A recipe from the forthcoming SHH (Sustainability, Health, Heritage) Recipe Book.
Ingredients
2 ½ cups extra virgin olive oil
3 medium potatoes (about 1kg), peeled and thinly sliced (about 0.5cm thick)
1/4 kg fresh stinging nettle leaves, washed
1 yellow or white onion
6 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons crushed sea salt
Instructions
Steam the nettles for 1 minute, drain and set aside to cool.
Add olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat.
Add the potato and onion; they should be mostly covered with olive oil (add a little more oil if needed). Season with 1 1/2 teaspoons of sea salt. Cook on a medium-high heat, maintaining a gentle boil, for 8-12 minutes, turning occasionally, until the potatoes are just fork-tender. Don’t overcook.
Drain the potatoes in a colander, reserving the oil. Taste and season with more salt, if needed. Allow to cool for a few minutes.
Meanwhile, crack the eggs into a bowl and season with about ½ tsp salt. Beat the eggs together. Add the potato, onion and nettle and toss to coat.
Add a little bit of oil to the bottom of a 10-inch non-stick skillet over high heat. Once hot, pour the potato mixture into it and cook on high heat for 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for about 5 minutes.
Run a rubber spatula along the outer edges of the tortilla to make sure it’s not sticking and to help it form its shape.
Once it starts to firm up around the edges and in the center (although it will still be a little runny) place a large plate (larger than the size of the pan) over the pan and flip the omelette onto the plate.
At this point, the cooked side of the omelette should be facing up.
Now gently slide the omelette back into the pan. Aim the back of the omelette to slide into the back of the skillet and use the spatula to help slide the rest of it off the plate and into the pan. Then use the spatula again to press the sides of the omelette in and under, to keep that rounded edge.
Cook on high heat for 1 minute, and low heat for 2-3 more minutes or until done. It’s done when it feels set in the center and a knife or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Flip the finished omelette back onto a plate, and serve. Serve warm or at room temperature.
About the recipe
This recipe uses nettles, an unprocessed, wild food which contain up to 25% protein by dry weight. They are a complete protein, with a good mix of essential amino acids, and the protein is very easily digestible. Nettles are a widely available wild food that can be gathered for free with near-zero environmental impact.
The human use of nettles as a food source stretches back at least 4000 years, and likely much further back into prehistory than that. Nettle stems also contain a a very strong bast fiber that can be used to create very high-quality linens.
After potatoes were brought back from the New World, it took more than 200 years for them to become an everyday staple of Spanish cuisine. People likely started preparing primitive tortillas not long after. Spanish texts from the mid- to late 18th century describe potatoes as a useful ingredient in “stews and omelets.” In Madrid and much of northern Spain, it’s common to start your day with a pincho de tortilla for breakfast.
Root vegetables such as potatoes are also among the lowest-emission food types. Potatoes are a rich source of fiber, iron, vitamin C and vitamin B-6.