Baked Spanish - Style Tortilla

When I say "tortillas", what comes to mind? A lot of people probably say (quite correctly) that tortillas are (im)perfectly round flatbreads of corn or flour combinations ready for stuffing, a la Mexican style food. However, there is another type of tortilla out there that is totally unrelated to bread in any sense, and is in reality closer kissing cousins to quiche and fritatta - fitting, since this eggy dish hails from Spain, a stone's throw from France and Italy.

While there are a lot of variations on the Spaish tortilla, the two constant ingredients are eggs (obviously) and potatoes. Without a crust like quiche, the potatoes add a nice bit of "body" to the dish and are usually shallow fried in olive oil before assembly, adding extra texture. Anything else is really fair game, keeping in mind that "harder" veggies like carrots do better finely diced and cooked through and everything tastes better with a bit of sauteed pan-flavour. Since we have such a glorious array of garden bounty (including more zucchini than even soup can take care of), I took inspiration and packed ours with the harvest. I had a carton of egg substitute kicking around (we had bought it for something back at Easter, never made it and froze the carton) so that made up the bulk of the eggs, enriched with a luxurious splash of cream and pops of local chèvre and prime chorizo.

Now, traditional tortillas rely on copious quantities of olive oil for frying potatoes and other ingredients, but since I had the cream I wanted to play a bit nicer with the rest of the fat quantities. Instead, I steamed the red-skin new potatoes, and sauteed the remaining items in a hint of good quality olive oil. Lacking a decent oven-safe saute pan, I wrapped my best 9" springform up in foil and simply transferred the egg-coated mixture to it. A slice is definitely a full (and filling) meal for lunch, especially with a slice of garlic toast on the side and a nice wine (or sangria!). Without the chorizo, the dish is a vegetarian delight, and regardless the whole thing is gluten free too!

Shared with  Gluten Free Fridays

Baked Spanish - Style Tortilla

Makes one 9" pan, 6 slices

1 tbsp fruity olive oil
1 large zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
4 shallots, thinly sliced
12 oz new potatoes, quartered and cooked (I steamed mine)
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 (500ml) carton Southwestern Egg Creations (or 8 eggs + diced red bell pepper to taste)
½ tsp paprika
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
2/3 cup 18% cream
2 tsp fresh thyme
3 scallions, minced
1 oz dry Spanish chorizo, diced*
3 oz goat cheese, crumbled

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F and grease a 9” springform pan wrapped in foil.
2. Heat oil in a deep saute pan over medium heat and add the zucchini and shallots.
3. Cook until zucchini begins to brown, then add the potatoes and garlic (and peppers if using) and cook 1 minute.
4. In a large bowl, beat the Egg Creations (or eggs), paprika, salt, pepper, cream, thyme, green onions and cheese until well combined.
5. Add sauteed mixture and stir through gently.
6. Pour into the pan and bake until the eggs set, about 40-45 minutes.
7. Cool at least 5 minutes before running a thin knife around the edge of the pan and unmoulding. 
8. This is great warm or cold. 

*Chorizo can be omitted for vegetarian.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 224.2
Total Fat: 11.9 g
Cholesterol: 26.5 mg
Sodium: 402.7 mg
Total Carbs: 15.5 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.8 g
Protein: 14.5 g