Food & Wine Food & Wine
Mastering My Mistakes: How to Make the Best Tapas Menu
  • Subscribe
  • Video
    • Mad Genius Tips
    • Cooking Videos
    • Ludo Lefebvre Cooking Videos
  • Recipes
    • Meat & Poultry
    • Comfort Food
    • Soups
    • Breakfast & Brunch
    • Appetizers
    • Salads
    • Side Dishes
    • Desserts
    • Fruits
    • Vegetables
    • Seafood
    • Pasta & Noodle
    • Special Diets
    • Chefs
  • Drinks
    • Wine
    • Cocktails
    • Champagne
    • Coffee
    • Beer
    • Tea
  • Travel
    • Restaurants
    • Wine Regions
  • Holidays
    • Super Bowl
    • Chinese New Year
    • Mardi Gras
    • Valentine's Day
    • Easter
  • Kitchen & Home
    • Cooking Techniques
    • How To
    • Gift Guides
  • Shop
  • More
    • F&W Classic in Aspen
    • Events
    • Newsletters
    • Wine Club
  • News
  • Subscribe
  • VIDEO
    • Mad Genius Tips
    • Cooking Videos
    • Ludo Lefebvre Cooking Videos
  • RECIPES
    • Meat & Poultry
    • Comfort Food
    • Soups
    • Breakfast & Brunch
    • Appetizers
    • Salads
    • Side Dishes
    • Desserts
    • Fruits
    • Vegetables
    • Seafood
    • Pasta & Noodles
    • Special Diets
    • Chefs
  • DRINKS
    • Wine
    • Cocktails
    • Champagne
    • Coffee
    • Beer
    • Tea
  • TRAVEL
    • Restaurants
    • Wine Regions
    • Local Flavor
  • HOLIDAYS
    • Super Bowl
    • Valentine's Day
    • Oscar Party
    • Mardi Gras
    • St. Patrick's Day
  • NEWS
  • KITCHEN & HOME
    • Cooking Techniques
    • How To
    • Gift Guides
  • SHOP
  • SUBSCRIBE
    • Subscribe
    • Events
    • Give a Gift
    • Newsletters
    • Wine Club
  1. Home
  2. Mastering My Mistakes: How to Make the Best Tapas Menu

Mastering My Mistakes: How to Make the Best Tapas Menu

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.

More
Food & Wine
1 of 7 © Nicole Franzen

The Menu

Mushroom Tortilla

Cold Tomato Soup With Ham and Hard-Boiled Eggs

Garlic Shrimp

Advertisement
2 of 7 © Nicole Franzen

Tip #1: Don't Be Timid!

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.

3 of 7 © Nicole Franzen

Tip #2: Sauté the Onions

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.

Advertisement
4 of 7 © Nicole Franzen

Tip #3: Stir the Eggs Hard

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.

 

Advertisement
5 of 7 © Nicole Franzen

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

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.

Advertisement
6 of 7 © Nicole Franzen

Tip #5: Put Ice Cubes in the Blender

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.

 

Advertisement
7 of 7 © Nicole Franzen

Tip #6: Use a Strainer to Chop Eggs

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.

 

You May Like

Read More

Sign Up for Our Newsletter

Keeping you in the know on all the latest & greatest food and travel news, and other special offers.
Sign up

DELICIOUS DEAL

12 ISSUES FOR JUST $12
Subscribe & Save

Sign Up for Our Newsletter

Keeping you in the know on all the latest & greatest food and travel news, and other special offers.
Sign up
Food & Wine
Holidays & Occasions
  • Chinese New Year
  • Super Bowl Recipes
  • Valentine's Day Recipes
  • Oscar Party Food
  • Mardi Gras Recipes
  • Memorial Day Recipes
  • Father's Day Recipes
  • Rosh Hashanah Recipes
  • Halloween Recipes
  • Thanksgiving Recipes
  • Christmas Recipes
Popular Dishes
  • Sandwiches
  • Snacks
  • Bread Recipes
  • Grain Recipes
  • Bean Recipes
  • Quinoa Recipes
  • Chicken Breast Recipes
  • French Recipes
  • Mexican Recipes
Subscribe
  • Subscribe to Food & Wine
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Food & Wine Books
  • Get Food & Wine iPad Edition
  • Get F&W Mobile Apps
Clubs & Events
  • Food & Wine Connoisseur Club
  • Events
  • Best New Chefs
Contact
  • Customer Service
  • Contact Us
  • Advertising
  • Careers
  • Site Map
Meredith Corporation
  • Travel + Leisure
  • Departures
Food & Wine may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. © 2018 Meredith Corporation Allrecipes Food Group. All rights reserved.
View Website Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. Your California Privacy Rights. Ad Choices. Users of this site agree to be bound by the Website Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.
foodandwine.com is part of the Meredith Corporation Allrecipes Food Group. | EU Data Subject Requests
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.