tgif/tortilla

I'm glad it's Friday; it's been a strange week, recovering from the feria and T.'s visit. We like to have visitors, but we're always a little depressed, including the pups, for a few days after they leave until we regain the normal rhythm of our usual routine. I've had a good work week, not too crazy. I am a little worried that one of my contacts was fired yesterday; my e-mails to him have been returned from the company's server. It could be they're having e-mail trouble, but I just have this feeling. The past few projects I've worked on for him have been completely disorganized, and I've had to redo a fair amount of editing because he was unclear on instructions from his inhouse editors.  Hmm....I suppose if the e-mails continue to be returned today, I'll e-mail his supervisor to find out what the problem is. Tortilla, one of my favorite Spanish dishes. With the proliferation of cooking programs, magazines, cookbooks, etc., I am amazed when I still see tourists here order a tortilla and then be surprised when they are served a superthick omelette rather than something resembling a taco or burrito. Tortillas are not difficult to make, but they do require a bit of patience. The supermarkets here now sell vacuum-sealed tortillas that you just pop out and brown in a pan. Personally I find this a sacrilege, but our friend U. swears they are very good. Here's what you need to make a proper tortilla:

• 4 large potatoes, diced
• 1 chopped onion
• 1 chopped red pepper (not a traditional ingredient, but I love the added flavor and color)
• Olive oil
• Salt&pepper
• 8 eggs

Slow fry the potatoes, onion, and pepper in about 1/4 cup olive oil for about 20 minutes in a deep frying pan. Scramble and salt&pepper the eggs in a bowl, and add to the pan when the potatoes, etc. have softened. Keep the heat medium-low, continually scraping around the sides of the pan with a flat, wooden spatula. You want to create a round omelette, about 3/4 to 1 inch thick. As the egg begins to cook, press against the sides of the omelette using the spatula, coaxing it into a (close to)perfect circle in the middle of the pan. When the egg is firm (ie, no egg runs when you press the side with the spatula), it's time for the tricky part---the flip. Place a plate larger than the pan on top (make sure you are wearing heat-protective gloves or oven mitts). With one hand holding the plate tightly to the pan and the other hand on the bottom of the pan, quickly flip the pan over, so the omelette falls onto the plate. Slide the tortilla back into the pan for 2 or 3 minutes, to brown the other side.  The tortilla can be eaten warm immediately or saved for later and served at room temperature. Add a salad, and you have a perfect simple dinner or brunch.

Before I go for the day, I also would like to address some of the feedback I've received about mylifeinspain. I created the blog to share my experiences with my friends and family and strangers alike. Because my correspondence with people back in the US had become sporatic owing to my hectic work schedule, I also wanted to provide a way for my friends and family to know what Big Jim and I were up to on a more regular basis. I don't pretend to be an anthropologist, sociologist, or an expert on anything, nor am I attempting to make profound statements regarding the Spanish culture. My window on Spain, a large and incredibly diverse country, is a tiny one. One of the reasons Big Jim and I chose to settle here was the natural beauty of the setting and the simplicity of the lifestyle. In our former lives we didn't have, or perhaps take, the time to watch ant trails or the olives bud and grow. Because we do now doesn't mean we also are not aware of the enormous problems in many places in the world; if anything we are more cognizant of global perspectives, and they occupy many of our daily conversations with each other and with our friends. That I choose not to discuss them here does not mean that I am now wandering through life in a jasmine-infused haze. However, if one is looking for well-researched, hardhitting reports on Spanish politics and society, mylifeinspain is not the place to find them.

Okay, got that off my chest. :-) I'm now off to take the pups to the goat track and check on the progress of the olives.

hasta manana,

mylifeinspain