Basque Tortilla

Yikes, a tad bit late with this one. I was even super early with making it, too! I made it last Monday since I knew that I would have a packed week schoolwise and then I'd be leaving Thursday to go home for the weekend. So, I managed to make it and post the pictures to Flickr in time, but am just now writing the blog post on Sunday afternoon as I'm already working ahead on this week's recipe.
Aaaanyway. This Basque tortilla was a fine recipe. Don't let the name confuse you, though. It's an egg dish, akin to a frittata or quiche, that has potatoes and things in it. It's pretty easy. I chose to do the basic recipe since I already had potatoes and onions on hand. I did choose to add some pancetta, though, which added some savoriness to some otherwise muted flavors. Cook some potatoes and onions in a pan, add some eggs and pancetta, finish under the broiler. Easy peasy.

Except. Except if you've turned your broiler on and forgotten that your roommate had made bread over the weekend (for our dinner party, which was delicious, and awesome, as expected), so there was cornmeal remaining in the baking stone which began smoking fiercely as the oven heated up. I had just made brownies, but I guess the oven hadn't gotten that hot, so I didn't know. Anyway, as I'm trying keep the eggs from overcooking, all the smoke detectors in the house are going off, my eyes are burning, my concetration is completely broken. Luckily it's a pretty easy recipe, so it didn't actually require that much concentration.

There you can see the aftermath. We managed to remove the very hot baking stone, clean it off, and kick the broiler back on. The top browned nicely, but I think it ended up a little overcooked. Andrew didn't seem to mind too much.



I admit that it wasn't a terribly exciting dish, but it was still satisfying. I hardly ever pass up an opportunity to have eggs, bacon, and potatoes, and this basically had it all rolled into one. So, good, but nothing exceptional.

Being at home, though, has been exceptional. Nothing vibrates with my heartstrings more than the Midwest in winter. We were driving to Lawrence from Kansas City on Friday afternoon, after a delicious late lunch at Aixois, and the sunset was unbelievably beautiful and reflecting off the snow. I can't even explain what is that I love so much, since most of it is actually not that attractive, like train tracks cutting through the snow, or old barns on the horizon, or the monotone grey of the city in February. Mostly, though, it's the light. The Midwest resonates with me a whole lot more than the South does. It's not even that the South is terrible or that entirely different from Missouri, but it isn't me. I'm thankful that I do have wonderful friends in Atlanta. I'm very thankful to  be able to return home so often. Now, if only some day I could get a job here...