Weekend Cooking: Chorizo and Sun Dried Tomato Tortilla

One of our most useful kitchen acquisitions of the last year has been the slow cooker/pressure cooker that I received for my birthday in June. At the time, I had no idea that I needed one, but we have used it quite a lot.

One day we were at Kmart and found a cookbook which has recipes for both uses. We then bought volume 2 of the book, and once again we have many, many recipes that we want to try. On Sunday we decided that we needed to pick one to try and we chose a recipe for Chorizo and Sun Dried Tomato Tortilla, because it isn't your normal casserole/stew type recipe.

We did, however, come a bit unstuck. Firstly, my husband who does most of our cooking got called out to a job with the community service organisation he volunteers for, so I had to cook. And then secondly there was an issue because the recipes calls for the tortilla to be layered up into a 20cm cake tin and then put inside the pressure cooking. The only problem is that my 20cm cake tin has small handles on the side, which prevented it from lowering into the pressure cooker. So because I was couldn't use the pressure cooker, I cooked the potatoes in a saucepan.

I therefore had to improvise, which is not my strong point. I am not someone who can open the pantry door and take a bit of this and that and then create something delicious. I am a recipe follower so an obstacle such as the one I mentioned above is one that causes me to panic a little! Well, I am a recipe follower until I'm not. 

I was therefore quite pleased with how this worked out given that I had to adapt the recipe! Instead of following the recipe as written below, I cooked out the zucchini, onion and chorizo a bit more, and then baked it in the oven for around 45 minutes covered in foil, then another 15 minutes without the foil. I also forgot the garlic, but I only just realised this now! And that I put 25g of parmesan in instead of the cheddar cheese. The parmesan was supposed to go on some rocket to accompany the tortilla which we didn't want to have.

Sun dried tomato isn't one of our normal go-to ingredients.  We did enjoy it as is but we are thinking that you could adapt the ingredients quite easily. We are thinking about maybe doing chorizo, red capsicum and onion and get a delicious tasting lunch dish that we could prepare on the weekend and have for lunch during the week.

Chorizo and Sun-Dried Tomato Tortilla

Serves 6.

3 medium potatoes (600g)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion (200g), sliced thinly

2 cloves garlic, crushed 

250g (8oz) cured chorizo sausages, thinly sliced

3/4 cup (135g) semi-dried tomatoes, chopped coarsely

2 medium zucchini (240g), grated coarsely, squeezed dry

10 eggs, beaten lightly

1 cup (120g) coarsely grated cheddar cheese

Peel potatoes and cut into 5mm (1/4in) slices. Place in a 6 litre (24-cup) pressure cooker; add enough cold water to just cover. Season with salt. Bring to the boil and cook for 5 minutes or until three-quarters cooked; drain. Spread potato slices on a tray to cool

Dry pressure cooker. Heat half the olive oil over medium heat; cook onion, garlic and chorizo, stirring for 5 minutes or until onion is soft. Stir in tomatoes and zucchini; season to taste.

Lightly grease a 20cm (8in) cake pan; line base and side with baking paper. Cover base with potato. Spread vegetable mixture evenly over potato. Combine egg and half the cheese; season. Pour egg mixture over the vegetables. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Cover tightly with foil. Fold a 60cm (24in) length of foil to make a narrow sling; place under the pan. This allows for easy removal from the pressure cooker. 

Place a trivet n base of the pressure cooker and add 1 cup (250ml) water. Place cake pan, with foil sling, on trivet over the water; secure pressure cooker likd. Bring cooker to low pressure. Reduce heat to stabilise pressure; cook for 45 minutes or until just set. Release pressure using the quick release method. Alternatively if using an electric pressure cooking, your cooker will stabilise itself.

Preheat over grill (broiler) to high. Transfer tortilla, top-side up, onto a greased over tray. Cook under the grill for 5 minutes or until cheese is golden

Weekly meals

Saturday- Apple Pie and Cream

Sunday - Chorizo and sun dried tomato tortilla

Monday - Japanese chicken curry with rice

Tuesday - Salmon teriyaki stir fry

Wednesday - Spanish tuna pasta bake

Thursday - Honey chicken with rice and broccolini

Friday - Burritos (out for dinner)

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page.