We are not obsessed by food!

Apologies to you all for the photographs of new year's eve. We know that you have to lie on your side to see most of them. however,we will master this technology eventually and things will improve.


Speaking of improvements,I have been reading other blogs and am impressed by the variety of topics they cover-literature, politics, philosophy. En contraste, we seem a little preoccupied with food and drink......We hope to do better in future.

For now,though, here is a recipe for tortilla espagnol, as cooked by Angeles orginally and, subsequently (see photo), by me.It serves two for lunch (when one of them is Mike!) or 4-6 when cut into slices for tapas.

Tortilla Espanol

You need half a kilo of potatoes, an onion, two or three cloves of garlic and 4 eggs. Wash and peel the potatoes and cut into thin slices. Peel and chop the onion and garlic. Break the eggs into a bowl and beat. Put some olice oil in a frying pan and heat. Add the potatoes, onion and garlic and fry over a low heat till soft. Add a little salt and pepper. Pour the onion and potatoes into the egg mixture and stir. Return to the frying pan and cook on a LOW heat. Prick the tortilla with a fork. When the tortilla feels solid on the bottom (this may take about 5 minutes) place a plate over it and turn it out of the frying pan. Then slide it back into the pan with the still to be cooked side at the bottom. Prick again and keep on a low heat till golden brown on both sides.Serve hot or cold with a salad and, if you like, a glass of wine. The secrets to success, according to Angeles, are a)mixing the eggs with the potatoes and onion in a bowl rather than adding egg to the frying pan b)the low heat c)pricking the tortilla as it cooks to ensure it cooks evenly.

This morning we took the bus to the market in Chiclana and bought a small corvina and 2 kilograms of rock salt so that we can experiment with the La Roche recipe tonight. If it doesn't work, we can always retreat to the Pizzeria.

On a more general note, we have been watching with interest the implementation of the new anti tobacco law which came into effect at midnight on new year's eve. Small restaurants and bars (less than 100 sq m) can choose whether to be smoking or non-smoking, although if they choose the former I think there is a restriction on having people under 18 on the premises. Larger ones have to provide separate areas. The newspapers are full of articles about the health risks of smoking, how to quit etc. But I think the government (bravely) see the law as leading the way forward rather than a response to public opinion.From what we have seen around here, the small bars and restaurants are choosing the smoking option, sadly, but it will be interesting to see how it works in the larger restuarants, in Sevilla for instance, where, from our recent experience, it would be a step forward to get the cooking and serving staff to put out their cigarettes!

Only 8 more days here and then it's back to the UK and the cold. I'd best get back out on the porch in the sun!