A riff on the Spanish tortilla

The simplest approach to nearly everything is always the best. What is it about a Spanish tortilla that is so delicious? It's just 4 main ingredients: onions, eggs, potatoes and olive oil and yet, somehow, they manage to magically transform these humble beginnings into something far superior to the ordinary frittata. Of course, it's never possible to recreate the magic at home, maybe it's the oil, the cooking time, who knows? Nothing can compare to the genuine article you get in Spain, either cut into thick, dense wedges and offered as a tapa or whole, gently slid off the pan onto your waiting plate.

The onions should be caramelized, a mere step away from golden brown, along with the potatoes, which must be sliced thin enough to slowly soften in the olive oil. The seasoning is also important, a generous pinch of salt elevating this to flavourful rather than bland, although if the oil is the quality it should be, green, herbal and a little bitter, this alone will give the dish a great taste.

This, as you can see, is a messed about with attempt to replace the carbohydrate laden potatoes. After all my praise of the genuine article, I made something that was by no means genuine and very inferior, but good enough to stand on it's own without comparison.

Recipe : Omelet with peppers and onions

1/2 cup olive oil (don't panic, it gets drained away).

1 onion, sliced thinly

1 orange and 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and sliced thinly

1 clove garlic, peeled and cut in half

5 eggs

1/2 tsp salt and lots of twists of freshly ground black pepper

Heat the olive oil in a heavy based pan over medium heat until hot, add the onion, peppers and garlic and reduce heat to low - medium. 

Let the vegetables cook for about 20 minutes until they are soft and starting to caramelize. 

Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen towels, throw the garlic away.

Place the vegetables into a large bowl, beat the eggs together in a smaller bowl, season with the salt and pepper and then add to the vegetables. 

Mix everything together well.

Pour most of the oil from the pan, (you can keep it if you like, it will be faintly garlicky), leaving about 1 tbsp. 

Over low - medium heat, pour the egg and vegetable mixture back into the pan and cook for about 10 minutes on one side, then flip using a spatula or two plates and cook the other side for a further 10 minutes or so. 

You can serve this whole or cut into pieces either hot or cold. The traditional tortilla would have thinly sliced potatoes in lieu of the peppers, cooked in the same way until soft.