Terrific Tortilla Española

Did you know that the word 'tapas' means 'lids'? These dishes were devised to fit on small plates used to cover drinks. I love tapas, but trying to make some of these dishes both vegan and oil free requires a little creativity. How does one make an omelette with no eggs? With chickpeas, of course!

Terrific Tortilla Española

I've been very fortunate to have visited Spain a few times in my life, although I'd still argue I haven't travelled there enough! One of my favourite trips was to Granada- a truly beautiful part of the world where both Spanish and Arabic influences meet bringing some truly gorgeous architecture, mosaics, and, of course, FOOD. Granada is one of the few places in Spain that still serves tapas in the traditional way- you pay for your drink and get a free nibble/ small plate, most tapas bars these days charge you for both (and who can blame them?!). There's no better way to spend an evening than spending time with loved ones enjoying delicious food and drink, and gossiping while watching the world go by.

Did you know that the word 'tapas' means 'lids'? Historically, you would go to the bar, get a drink, then put a small plate or something similar over the top of the cup or glass to prevent flies and insects getting in. Some bars started serving food on top of these little plates to go along with the drinks, which became the wonderful tapas known almost universally today.

My go-to tapas in Spain revolved around 3-4 dishes which are inherently vegetarian: patatas bravas (fried cubes of potato in a slightly spicy tomato sauce), queso manchego con pan (a hard sheep's milk cheese and bread), croquetas de patatas (crispy croquettes of potato), and of course tortilla española (Spanish omelette). Trying to make some of these dishes both vegan and oil free requires a little creativity. An easy substitute for patatas bravas is to sauté the potato, onion, and garlic in broth instead of oil. When I fancy croquetas de patatas, my go-to recipe is https://snugglegrub.com/crispy-veg-bites/ , but with root veggies to use up, I wondered- how does one create an omelette without eggs? Thank goodness for legumes!

Ingredients
2 cups chickpea/ garbanzo flour
1 cup water
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 small Spanish onion, or 2 shallots, thinly sliced
2 potatoes- anything like Marris Piper or Russet would work well here, thinly sliced. If you don't fancy potatoes, or want to mix things up a little, you can use this as an opportunity to use up any other starchy veggies- plantain, sweet potato, swede/rutabaga, celeriac/celery root- let me know what you try!

Method
Preheat the oven to 400°F/ 200°C.
In a cast iron pan / oven safe pan, add a little water and sauté the garlic, onion, and potatoes (and/ or other veggies)  on medium heat until soft.
Turn off the heat and move the contents of the pan to  to cool a little. Set the pan to one side.
In a mixing bowl or large jug mix the chickpea flour, salt, pepper, onion and garlic powders, and water with a fork or a balloon whisk until the mixture forms a batter.
Wipe the bottom of the pan you just used for the veggies with a paper towel, then line the pan with parchment/ greaseproof paper. Layer the vegetable slices, garlic, and onion evenly around the pan, then add the batter until the contents are covered, you may be able to do 2-3 layers of vegetables depending on the size pan you are using.
Bake for 20 minutes, then garnish with some fresh herbs, slice, and serve with a drink of your choice.