Awh, you miss me don’t you?

Yes, I know it has been a difficult month for you without all my words of nonsense to read – my sometimes dyslexic attempt to communicate my pilgrim journey on this earth with you. However, I am back. And today I will make a feeble attempt at blogging about food. Something I am truly, amazingly unqualified to do.

For the last two weeks of lent I served in a refuge for pilgrims in Spain, otherwise known as an albergue, along the Via de La Plata. This pilgrim route runs from Sevilla to Santiago de Compostela where the tomb of St. James lies in the cities’ Cathedral. I walked the Camino de Frances last year which you can read about here.

Spanish tortilla (not at all the same thing as Mexican tortilla) is a staple for pilgrims walking “The Way” to Santiago de Compostela. Most bars or cafés along the Way of St. James will have a plate or two of tortilla ready at any moment for a pilgrim. It is ready made and easy to carry with you, especially when placed inside a baguette to make a Spanish tortilla bocadillo or sandwich. I am not at all a food blogger, but I will do my best to share this traditional meal as Carla, my counterpart hospitalera, did with me in the Albergue de Peregrine in Zamora.

In a deep 12 inch skillet over medium heat add about four cups of olive oil; filling about half of the pan. Place three large green peppers (not bell peppers), cleaned and sliced, into the skillet until slightly brown. This will infuse the flavor of the pepper in the oil. Remove the peppers from the oil and set them aside for later. Leave the oil in the pan.

 

Peel and thinly slice 5 large potatoes and place in the hot oil. You want them to cook but not get crisp.

Place them all into the oil together and keep them stirred so they don’t burn or brown. Notice how much oil that is. The potatoes need to be fully submersed in the oil.

Once they begin to break up like in the picture below remove the pan from the heat. Drain the potatoes and pat them dry. Reserve enough oil for frying the tortilla.

In a separate bowl mix together 5 eggs.

Add the potatoes.

Using the few tablespoons of the reserved oil grease a large frying pan (fluted on the sides so the egg will slide when turning it.) add the mixture into the pan. As the egg begins to cook and becomes firm, place a lid or plate on top of the frying pan and turn the tortilla out so that the cooked side faces up in the lid or plate. Slide the tortilla back into the pan to fully cook the other side.

It’s very messy.

The peppers can be served on top of the tortilla.

Buen Camino and Un Abrazo! (Good Way and A Hug!)