Globetrotting for New Vegan Recipe Ideas: The Spanish Potato Tortilla

River ~ One of my favorite things about the internet is that we can learn how to cook any regional meal from any corner of the world! If you look hard enough you will find recipes and cooking techniques for pretty much any international dish that strikes your fancy. Today, why don't we travel all the way to Spain to enjoy a delicious Tortilla?

Spanish Tortillas are nothing like the flour and corn tortillas that we're used to eating here, they are big savory omelettes typically made with potatoes and eggs. A few months ago I made Mark Bittman's Tortillitas (with mushrooms instead of shrimp) for the E.A.T World Challenge. The tortillitas were a tasty little omelette-like dish made with chickpea flour instead of eggs, and if tortillas can be made eggless then so can Potato Tortillas! What can't be made vegan these days, right?

The chickpea flour gives this tortilla a good protein boost, so it's quite filling on its own. Serve it with steamed veggies or a salad and you have a nice meal in about 30 minutes. If you have more time and you want to use fresh onion and garlic then go for it! A tortilla is like a blank canvas, add your own goodies to customize it to your taste. Add vegan sausage crumbles for a change, or chopped mushrooms, zucchini, or vegan cheese.

This is also a very allergy-friendly recipe because it's naturally soy-free and gluten-free. If you can't eat corn you can replace the cornmeal with potato starch, but if you leave out the starch entirely the tortilla won't be as crispy. Enjoy!  

Spanish Potato Tortilla

• 1 large yukon gold potato, about 12 ounces
• 1/4 cup chickpea flour
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast, optional
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 heaping tablespoon minced parsley
• 1 tbsp olive oil for frying

1. Wash the potato and prick a few times with the tines of a fork. Microwave on high for five or six minutes or until soft. Transfer the hot potato to a bowl filled with cold water so you won't burn your hands peeling it.

2. In a medium sized bowl whisk together the chickpea flour, cornstarch, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, nutmeg, salt, and black pepper. Gradually add the water while whisking to avoid lumps. Stir in the lemon juice and the parsley.

3. At this point your potato should be cool enough to handle. Peel it and slice it into 1/4 inch thick slices. The slices will break and crumble into pieces, that's OK. Add the potato to the chickpea mixture and gently stir to coat all the pieces.

4. Heat the oil in a 9 inch non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Test the oil temperature with a drop of the chickpea mixture, the oil will be hot and ready when the drop sizzles. Carefully pour in the chickpea/potato mixture and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.

5. Here comes the fun part! Shake the frying pan to loosen the tortilla. If it's stuck somewhere, use a spatula to gently lift the area of the tortilla that is not coming off. When the whole tortilla is sliding with ease, slide it onto a plate. Flip the tortilla onto the frying pan, raw side down. Cook for 5 more minutes and slide the tortilla back onto the plate. Serve hot!

Notes: 

• Remember that if your tortilla breaks while you're flipping it, you can always turn this into a tasty potato scramble!
• I enjoy my tortilla with a dollop of vegan mayo, and sometimes I like it with a good sprinkling of lemon juice.

Article, recipe and photos by River of Wing it Vegan. River blogs loads of "vegan grub, craftiness, and geekery."