Fina was my Spanish neighbor who lived diagonally across the street from our home when we were stationed in San Antonio. She was an older lady & all of her kids were out of the house & had their own families all spread across the country. Her husband worked for Lockheed Martin & always traveled for business which left her alone 4 out of 7 days of the week. When we moved onto her street, within a matter of hours, she knocked on the door with a round pie dish in hand. At the time I was very pregnant with RJ, tired from the move & grumpy as hell. I vividly remember answering the door to the most pleasant person who’s warmth radiated in just a few words “Welcome to the neighborhood”. Those words made the grump go away…wait I lie, maybe it was the round plate of food that made the grumpy monster subside.
She didn’t want to stay but wanted to welcome us & leave us with a plate of her “famous Spanish Frittata”. That night, I fell in love with Fina’s Famous Spanish Frittata. A day later I sent her a written Thank you note & told her that I ate the whole pie by myself. TBT (Truth be told) her tortilla had onions in it…lots of onions & large pieces of it. Both the hubs & our oldest kid despise onions which meant more for me!!!!!
Frittata’s are like a crustless Quiche. Fina’s famous Spanish Frittata was simply eggs, onions & potato’s with a pinch of salt, pepper & garlic. Fina would bring over a Frittata at least once a month & before we PCS’d from San Antonio, she taught me how to make it & told me in Spain, it’s called Tortilla Espanol.
I have since adapted Fina’s recipe to add my own spin on it. I’ve included both Fina’s recipe & my own below. A few years ago, I was saddened to find that Fina had passed. Her warmth & kindness to a young mother who was far away from home will never be forgotten!
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