Euro 2024 British Quiche Lorraine v Spanish Spanish Tortilla

Enter executive head chef Kevin Bonello from The Grand, York, who is just the man to suggest an English vs Spanish culinary showdown.

Having spent much of his culinary career working with European flavours in Malta, before training across various Michelin-starred restaurants in London prior to heading up Legacy in York, Kevin is the perfect man to share pointers on impressing guests of all nationalities.

One example is his ‘Battle of the Omelettes’ where he sees the British Quiche Lorraine face up against the Spanish classic tortilla.  

For the quintessentially English, Quiche Lorraine, Kevin’s recipe is as follows:

For the crust:

• 125g unsalted butter, cold and diced
• 250g plain flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp water

For the filling:

• 100g white onion, sliced
• 250g cooked gammon, diced
• 200g cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
• 3 eggs
• 350ml double cream
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste

Method:

1. To make the dough, mix the flour and salt then work in the butter by hand until small crumbs are formed
2. Add the water and work lightly until a dough is formed, rest in the fridge for two hours
3. Once rested, roll the dough to a 3mm thickness and line a tart tin, leaving some extra dough hanging over the edge to allow for shrinkage.
4. Blind bake the crust for 15-20 minutes at 200c, or until golden brown.
5. For the filling, softly sauté the sliced onion on a medium heat until soft, set aside to cool.
6. Once the onions have cooled, combine with the diced gammon, cheddar and parsley and spread evenly in the baked crust.
7. In a bowl, mix the eggs, cream, salt and pepper. Pour the mixture into the filled crust.
8. Bake in the oven at 140c for 35-40 minutes, until the egg mixture is fully set.
9. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 30 minutes before serving.

On the other hand, the perfect Spanish Potato & Pepper Tortilla is as follows:

 Ingredients:

• 6 eggs, beaten
• 100g red bell pepper, diced
• 50g kalamata olives, stoned and chopped
• 100g potato, cooked, peeled and diced
• 1 tsp finely chopped parsley
• Smoked paprika, to taste
• Salt, to taste
• Black pepper, to taste
• 50g sour cream

Method:

1. Mix the peppers, potato, olives and parsley with the beaten egg.
2. Season with salt, black pepper and paprika
3. Heat some vegetable oil in a pan, pour in the beaten egg mix and cook on a medium-high heat, constantly moving the pan, until golden brown.
4. Gently flip the cooked tortilla and transfer it into the oven. Cook for 10 minutes at 160c, until the egg is thoroughly cooked.
5. Allow the tortilla to cool before cutting into wedges, drizzle with sour cream and garnish with chopped parsley.

Kevin’s serving suggestions are with wedges and churros respectively, but feel free to go crazy in creating your own Euros flavour combos!

If you make either recipe, please send a picture of your favourite to newsdesk@thepress.co.uk