Mastering My Mistakes: How to Make the Best Tapas Menu

By Food & Wine
Updated June 16, 2016
© Nicole Franzen
Inspired by her new cookbook, Mastering My Mistakes in the Kitchen, F&W editor in chief Dana Cowin makes three terrific recipes with guidance from a chef. Her tutor this month: José Andrés, the Spanish-born chef-owner of ThinkFoodGroup, with restaurants all over the world.
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The Menu

© Nicole Franzen

Mushroom Tortilla

Cold Tomato Soup With Ham and Hard-Boiled Eggs

Garlic Shrimp

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Tip #1: Don't Be Timid!

© Nicole Franzen

To get his mushroom tortilla out of the pan, José uses a quick, confident twist of the wrist. If you’re timid, as I was, you’ll end up with smooshed eggs that slide slowly to the side.

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Tip #2: Sauté the Onions

© Nicole Franzen

When making the tortilla, the first move is to sauté the onions, then the mushrooms. My instinct was not to crowd the pan, but José fills every bit of surface area so nothing burns.

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Tip #3: Stir the Eggs Hard

© Nicole Franzen

José beats the eggs into submission, until they are shiny and creamy. Then, when they’re in the pan, he corrals them to the middle, stirring hard. I now understand that my passive approach was a fail in progress.

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Tip #4: Use a Plate to Get the Tortilla Out of the Pan

© Nicole Franzen

I’ve never been able to get a tortilla out of the pan intact—I even tried using a fish spatula once. That’s why José’s trick is genius: He places a plate on top, then flips the skillet.

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Tip #5: Put Ice Cubes in the Blender

© Nicole Franzen

Blender blades can heat up the soup if they’re working really hard, so José throws in a few ice cubes to keep the temperature cool.

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Tip #6: Use a Strainer to Chop Eggs

© Nicole Franzen

This tip would make F&W’s Mad Genius jealous. In order to chop hard-boiled eggs for topping the tomato soup, José pushes the whites, then the yolks, through a small strainer.

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