Serves 3 to 4
• 1 small potato
• ½ medium-sized onion
• 2½ Tbs. olive oil
• 1 medium-sized carrot
• ½ cup shelled peas
• ½ cup diced (roasted and peeled) pimiento pepper
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• salt and pepper
• 5 eggs
1. Scrub the potato, peel it if you wish, and cut it into small dice. Coarsely chop the onion. Heat the olive oil in a 9- or 10-inch pan and start sautéing the potatoes and onions, stirring often.
2. Scrape the carrot, cut it into small dice, and boil or steam it until it is barely tender. In another pot, boil the peas for a few minutes until they are barely tender. Drain the carrots and peas and add them to the potatoes and onions, together with the diced pimiento and the crushed garlic. Continue to sauté all the vegetables for a few minutes more—until the potatoes are nearly soft. Season the mixture to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Beat the eggs lightly with a little salt and pepper and pour them over the vegetable mixture in the pan. Shake the pan gently to distribute the mixture evenly, reduce the heat to very low, cover the pan, and cook the tortilla for about 10 minutes, or until all the eggs are set.
4. Loosen the edges of the tortilla with a knife or spatula and give the pan another shake.
5. Turn a large plate upside down and place it over the pan like a lid. Holding the plate in place, overturn the pan quickly, dropping the tortilla onto the plate. Slide the tortilla carefully back into the pan and brown the other side for a few minutes.
6. Employing the same technique, turn the tortilla out onto a serving platter. The tortilla may be served at any temperature, from hot to very cool, but I like it best at room temperature. Cut it into wedges to serve.
