TIME FOR AN UPDATE

BIKE RIDE SUNRISE

The training has begun, but we need to pick up the pace on our walking.  I ride my bike a lot, 250 miles in January, but the walking has been lacking at just a measly 21 miles.  It has been raining here in Southern California so for the time being we'll use that as an excuse.  One day it was raining pretty good so I walked in the rain to test out my rain gear.  Cathie stayed in bed.  A good steady rain for 1.5 hours and I managed to stay dry.

END OF MY WALK IN THE RAIN

The weight loss program is on track, and for Cathie she has met her goal.  As of this morning I've lost 60 pounds, so just a few more to go.   Walking more should help.  With all the weight loss, we'll probably have to buy some new clothes. Cathie will like that as one must have the latest fashions, if there is such a thing on the Camino.

One fly in the ointment is that Corazon Puro will be closed this year.  They were the folks that were to meet us at the Pamplona Train Station and transport us to Saint Jean Pied de Port, but there has been an illness in their family so we had to shift gears.  I figured out how to buy a bus ticket on-line so that will be our transport from the train to SJPDP.  We lucked out and I found this nice B&B for our one night there.  I have gotten a little more anal as I get older and I've been making reservations for our first week or so on the Camino.  Some will say that by doing so we do not afford ourselves the flexibility to change our mine.  The up side, in my opinion, is that we know we will have a bed when we get to town, so our pace can be more relaxed.

When I walked in 2015, one of the food items found in many of the bars along the way was the Tortilla.  Nothing like what we have here in the States, but more like a quiche.  The Tortilla Espanola is shaped like a pie and you are served a slice.  It is eaten for the most part cold.  Made with eggs, potatoes and onions it sounds simple enough, but it's not that easy.  I figured why not give it a try after finding a recipe on the Internet.  Here is my experience:

Ingredients:     3 medium or 4-5 small potatoes  (I used Yukon Golds)

                         1/2 large onion or one small one

                         6 eggs

                         salt and pepper to taste

                         a shit ton of olive oil (I mean a lot)

My first try was a failure in more ways than one.  First it didn't taste very good and second, when I flipped it, all the ingredients ended up on one side.  Fat on the right and skinny on the left.  So I added the following:

                          chopped garlic

                          grated cheese (I used cheddar, the amount is up to you)

                          more salt and pepper  (to taste)

Peal and thinly slice the potatoes

dice the onion, I suppose you could thinly slice it, but I used a medium dice

Put the oil in a non-stick pan and get it hot.  Not smoking but hot enough so a potato slice sizzles.

Put in the potatoes and cook till they are soft.  Don't brown them.

Add the onion and garlic when the potatoes are about halfway done.

Cook till soft.

While the potatoes and onions are cooking, whisk the eggs in a good sized bowl, add salt and pepper along with the cheese.

When the potatoes are done, transfer them to a colander and drain off all the oil.

Then transfer the potato mixture to the eggs and gently stir.  Let them sit for 5 to 8 minutes.  The eggs will cook slightly.

Wipe out the pan and keep it hot.

After the potatoes have soaked in the eggs, pour the mixture back into the pan.

You don't want the pan so hot that the bottom cooks and not the middle.  Start out with it hot, then turn the heat down so the middle cooks.

Something like this, still a little soft in the middle.  Any longer and the pan side would have been black.  Now for the hard part....Flip it over.

I used a plate to assist me.

Turned out pretty good, much better with the cheese and garlic.  I suppose you could put what ever you want in it, but then it would not be a tortilla.

THE FINISHED PRODUCT