New Year's Day Special Omelette - Spanish Chorizo Tortilla
Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2014 19:40
I like to start off the new year with a remembrance of some of the pleasurable experiences of the old. This year, Beloved Spouse and I took a trip to Portugal, Morocco, and Spain. We didn`t free-lance it this time, because we didn`t know Morocco at all and we were with friends who are not seasoned travelers. This time, we settled back, used our French and Spanish as much as we could, and enjoyed a leisurely pace.
One of those special times is a leisurely breakfast at a nice hotel. Queue the time machine- - it`s a couple of months ago in Barcelona, we`re up early, it`s raining cats and dogs outside, but we know a special way to get into Gaudi`s Sagrada Familia Cathedral. (Go 1/2 hour early, when the line is short. ...works every time. ...mostly.)
It`s omelet time, but not just an omelet. In Spain, a full-pan four-egg omelet with your choice of additives (potatoes are wonderful) is called a tortilla. Mine, this morning, is chorizo, mild green peppers, chopped onions, and diced fresh tomato. ...not so big a deal, maybe, but as they say on television, "Wait! There`s more!" The chorizo is the real thing, uniquely Spanish, a fermented sausage made from "jamón Iberico," which is a real delicacy. ...acorn-fed hogs, Spanish spicing, cured, delicious.
So this morning, New Year`s Day 2014, I broke out a smuggled chorizo labeled "Chorizo Iberico de Bellota" (acorn), sliced open the plastic bag, carved out a chunk, sliced it thin, then chopped it. I resealed the bag, then tossed the chopped sausage into a frying pan over low heat. Imagine cooking with only the lean part of American bacon to feel the texture. Imagine the tastiest... well, it`s hard to describe how good Iberian ham is. Making chorizo with it is even better. You have to have some to believe it. Add and scramble two eggs. Heaven.
The tour, that day, was great. I had always thought the architect, Gaudi, was a nut case, but the exhibition in the basement revealed an impressive geometry-based thought process. Every different way that we looked at the cathedral presented a new aspect- - there`s a sand castle exterior portico, but inside, it looks like a light-filled forest. This is a sight truly worth visiting.
And while you`re there, be sure and have a wonderful breakfast. Maybe a little prosecco, too...? After all, this will be a vacation to remember.
One of those special times is a leisurely breakfast at a nice hotel. Queue the time machine- - it`s a couple of months ago in Barcelona, we`re up early, it`s raining cats and dogs outside, but we know a special way to get into Gaudi`s Sagrada Familia Cathedral. (Go 1/2 hour early, when the line is short. ...works every time. ...mostly.)
It`s omelet time, but not just an omelet. In Spain, a full-pan four-egg omelet with your choice of additives (potatoes are wonderful) is called a tortilla. Mine, this morning, is chorizo, mild green peppers, chopped onions, and diced fresh tomato. ...not so big a deal, maybe, but as they say on television, "Wait! There`s more!" The chorizo is the real thing, uniquely Spanish, a fermented sausage made from "jamón Iberico," which is a real delicacy. ...acorn-fed hogs, Spanish spicing, cured, delicious.
So this morning, New Year`s Day 2014, I broke out a smuggled chorizo labeled "Chorizo Iberico de Bellota" (acorn), sliced open the plastic bag, carved out a chunk, sliced it thin, then chopped it. I resealed the bag, then tossed the chopped sausage into a frying pan over low heat. Imagine cooking with only the lean part of American bacon to feel the texture. Imagine the tastiest... well, it`s hard to describe how good Iberian ham is. Making chorizo with it is even better. You have to have some to believe it. Add and scramble two eggs. Heaven.
The tour, that day, was great. I had always thought the architect, Gaudi, was a nut case, but the exhibition in the basement revealed an impressive geometry-based thought process. Every different way that we looked at the cathedral presented a new aspect- - there`s a sand castle exterior portico, but inside, it looks like a light-filled forest. This is a sight truly worth visiting.
And while you`re there, be sure and have a wonderful breakfast. Maybe a little prosecco, too...? After all, this will be a vacation to remember.