Make the most of your leftover ingredients with Claire Scrine’s simple, yet tantalisingly tasty spanish potato and leek tortilla
Sometimes it’s best to keep things simple. Beautiful meals made from the basics is the ethos behind Brisbane local Claire Scrine’s newest cookbook The Shared Kitchen, which features more than 80 flavourful and creative vegetarian and vegan recipes. A cooking journey which started as a way to celebrate the share houses Claire and her mates were living in, has become the foodies bible to living communally and sharing a kitchen – all created and shot in Meanjin (Brisbane). One of our favourite recipes is the Spanish potato and leek tortilla, which is both taste bud-tantalising and a great way to save some precious ingredients from the bin, get the most out of your leftovers and bang for your buck. With very few ingredients, this tempting tortilla is flavour-packed with slow and low cooked confit-style potatoes and leeks and paired with a perfectly balanced tomato chutney. Read on to discover how to make this delicious and surprisingly easy dish …
INGREDIENTS
500–600 g waxy potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1 cm cubes
125 ml vegetable oil (or another neutral oil)
1 leek, white and pale green part, quartered lengthways, then sliced into 1 cm pieces
1 teaspoon dried or fresh thyme
1 heaped teaspoon dijon mustard
salt and pepper
8 eggs
125 g sour cream
100 g soft goats cheese
basil leaves and nasturtium flowers, to serve (optional)
For the tomato chutney
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
500 g tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon smoky paprika
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon salt
1–2 tablespoons brown sugar, to taste
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
TO MAKE
Place the potato in a saucepan and cover with cold water and a sprinkle of salt. Bring to the boil over medium heat and cook for 5–6 minutes, until just starting to soften. Drain and set aside to cool a little.
To make the tomato chutney, heat the olive oil, onion and garlic in a saucepan over medium to low heat. Stir gently and cook for 5 minutes or until the onion is translucent, then add the tomato, paprika, cumin seeds, salt, brown sugar and 170 ml (⅔ cup) of water. Bring the mixture to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 30–40 minutes, mashing the tomato gently with a spoon as it begins to soften and break down. Once the chutney has thickened, add the vinegar and stir well. Taste and adjust the seasoning and sugar to your taste. Set aside to cool. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) fan-forced.
Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in an ovenproof frying pan over medium heat until hot. Reduce the heat to low and carefully add the potato and leek. Cook, stirring every 5 minutes, for about 20 minutes, until the leek has browned considerably and the potato is soft. If the potatoes and leek haven’t reached this stage, increase the heat slightly and continue cooking for a little longer. Once ready, add the thyme and mustard, along with a generous pinch of salt and pepper, and stir through to combine. Taste and make sure it’s really well seasoned.
Whisk the eggs, sour cream and another pinch of salt and pepper in a bowl, until well combined. Carefully pour the mixture into the pan and gently stir through the vegetables. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 10–15 minutes, until the egg has puffed up and is just set. Remove from the oven and spoon over the soft goats cheese. Serve hot or at room temperature, with a generous tablespoon or two of tomato chutney and a few basil leaves and nasturtium flowers, if you like.
This is an edited extract from The Shared Kitchen by Claire Scrine. Published by Smith Street Books. Photographer: © Yaseera Moosa.
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