The Times Magazine 37
fresh eggs. My mum’s are
normally from her hens, laid that
morning, so she’s got an unfair
advantage. Whether you make it
her way or my way, it’s delicious.
- 8 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 onion, very finely sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 220g jar tuna steaks in olive
oil, drained - 1 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf
parsley - 5 free-range eggs
- Sea salt and freshly ground
black pepper
- Pour 3 tbsp olive oil into a large
frying pan over a medium-low
PHOTOGRAPHS
Emma Lee
TUNA TORTILLA
Serves 2
This is a dish we cook regularly
at home in London. I love to eat
it either hot or cold, with a strong
extra virgin olive oil mayonnaise.
My mother’s version of this dish
is simpler, with just egg and tuna,
resulting in the flatter style of
tortilla preferred in northern
Spain. Always use good-quality,
heat. Add the onion and cook for
10-15 minutes until really lovely
and soft. Add the garlic and cook
for a few minutes more.
- Tip into a bowl and add the
tuna. Flake the tuna with a fork
and mix everything together. Stir
in the parsley. - In a separate bowl, beat the
eggs, then pour them over the
onion and tuna mixture and
season well. - Pour the remaining 5 tbsp oil
into an 18-20cm nonstick frying
pan over a high heat. When the
oil is hot, add the egg mixture.
Swirl the pan until the mixture
starts to set around the edges,
then reduce the heat to medium-
osé Pizarro was a latecomer
to cooking. Not for him the
normal tales of helping his
mother or grandmother in
the kitchen from a young age.
“I started cooking in my twenties.
When I was a boy, I wasn’t
allowed to be in the kitchen much
at all,” the 50-year-old chef
recalls. His mother was busy
helping his father on the family
farm in Extremadura in western
Spain, but still found time to put
three meals on the table. “It was
her way of showing her love.”
That doesn’t mean he doesn’t
have early food memories. He
still found a way to sneak in “to
absorb the atmosphere and take
in all the lovely smells”. Now
all it takes is a subtle smell of
chickpeas or a stew to take him
back. “Wonderful memories are
invoked every time I cook.
Whenever I put certain
ingredients together on a plate,
I remember something from the
past – happy memories of family
and friends.” Here he picks some
of his favourite dishes, which,
with his five restaurants, have
helped him become the godfather
of Spanish cooking in this
country. Tony Turnbull
J
low and cook for 4-5 minutes
until the tortilla just starts to set.
The bottom and sides should be
golden, but the middle will still be
quite loose.
- Cover the pan with a flat lid or
board and carefully turn out the
tortilla onto it. Don’t worry that
it is still quite runny. It will all
come back together when you
continue to cook it. - Slide the tortilla back into the
pan and, over a low heat, use a
spatula to tuck the edges under
to give it its characteristic curved
look. Cook for a couple more
minutes, then turn onto a board
and serve. It should still be juicy
in the middle when you cut it.
Eat!
JOSÉ PIZARRO
José Pizarro