A Little Taste of Spain

One of the best reasons I can think of for walking the Camino is to eat Spanish tapas, which are widely available along the route.

And I think the Spanish tortilla and Padron peppers are probably my favorite of all the tapas.

Spanish tortilla is a dish of eggs and potatoes that have been fried together in a skillet. It’s kind of like a thick omelette with potatoes. Similar to an omelette, you can add other things to your tortilla, like mushrooms or cheese.

It’s a simple dish, but it’s consistently good in Spain. I usually have it as a snack mid-morning when I am walking.

The first time I tried to make Spanish tortilla at home, it did not taste right. I couldn’t figure out what I was doing wrong as there are only a few ingredients.

Then we moved to England and I started having farm eggs delivered to my house. They have these rich yellow yokes, so the eggs are almost orange when you beat them in a bowl. And they just taste divine.

There are a few other details that I think make the tortilla taste more like the one I eat in Spain. You need to be generous with your olive oil, and of course, use the nicest olive oil you have. And then I think flaky sea salt helps it taste its best.

Alongside Spanish tortilla, I love to order Pimientos de Padron, or Padron peppers. These are seared peppers that look like jalapeños but are more like Japanese shishito peppers. For the most part, Padron peppers are not spicy. Every once in a while you get one with a kick, but mostly they are just yummy. You drop them into a hot skillet of oil until they blister all over. Then sprinkle them with sea salt.

They are so easy to make. The hardest part is finding the peppers. My local market here has them sometimes when they are in season (summer months), so I snatch them up and serve them alongside my Spanish tortilla.

Even without the peppers though, you can enjoy Spanish tortilla. Splurge on some fancy eggs and make yourself a little taste of Spain.

Spanish Tortilla Recipe

(adapted from Jamie Oliver)

Ingredients:

300 grams potatoes, peeled and diced (around one large potato or 2 medium ones)

1 onion, diced

olive oil

5 large eggs

sea salt

Directions:

Pour 3-4 tablespoons of oil into a small frying pan over a medium heat.

Add the onion and potatoes and cook for 20 minutes or until the onions are done and potatoes are cooked through.

Beat the eggs with a fork in a small bowl with a little salt and pepper.

When the onions and potatoes are cooked, remove the pan from the heat and carefully stir them into the eggs.

Add a little more oil to the pan and then pour the whole mixture back into the pan.

Turn the heat down to low and cook for around 20 minutes, or until the eggs are cooked.

Loosen the sides of the tortilla with a spatula. Carefully flip out the tortilla onto a dinner plate. Then slide it back into the pan and cook for 5 more minutes on the other side.

Flip the tortilla onto a serving plate. Slice and serve with bread, a few greens or Pimientos de Padron if you can get them.