Comfort Food, Preparation. Tree Cutting,

Watching an ad for a food programme on TV where various chefs were stating what their comfort foods were, for instance, Nigella Lawson says hers is fish and chips. I then discussed with Matt what were our comfort foods. Matt reckons he doesn't have one, I think my only comfort food might be soup, and I'm not really sure about that. It is a fact that whenever I have been particularly ill, I have always been able to consume soup. And I know you have heard me rabbit on about Hot and Sour Soup. So then I wondered what your comfort foods might be. Do tell me in the comments section, I will be very interested to know.

Today, as I am sure everyone knows, I will be spending finalising the clearing out of our apartment in preparation for the pest control people on Tuesday. One of our friends is coming in to help us which is just as well, something has happened to my hip/leg over the weekend and I am having trouble walking let alone doing things like vacuuming which I can't do anyway. The majority of our knick knacks are on the balcony - lucky they haven't started doing ours yet, where on earth we would put stuff otherwise I cannot imagine.

Talking of balconies, I haven't been out front for a day or two but I hear they have already started cutting down trees to make way for all the machinery and scaffolding. What a tragedy. There are some gorgeous trees there.

This recipe is from the New York Times and made me think of my time in Spain when my parents lived there for a few years.

Spanish Tortilla With Tomato-Pepper Salad

 MELISSA CLARK
YIELD 4 servings

A Spanish potato tortilla is an egg dish unlike any other. It doesn't resemble the French omelet, which is loose and wobbly. Nor is quite like an Italian frittata, which is puffy and custardy. Instead, a tortilla is a solid cake with just enough egg to bind the soft, sliced potatoes.

The first step to making it is to gently cook sliced potatoes and onions in plenty of olive oil. And plenty means at least a cup, or maybe two. It sounds like a lot but most of it stays in the pan (and you can reuse it). Other than adding great flavor, the oil turns the potatoes velvety and luscious. Just make sure the heat is low enough so the potatoes and onions cook but don’t brown very much, though a few darkened spots are okay.

In Spain, a tortilla is a tapas staple nibbles with drinks. But it’s also delightful for brunch, dinner or

lunch, served either warm or at room temperature.


INGREDIENTS
5 medium Yukon gold potatoes (1 1/4 pounds)
1 white onion, diced
1 ¾ teaspoons kosher salt, more as needed
¾ teaspoon black pepper, more as needed
About 1 1/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
6 large eggs
¾ cup halved cherry or grape tomatoes
⅓ cup diced Italian frying pepper(also called Cubanelle), or green bell pepper
¼ cup sliced scallion, white and green parts
1 garlic clove, minced

PREPARATION
Peel potatoes and halve them lengthwise. Thinly slice them crosswise. Pat potatoes dry with a dish towel or paper towels. Toss potatoes with onion, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
Place a large skillet over medium heat and warm through. Add oil, then add potatoes and onion. (You need enough oil to almost cover the potatoes, so adjust amount according to your pan size.) Cook until potatoes are just tender enough to cut with a fork, 10 to 15 minutes, adjusting heat so vegetables do not burn or take on too much color. Using a slotted spoon, transfer potatoes and onions to a colander set over a bowl and let cool. Reserve 3 1/2 tablespoons oil from the skillet to use for finishing the recipe. (You can reuse the rest of the remaining oil, too; store it in the refrigerator.)
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Heat 2 tablespoons of the reserved oil in an oven-safe 8- to 9-inch nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. In a large bowl, whisk eggs and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir potato mixture into eggs. Pour mixture into pan and use a spatula to flatten out surface. Cook, using spatula to occasionally loosen eggs from edges of pan, until top is almost set, with just a small amount of liquid remaining, about 5 minutes. Transfer to oven and cook until top is just set, 5 to 7 minutes longer. Slide tortilla onto a plate.
In a large bowl, toss together tomato, pepper, scallion, garlic and remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil. Season with salt and pepper. Top tortilla with salad and serve warm or at room temperature.

Have a great day