. A witty and intelligent "drink nerd" named David talked us through five ciders, from a very sour Sarasola Sagardoa to the caramel sweet Eden ice cider (made like ice wine). I learned so much, and now I desperately want to try making one of my beloved whiskey sours with a dry or off-dry cider (local or Spanish). Alternatively, I want to drink lots of the Eden, or use it to make a caramel sauce to go over an apple and blue cheese galette. Would aficionados consider that a waste of fine cider?

After the tasting, I bibilously brought half a glass of an off-dry, sour cider upstairs to incidentally pair with tonight's dinner of tortilla.



No, not that kind. This kind:

I actually like my tortilla to be lighter on the eggs than the traditional. This recipe manages to be substantial with anything from 4 to 6 eggs. Chorizo (or Field Roast (TM) brand vegetarian chorizo) is amazing in this, with a little less oil and a little more parsley.

1.5 lbs russet or baby red potatoes, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
2 small Spanish onions, sliced thinly.
olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
salt
pepper
paprika
4-6 eggs

Heat a good amount of olive oil in a heavy skillet. Toss the potatoes in the hot oil, cover, and let cook for 5 minutes; toss, cover, and let cook for 5 more minutes. Repeat until the slices have been uniformly cooked until tender, but with some bite (e.g. not quite fully cooked) in the hot oil. Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon and add the onions. Cook just until they begin to soften. In a springform pan (or in the drained skillet), concentrically place 2 layers of potato slices. Salt, pepper, and paprika liberally. Evenly spread the onions and parsley on top of that, spice again, and pour over the beaten eggs (optional: reserve some of the egg to pour over the top just before baking ends). Layer the remainder of the potatoes, and spice again. Bake in a 375 F oven for about 30 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked and crispy, pouring the reserved eggs over the top in the last 3 minutes of cooking if desired.