Tortilla Paisana, Peasants Omelet —and the colors of Marrakech
Have you tried tortilla paisana, peasants omelet? A very Spanish omelet, for some it’s a more tasty one than Spanish omelet. But that’s not the reason why I chose it for today’s post. I chose it for its color. Because this post is about color. The colors of Morocco. The colors of Marrakech that caused fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent to fall in love with the city and move there.
Tortilla paisana, peasants omelet, incorporates a wide variety of vegetables, almost any you can think of. The most traditional ones, the ones you find in this omelet most often in Spain, are potato, chorizo and sweet peas. I added onions and red peppers to mine, and asparagus, green onions or tender garlic shoots would be also excellent choices. You will still have to do “the flip”, like you do with the Spanish omelet (check here to see it in action), but don’t fret: use a small enough pan for more maneuverability and success is almost guaranteed —like with everything, practice makes perfect, hence the almost.
I recently came back from a trip to Marrakech, and I’m still fantasizing about and longing for it. I had been to Marrakech many years ago, in my late teens, and I remember loving it back then. A few decades later, I don’t know if the city has changed much, or if I have changed. Whatever the case, one thing remains the same: the city captivates me.
From the moment we landed at the airport in the early evening, through to a restful night, the scents of perfumes —rose, bergamot, orange blossom— were almost intoxicating. Our walks through the city on the following days —its gardens, medina and souks—added a new aromatic layer, that of spices of many kinds.
But the sense of smell is not the only one that gets a high dose of stimulation in Marrakech: the colors of the city, the homes and gardens, the vendors and their wares, generously and prominently displayed, are a multicolor canvas your eyes eventually get used to but don’t get tired of.
Jemaa El-Fnaa Square lies at the center of the medina, and can be considered the “meeting point”, where all streets converge. During the day it is filled with street performers, musicians, acrobats, snake charmers, storytellers, henna tattooists or juice and smoothie sellers (don’t leave without tasting the avocado or the mango juice!). At night, the square transforms itself into a huge street food market, with more performers and musicians to add to the magical ambience.
Walking through the streets of the medina makes you feel like you are in an Aladdin movie, the atmosphere is intoxicating and in every corner there is a hidden gem. The stores and stalls, one next to another lining every street and corner, display a wide array of metalworks, traditional clothing, ceramics, rugs, baskets, leather babouches, intricate lamps and lanterns, spices, perfumes and aromatic oils, to name a few. You can even watch the artists working at their cafts.
When you’re shopping here you’ll have to take your time, as the pace is different than what we are used to in the Western world. Don’t ask for a price, because there’s never a set price. First, the vendor will explain the virtues of what he wants to sell, and the price will be finally mutually agreed after some bartering. At the end, it’s a win-win, and you’ll go home with a treasure, something you wouldn’t have found anywhere else.
Place Jemaa el-Fnaa
At times you feel you’ve traveled back many decades (donkeys pulling carts carrying fruits, or animals, or wares, will share the street with you); a minute later you’re back in a modern environment, with the constant presence of a delicate flowery scent.
Outside of the medina, probably my favorite place to visit was the YSL Museum and the Jardins Majorelle. I will not explain in detail the history of this space —French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent’s house now converted into an open-to-the-public space that includes the house, the gardens and two museums, the YSL Museum and the Berber Museum—, but I guarantee you each aspect of this complex will not leave you indifferent. You will learn not only the influence Marrakech played in the designer’s life and fashion, but will also learn about the berbers and the different tribes and peoples that founded and make up Morocco, while admiring the peaceful gardens and ponds that connect the different buildings into one unit.
This trip was particularly special, since it was the first one (ever?) that my sisters, my mom and I have done together. We grew up on family trips, be it weekend trips or longer holiday trips. My dad was a great traveler, a lover of cultures and history, and travel was part of our lives. For him, travel, much more than material things (“stuff”) was worth the investment. We grew, and life took my sisters and I in different directions, making travel as a family much more difficult.
This was our first all girls trip. I’m sharing a few photos (okay, maybe a bit more than a few), and I could give you lots of tips and advice about where to go, what to do, or how to behave while there. But since I don’t like making my posts too long, I will list some of the wonderful things we did, and places we visited. Ask me any questions you’d like in the comments and I will be happy to answer them.
In no particular order, here’s a miscellaneous list of places to go and things to do:
- Have lunch at one of the restaurants that border Jemaa El-Fnaa Square, and request a table on the upper floor terrace (it’s worth the wait), which will give you a view overlooking the square. Zeitoun Cafe is a good choice
- Have lunch at the Cafe des Epices, on the Place des Epices. Although it has a terrace, a ground level table let’s you be immersed in what’s going on in the square
- Have dinner at the Grand Cafe de la Poste, an institution since the 1920’s. Colonial decor and delicious French-Moroccan cuisine
- Have afternoon tea at the pool terrace of the Jardins de la Koutoubia Hotel
- Sip a cocktail at the Mamounia Hotel. While there, stroll through its gardens and “hear” the quiet, even if it is located in the Medina (this “quiet” applies to the Jardins de la Koutoubia Hotel as well!)
- Visit the Yves Saint Laurent Museum and Jardins Majorelle
- Walk (and get lost in!) the streets of the medina. I dare you to leave without buying anything. In fact, don’t leave without buying something
What to buy:
- Rugs – handmade berber rugs are my favorite
- Spices – ras-el-hanout is a must (a blend of 10 to up to 100 spices, including cumin, cardamon, pepper, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, coriander, ginger, paprika…used in many savory dishes)
- Oils – argan oil (produced in nearby Essaouira, the only place in the world where argan trees grow), but also my two favorites, orange blossom oil and rose oil. Herboriste des Amis was our favorite place to buy them. Ask for Zuzu for the most knowledgeable, gentle and personable customer service
- Leather babouches – in an amazing array of colors and styles
- Ceramics – from bowls of every size to cups and even sinks, a tajine is a popular buy (even if you won’t make tajine, the slow-cooked stew, tajines look beautiful for decoration)
- Baskets – or weaved lamps, bags and pouches, rugs, stools… You won’t believe everything they can make by weaving straw
What to try:
- Tajines, slow-cooked savory stews that combine meats or fish with a variety of vegetables, and cooked in the cone shaped two-part dishes of the same name
- Juices and smoothies, my favorite were orange juice, avocado juice and mango juice
- Dates and Moroccan sweets
- Sweet mint tea, which will be offered to you often at the stores you visit
And after a troll through Marrakech, let’s get to the recipe for tortilla paisana, peasants omelet.
PEASANTS OMELET
Tortilla paisana
Ingredients:
8 eggs
2 potatoes
1 medium red pepper
1 onion
2 oz Spanish chorizo
1/2 cup sweet peas
1 bay leaf
1 clove garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbs olive oil + 1 cup for frying
Chop the pepper in small pieces. Slice the onion into thin slices. Slice the chorizo into 1/4 inch rings, then quarter. Peel the potatoes, slice them into 1/4 inch slices, then chop into small pieces.
In a medium pan, sauté the chorizo, 1 minute. Remove from the pan and reserve the chorizo grease. Add 2 Tbs olive oil and sauté the onion and pepper until the onion is translucent and the pepper softens, 4-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the chorizo and peas to the pan, mix and sauté for about 1/2 minute.
In a larger pan, heat the olive oil on medium heat, add the bay leaf and the garlic clove and fry for 1 to 2 minutes, to flavor the oil (this is a tip borrowed from chef Dani García). Remove the solids and discard. Add the chopped potatoes and fry on medium heat until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the pan often so the potatoes don’t brown. Remove from the oil and season with salt to taste.
Meanwhile, beat the eggs and season with salt and pepper. Add the potatoes and the onion, pepper, chorizo and peas mixture. Mix to blend.
Use one of the two frying pans to make the omelets —you can make a smaller diameter, thicker omelet, or a larger diameter, thinner one. I chose the second option. I used the pan where I fried the potatoes, so I needed to remove most of the olive oil (I saved it for a later use).
Pour the egg mixture into the pan, moving the pan gently in circular movements to prevent it from sticking to the bottom (at this point, you can also stir the mixture gently with a wooden spatula). Cook for about 1 minute. Decrease the heat to medium-low and continue cooking for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until the edges of the omelet start to set and wrinkle. At this point, gently slide a wooden spatula under and around the edges of the omelet, to make sure it’s not even slightly stuck to the bottom of the skillet.
Place an inverted, flat plate about 1 inch wider than the skillet, over the pan, slightly lift it from the heat source and, with a steady hand on the plate and the other one on the handle of the skillet, flip it. Lift the empty pan and place it back on the stove. With the help of a wooden spoon or spatula, gently slide the omelet, uncooked side down, back into the skillet. Shake the pan gently to evenly distribute de tortilla and cook for another 2 minutes, rounding the edges with the wooden spoon or spatula.
Slide the tortilla onto a clean plate and let cool for a few minutes. If serving as a tapa, cut into squares and pierce each portion with a toothpick. If serving it as an appetizer or light lunch, divide into wedges.
Note:
Olive oil is the oil of preference to make tortilla paisana, but if you don’t want to use a large quantity for frying, rather than substituting the oil by a different vegetable oil, I’d suggest you place the potatoes in a microwave-proof bowl, drizzle with a few spoonfuls of olive oil, and microwave on high until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes, stopping the microwave at the 5 minute mark to stir the vegetables and check for doneness. This method of cooking the vegetables is preferable to using an oil different than olive oil.
That blue at Jardins Majorelle
