Welcome to day 10 of 10 naturally vegan series. Yesterday, I shared Baba Ganoush, an eggplant dip. Click here to check it out! On the final day, we head to Spain for Patatas a lo Pobre.
I saved the best for last. Spain. Spanish cuisine is very meat-heavy and fish-heavy similar to Cuban cuisine. Cuban cuisine results from various cultures that have influenced Cuba through conquests and trade—primarily indigenous, Spanish, African, and the Caribbean. Many Cubans have ancestors from Spain, including myself. My ancestors are from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. I grew up eating Cuban food, but when I visited Spain, I fell in love with the food; it felt like home. A goal of mine is to create vegan alternatives of my favorite childhood dishes that originate from my country and ancestors.
In Borderline Salty’s I Need To Flip a Pancake Soon episode, Rick and Carla had a caller asking about recreating dishes their parents made or dishes from childhood. And how it doesn't need to be precisely the same but an interpretation of what you think it should taste like, and this is what I struggle with when I want to bring childhood memories to life on a dish. I have this image and taste in my head, and when I try to execute it, and it doesn't taste the same or look the same, I get disappointed, but this is the beauty of cooking. Every cook is different. We all have our style, methods, and flavors we bring to the table.
“That is the beauty of cooking people add their own sazon, creativity, and flavor to a dish…that belief that there is a correct way to make Mexican food or other cultures, I think that is an American construct…we have to do it one way and only way, but that isn’t true.”
-Rick Martinez
Patatas a lo Pobre, is one of those dishes. I remember eating a rendition of it growing up, but it didn't taste anything like what I remember when I made it. Finding vegan dishes in Spain is rare, but you can always depend on their potato dishes: patatas bravas, papas arrugadas, or patatas a la riojana (no chorizo!)
Patatas a lo Pobre translates to poor man’s potatoes in English. Making patatas a lo pobre is super easy. They don’t call it poor man’s potatoes for nothing. This simple potato dish is made by slowly frying the potatoes with onions and green bell peppers.
This dish originated in the South of Spain: Granada. It was created during the Medieval era when famine was common among the people. The ingredients were easy to find, and the dish came together quickly with minimal tools needed. It gained popularity in the 20th century and can be found all over Spain.
Patatas a lo Pobre requires six ingredients: potatoes, olive oil, onions, garlic, bell peppers, and salt. You can use either green or red bell peppers or both. The slow-fry of the potatoes in olive oil allows the olive oil to seep into the potatoes, making them tender and juicy. Adding the onions, bell peppers, and garlic gives the potatoes a simple yet incredible flavor. This dish is another example of less is more. I served it with Cuban picadillo. This was a scrumptious side dish and I can see this served with breaded tofu, soy curls, or jackfruit.
Loosely followed recipe from Spain on a Fork
And that is a wrap on my naturally vegan series! I observed throughout this series that the simplest dishes are usually the most delicious; I loved every recipe I made except the Farniata. I think that one was a doozy. Something went wrong in its making, but I wasn't over the moon about the taste either. One dish that blew my mind was the congee. I mean, who knew making rice into porridge could be so satisfying. The congee was the most inspirational dish I tried. It's the perfect base for many flavor combinations. This series was fun, and the goal was to get me out of a cooking rut. Now, I want to hear from you! What did you think? Any dishes mentioned that piqued your interest? Would you like to see a series like this in the future? Let me know in the comments!
Thank you so much for this series!! It really helps people who are travelling identify a couple of dishes you don’t need to ask if they’re sin leche 🤪 plus these look so tasty!