Swiss Chard Tortilla Española

EAT — garden-to-table eating

I promised on Instagram that I’d share this recipe in my newsletter, so I’m adding it here, too. Don’t forget: you could also make this with beet greens because Swiss chard and beet greens are practically the same thing.

This dish is what I remember my mom making whenever she got aselga (she couldn’t remember the English for Swiss chard) from my aunt. I always wondered why she called this frittata-like dish a tortilla, and thanks to the internet I’ve since discovered it is a variation of Spain’s tortilla made with potatoes, eggs, and olive oil. Apparently, the cuisine my mom learned when she lived in Argentina was closer to that of Spain than of Mexico, where tortilla means a different thing. Anyway, here is how I make it, more or less. Just like my mom, I’m not terribly exact about following recipes or measurements. I find that makes it much easier to use what I grow in my garden.

Swiss Chard Tortilla Española (Tortilla de Aselga)

• 6-7 Eggs
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 large bunch of Swiss chard
• 1 clove garlic, minced (optional—I used garlic scapes when I made it last)
• Salt and pepper or a salt-free blend, to taste
• Olive oil for frying

1. In a mixing bowl beat eggs, and then mix in seasonings.
2. Wash and chop the chard. Saute the onion and chard stems in oil.
3. Cook in a nonstick pan on medium heat and keep adding the chard leaves as it cooks down. Cover the pan to help it cook down faster, and add a few drops of water if needed. When it is all cooked down, uncover the pan to cook off any extra moisture at bottom of pan.
4. Pour egg mixture over all the chard—do not stir and mix up. Cover pan again and cook until egg is set and starting to pull away from edges.
5. Loosen the edges and bottom. Cover the pan with serving platter and flip tortilla over onto it. Then carefully slide it back into the pan to cook the other side.

To serve, cut into wedges.
Serves 8

Flipping the tortilla over and sliding it back into the pan is the tricky part. Here’s an amateur video I made of that maneuver. Using a good non-stick pan helps. If you don’t want to try flipping it, you could just keep the pan covered until the egg is fully cooked or pop it in the oven and then flip it once onto a platter or serve it straight out of the pan.

Swiss chard is my favorite green. It’s easier to grow than spinach, and it’s tastier, in my opinion, than kale. This is my favorite Swiss chard recipe because it’s super delicious and it brings back fond memories of my mother. 

¡Buen provecho!

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