Viva Espana

By now you might well have ascertained that I am an indubitable proponent of Spanish food (and wine).  The English have an unfounded belief that Spanish food will give you a "jippy tummy" and that Spanish wine is "plonk" that will give you a violent hangover.

I have travelled around Spain on many an occasion, starting at the age of 17 when I went inter-railing.  I have an abundance of endearing memories of Spain, one of which stems from a holiday to the Costa Tropicale 2 years ago.  

A quick geography lesson:  the Costa Tropicale is reached by flying to Malaga, getting into a car and then driving in the polar opposite direction to the rest of your average, English Costa vacationers, i.e east.  About one and a half's hour drive east from Malaga airport will bring you to sunny Salobrena, a sleepy little Spanish seaside town.  Quite charming it was too, and proved to be an excellent base with which to explore the surrounding area.

We found a totally deserted beach quite close to la Herradurra, actually it wasn't totally deserted as we noticed a naked swimmer a bit further up...  We exploited this rare phenomena for a few hours (the deserted beach, not the naked swimmer) before the midday hunger pangs set in.  A short stroll up the beach revealed a beach-side restaurant, totally empty except for the smiling patron who, it turns out is the now, fully clothed naked swimmer!


Oddly enough our patron was Italian, but she shared a similar love of Spanish cuisine.  She cooked a simple tortilla for me and I enjoyed it so much I got the (extremely simple) recipe from her to take home to Blighty.


Here's how you make it:

•   Boil 4 to 5 small to medium floury potatoes until they are soft but not disintegrating.  Allow to cool then slice about 1cm thick rounds.
•   In a thick-based large frying pan or skillet, fry one medium onion in some olive in until it softens.  The purist tortilla should not contain garlic, but I cannot resist adding a clove or two, finely chopped.
•   Whisk 3-4 medium eggs until combined and aerated.
•   Begin layering the potatoes in the pan trying not to overlap them.  
•   Season the eggs with a good pinch of salt and black pepper and then pour over the potato and onion mixture.
•   Again, the purist recipe will not contain cheese, but you can grate over some manchego, or perhaps some parmegiano.
•   Allow the base to set - this takes 3 minutes or so on a medium heat.  During this time heat your grill.
•   Take the frying pan off the heat and place under the grill.  Grill the top layer until it rises and becomes golden in colour.

Eat it with a fresh salad, or simply some dressed tomatoes.


This is exactly what I ate last night.  It's simple, effective cooking at its best, and quite frankly it is far superior to any omelette in my opinion.