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Power of 5 By Sarah Lemon for the Mail Tribune Apr 08, 2015 12:00 AM A A Melding potato, onion and egg, a Spanish-style omelet sounds too simple for most of Saudia Sharkey’s catering clients. If they only gave Tortilla Espanola a try, says Sharkey, people would be “amazed.” “I love this thing so much,” she says. “Food doesn’t have to be complicated to be marvelous.” That’s the premise of two cooking classes next week that empower participants to use just five ingredients to their greatest potential. The first, in Grants Pass, is a free lesson in “pantry-friendly” dishes containing a minimum of processed foods, says instructor Amy Spence. Sharkey’s Tuesday session in Ashland will show how specialty items can take meals in unexpected directions. “You may think about something you don’t use that often,” says Sharkey, citing the saffron threads and sherry vinegar on tap for her class at Ashland Food Co-op. Both classes, say instructors, are geared toward home cooks who work, go to school, tend to children and run short on time and energy for preparing meals. Adding just a few new dishes to one’s repertoire goes a long way, say Spence and Sharkey. “Once you make it, and everybody likes it … you’re not running around trying to make a grocery list,” says Spence, adding that a recipe isn’t even really necessary. “It’s just easy to remember.” It’s also easy to concoct components of some dishes in advance and stash them in the freezer. Spence advocates that strategy for the streusel mixture that tops her fruit crisp. The recipe can be customized beyond the five-ingredient format to include cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, nuts or oats, she says. The fruit filling is flexible, too. “You could do apples, peaches, pears, apricots, whatever’s in season,” says Spence. Swapping a single, fresh herb or spice can tilt a familiar dish toward the exotic, says Sharkey. Her Tortilla Espanola gets a kick from smoked Spanish paprika. Adding shaved fennel completely changes the flavor profile of a green salad, she adds. “People get stuck using the same ingredient,” she says, explaining that even good cooks can suffer lapses in creativity when seasoning their food. Salt is one seasoning that should never be overlooked in five-ingredient cooking, says Spence. It imparts so much flavor even in small quantities. Both instructors don’t count salt, pepper, water and oil among their recipes’ five ingredients. Using the freshest, best-quality ingredients also ensures maximum impact, says Sharkey, along with developing a sensibility for combining foods that bring out the best properties of each other. A typically minimalist dinner salad in the Spanish tradition seems decadent, she says, with the addition of asparagus spears, slivers of Manchego cheese and a splash of fig vinegar. “You can put together something with five ingredients and have it be great.” Tortilla Espanola 1 pound potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (if you have a food processor, slice potatoes with 4 millimeter-blade) 1 small yellow or white onion, peeled and very thinly sliced 1 1/2 cups light olive oil 4 large eggs Salt and pepper, to taste Fresh chives, for garnish Smoked Spanish paprika, for garnish Rinse the sliced potatoes in cold water to remove starch. Drain through a colander. Pat dry using a clean kitchen towel. In a bowl, toss potatoes to combine with the sliced onion. In a 6- or 7-inch skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Test oil temperature by placing 1 potato slice in pan; it should immediately sizzle. Add onions and potatoes to oil and reduce heat to medium. Maintaining a constant bubbling around vegetables and turning them now and again, cook for 5 to 10 minutes, or until potatoes pierce easily with a fork, but are not falling apart. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs in a large bowl with a very generous pinch of the salt and pepper. Set aside. Drain vegetables in a dry colander placed over a medium bowl to catch and reserve oil. Gently fold vegetables into egg mixture. Don’t worry if egg begins to cook from heat of vegetables. Return skillet to medium-high heat. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons reserved oil. Heat for 1 minute, then pour mixture into pan. Cook for 1 minute, then reduce heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes more. Slide a spatula around and just under tortilla to loosen it. Hold face of a dinner plate tightly to rim of skillet and, with a mitt or potholder on skillet handle, quickly invert tortilla onto plate. Return pan to medium heat and slide tortilla back into pan, uncooked side down, pushing it back into shape as needed. Cook for 5 minutes more. Once again, place plate over skillet and invert tortilla onto plate. Garnish tortilla with the chives and smoked Spanish paprika. Allow tortilla to rest a few minutes before cutting. Serve at any temperature with a flavored aioli. Makes 4 main-course servings or 6 appetizers. — Recipe courtesy of Saudia Sharkey Almond Flan 2 1/2 cups sugar, divided 3 cups whole milk 1/2 teaspoon salt 6 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup blanched, toasted almonds (preferable Marcona), finely ground in a food processor In a small, heavy skillet over medium heat. Combine 1 3/4 cups of the sugar and 1 tablespoon water; cook until sugar on bottom has melted and is transparent. Raise heat and stir with a wooden spoon until sugar turns a deep brown and starts to froth. Immediately pour caramel into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, tipping dish from side to side until there is an even coating of caramel over bottom and part way up sides. In a clean saucepan, combine the milk, salt and remaining sugar. Heat and allow to come to a brief simmer. Set aside to cool. Position a rack on lowest oven shelf. Preheat oven to 350 F. Place a kettle full of water on stove to boil. Beat the eggs well and stir them into cooled milk. Add the vanilla. Pour this mixture through a strainer into a bowl. Stir in the almonds, then pour into baking dish. Place dish into a larger baking dish on oven rack, and pour hot water from kettle into outside dish until water level is halfway up sides of flan dish. Cover flan mixture with an oiled layer of aluminum foil. Bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, testing for doneness with a knife inserted into the center of flan, but taking care not to poke knife all the way through flan to caramel, or it will spoil appearance of top when you unmold it. Remove flan from oven and cool completely at room temperature. Unmold flan at room temperature. If flan does not slither around easily in pan as you tip it, do not attempt to loosen it with a knife. Instead, place dish in a pan of warm water for about 5 minutes and test again. Unmold flan onto a dish with a little bit of depth so as to catch caramel as pours out. Serve at room temperature to get fullest flavor. Makes 10 to 12 servings. — Recipe courtesy of Saudia Sharkey Lemony Salmon and Squash 2 cups sour cream 2 teaspoons dried dill (or 4 teaspoons fresh) 2 teaspoons lemon zest 1 pound salmon, cut into 1-inch chunks 1 pound summer squash or zucchini (or combination) cut into 1-inch chunks In a medium bowl, gently stir together the sour cream, dill and lemon zest. Set aside. Steam or poach the salmon and squash until salmon is cooked and squash is tender. If using a steamer basket over simmering water, place squash in first and salmon on top to ensure salmon doesn't stick to basket and fall apart. Alternatively, poach salmon and squash in a pot of simmering water or broth until cooked, for about 5 minutes. Toss salmon and squash with sauce and serve with cooked quinoa, rice or pasta. Makes 4 to 6 servings. — Recipe courtesy of Amy Spence Fresh Fruit Crisp 3 pounds fresh fruit (berries, peaches, apples, apricots, nectarines, pears) 1 cup flour 1 cup sugar (white or brown sugar, or a combination) 1 stick butter Preheat oven to 375 F. Peel, core and dice the fresh fruit as needed. Place fruit in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. In a bowl, combine the flour and sugar. Cut in the butter until mixture clumps together. Sprinkle mixture over fruit. Bake in preheated oven until top is golden and fruit is bubbly, for 30 to 40 minutes. Makes 8 to 10 servings. VARIATIONS: Add cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, nuts or oatmeal to topping. Also try combinations of fruit, including peaches and raspberries, nectarines and blueberries or apples and cranberries. — Recipe courtesy of Amy Spence Reach freelance writer Sarah Lemon at [email protected]. With just five ingredients, Tortilla Espanola is a filling and flavorful meal. Cristina Fletes-Boutte / St. Louis Post-Dispatch