Who are you?
My name is Nacho and I am from Santiago the Compostela an small city in the Northweast of the Spanish State but I have lived in London for the past 12 years. I help run Black Cat Café in Hackney, mostly running the kitchens and events/fundraisers. I also love playing basketball and I practice Escrima, a Filipino martial art. I also enjoy drawing and I am currently learning to draw arms
What does veganism mean to you ?
It is a tool I learnt to live my life and speaking from a selfish point of view gave me a lot of things, including a lifestyle, friends and even jobs . Animal and human liberation go hand in hand in my opinion as I see anti oppression as a whole
The most important thing though is that that “tool” it is available for everyone, vegan food is accessible, knowledge about how healthy can be is out there so making the decision to stop consuming animals is a non brainer these days.
How and when did you start to cook?
I always cooked a little bit but for other people around 20 years ago when I started organising gigs and doing catering for backstage and to sell in gigs and festivals. I called it the TVP days as I used soy protein rehydrated for almost everything.
What is your best food related memory?
I was thinking about this the other day, I got the chance to sneak into a cafes kitchen where my uncle is to hang out, I loved the croquettes there so for some reason I ended seeing the kitchen and meeting the cook.
What is the last thing you ate?
So yesterday I made a noodle soup, I am by no means an specialist in Asian food but I think I have enough knowledge to make a nice comforting bowl of noodles. The soup base was mushroom stock miso and some tahini, some seaweed, rainbow chard and pan fried sesame tofu. Little bit of Kimchi went there for an extra kick.
Any all time favourite eatery/restaurant/cook?
So many, I get inspired by so many people, chefs, restaurants…I am into those who are very skilled and make delicious and beautiful food but with the aim of being accessible for as much people as possible and using local and seasonal produce. To mention a few I follow and I am always look forward to what they are coming up with next : Proof Place ( pop ups and recipe development ), Andre Vieland( educator and Urba Cozinha Vegana Sao Paulo, Aaron Adams ( Farm Spirit), Roy Elam ( Donna Jean) and Sarno Brothers
In your creative practice, any challenge that you had to overcome in terms of veganism?
Not really, nothing too serious, every now and then you bump into someone who feels offended by the fact you are vegan as that effectively means that you think that what they do is unethical, even if you don’t say anything
Nacho's Tortilla
Tortilla ( spanish potato omelette ) . This makes a big tortilla, enough for around 8 people, you will need a non stick pan to successfully to turn the tortilla and cook it for both sides. If everything falls apart you will end with some sort of potato chickpea scramble which will be equally pretty but not as easy on the eye. Be inventive, use this recipe as a canvas, you can add veggies, spinach, seitan chorizo...possibilities are endless
Batter:
200 gr chickpea flour
2 teaspoons turmeric
550 ml vegetable stock
200 gr silken tofu
1 tablespoon kala namak
1 kg potatoes
1 medium size white/yellow onion
salt to taste
1. Cut the potatoes in thin slices and drop them in the oil, 5 minutes in add the onion, cook them at around 180 degrees till soft, they don't need to get crispy. Around 10 minutes. You could boil the potatoes but the texture of the tortilla wont be as good
.Get the vegetable stock to boil, add the chickpea flour and whisk vigorously. Cook for around 1 minute but dont let it thicken too much as this will result in a dryer tortilla. the consistency is like pancake batter.
2. Blend the tofu and whisk it into the chickpea batter . You can skip this step but it will make the tortilla stay moist for longer so if you are going to eat the tortilla later on it is a good idea to put the tofu in
3. mix the cooked potatoes with the batter well, try for seasoning.
4. Get a non stick pan on medium heat with some sunflower oil, when it gets hot add the batter, cook slowly for around 10 minutes until the edges start to get golden.
4. Put a plate on the top of the uncooked part of the tortilla, put the pan upside down so the pan releases the tortilla and put it back on the pan, uncooked part down
5.cook for around further 10 minutes
6. As the batter will be cooked already the middle can be still slightly runny