A Vegetarian in Spain

I was lucky to have a long weekend in Andalucia. I stayed up in the hills and was cooked for which was bliss. As a vegetarian, eating out in Spain is limiting - at the local tapas bar in Galaroza, the choice was Tortilla or tortilla. Even the Russian Salad and Empanadillas were made with tuna. But I managed to make do...

The local market had freshly picked figs.

The neighbouring farmer brought us bags of green beans,tomatoes and new potatoes to make a simple salad of sweet tomatoes and crisp blanched green beans and potatoes for the tortilla.

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We walked in the cool mornings: the chestnut trees in full bloom with their dangly tassles, the cork trees with their naked barkless trunks, the fields parched and filled with what I thought was oregano, but may not be as had white flowers rather than pinky purple.

Stopping off for a café con leche, shopping on the way home and then preparing a late lunch. Lunch is the main meal of the day and eaten from 2pm onwards. We always started with cold Gazpacho.

With lots of people to feed, a large paella was great for sharing.

For supper, Tapas, but that was never until 10pm!

You can see more photos from my trip on Flickr.

A few of my favourite vegetarian Spanish recipes:

• Tortilla de patatas - Traditional Spanish egg and potato tortilla
• Empanadas - Spanish pastry filled with veggies and chickpeas
• Salmorejo - A gazpacho-style dip, and vegan too
• Paella verde - Our take on the classic rice dish full of green veg like asparagus and broad beans