New Year's Eve

I'm having some friends over for a New Year party of sorts on Saturday.  We don't usually have more than two people around for food at a time, and we don't have enough chairs for the 9-11 we're expecting, so I decided tapas/finger food would be a brilliant way to get around it.

In preparation, last night I got my sourdough starter (see this post) out of the fridge after her long hibernation.  I can't remember when I last fed her, but it is probably about DATE when I last mentioned her in a post.  So I was surprised that she looked so healthy:

This is just after I poured off the blackish water or 'hooch' that had gathered on top.  According to The Fresh Loaf, this is normal, and she will be fine (I've seen this before and she's always been fine afterward).  I will update how she goes.  The idea of having a batch of starter in the freezer just in case she does die from neglect is very comforting!  I am planning on making the sourdough baguettes from Chocolate and Zucchini that I've made before, and making them into crostini.

Also, I spotted this book (albeit with a different cover to this, but buy it at Mighty Ape!) at work, and nabbed it as it wasn't on hold.

It is fabulous!  I love any unusually set-out cookbooks, and this is such a great idea.  The book includes four recipes for each of 50 ingredients, so 200 yummy looking recipes.  And the recipes for each ingredient are quite different from one another - for tomatoes you can choose between three-colour salad, bruschetta, spaghetti alla puttanesca, and tomato tarte tatin.  I know, right?!  I have chosen a few recipes either to make according to the instructions, or as inspiration for my own take.

There will be pictures of the food after Saturday (probably after Sunday, in fact, as even though we have scheduled 'midnight' for 10pm, I'm sure I will be zonkered on Sunday!).  In the meantime, have a great New Year, spend it with the people you love or the people you find most interesting and entertaining, and make a resolution or two that you have no intention of keeping.  I'm not telling mine, but they're already forming themselves in my head (hint:  one involves taking more pictures, and the other involves posting more often again!).

Lastly, I think this is one of my biggest wins ever:

Tortilla Espanola (Spanish Omelette)

Hi all, we're only a few days away from our new internet connection now (hopefully...), which means I should have the patience to post more often after that (and upload pictures).  I get home from work and I'm too tired to put up with the little rotating flower symbol.  At the moment, I'm writing in a notepad file because it's taking so long to load the post editor.  But no matter, I have some time to spare.

Mum has been on a course in the city to do with cataloguing that she says is reteaching her things she's been doing for years.  But it means she gets home late enough that I can get dinner almost ready before she invades the kitchen.  Last night, we had a Spanish Omelette, something neither of us had tried before, but both loved.

There's a recipe for Spanish Omelette in the Edmond's Cook Book, but I don't think it's the same as this one from Tapas by Marie MacDonald, that I based our's on:

Tortilla Espanola (Spanish Omelette)

1kg potatoes (Maris Piper are suggested)
6 large eggs
salt to taste
olive oil for frying

Slice the potatoes and put into a medium heat frying pan with a substantial amount of oil (the book says 250ml, but there was no way I'd use that much).  Once the potatoes are softened (the book suggests 15-20 minutes but it didn't take ours that long), drain the excess oil (and keep it) and add the potatoes to the eggs that you have whisked together thoroughly with the salt.  Leave the mixture to stand for a few minutes to firm up.  Then pour a little of the oil back into the pan and then the omelette mixture.  If you think it will be too difficult to flip the omelette, pop it into the oven under the grill to finish off (make sure your frying pan handle wont melt if you do this!).

For a sauce, I cut up some onions, cooked them in a little oil until transparent, added a t or so of sugar and a pinch of salt and then some cut up tomatoes and a small splash of balsamic vinegar and let it sit on a very low heat while the omelette cooked.  Tapas suggests taking 500 ml chicken stock and 50 ml dry sherry and reducing by half, and roasting some garlic to serve with the omelette.

This book is very cool, I would love to try most of the recipes because they look delicious, not too complicated, fresh, and pretty healthy.  For example jamon croquetas, broad beans with garlic and chilli, and sweet apple tart (I'm planning to make this on Sunday).  I will have to give the book its own post I think!