Life: Idiotropic

This morning was another beautiful Spanish morning.

A deep fog settled in all over Geilenkirchen making the trees fade into white in the distance. It was serenely beautiful. The leaves here are all golden and the cows are beginning to disappear from the pastures as it gets colder. Yesterday was our first morning frost of the season. Today the low was 32.

I went to Joana's house for our morning coffee and chocolate fix and she made Empanada Gallega - a thin dough stuffed inside (like a calzone, but bigger and flat) with tuna, onion, chopped hard-boiled eggs, and roasted red peppers. I have a very strong aversion to hard boiled eggs chopped in food, so that was hard to look at, but it smelled wonderful. Joana said that it can be stuffed with anything. Tiara agrees that shredded flank steak with onions and peppers might be tastier. It looked beautiful - a large flat oblong pastry with beautiful rolled edges that Joana did in seconds with just one hand. She said to serve it at room temperature, so I had a piece when I got home. It tasted really great (I picked out the egg chunks), so I'll make it for my family soon... with my own variations.

I was going to take a picture of it, but Kirk ate it when he got home and there was nothing left to photograph. This is another recipe to add to my regular repertoire. With the same crust and technique and slightly different fillings, it would be a sure hit with the kids too.

Here's the recipe (as I have it in hand)... I'll translate it here in the next couple days.

EMPANADA GALLEGA

iNGREDIENTES: 400 gramos harina,1/4 de vaso de aceite,1/2 vaso agua templada,20gramos levadura,1 huevo,un poco de sal.

RELLENO: 250 gramos de atún,tomate frito (un poco),1 pimiento rojo asado,2 cebollas,2 huevos duros,1 huevo,aceite y sal.

Disolver la levadura en el agua con un poco de sal,añadir el huevo batido y el aceite,añadir la harina y formar una masa dejar reposar 1/2 hora.

Rehogar la cebolla picada o cortada en pequeños trozos,añadir el tomate frito,poner sal y pimienta a gusto.Dejar unos minutos al fuego.

Añadir el pimiento cortado a tiras,los huevos picados y el atún.Mezclar todo.

Separar la masa en dos trozos,estirar una de ellas y forrar un molde, previamente untado con un poco de aceite para que no se pegue,dejando que la pasta sobresalga un poco por los bordes(para que luego podamos cerrar la empanada con la trenza).