Bill Farmer

Spanish Frittata

Another not so light lunch for two.

Ingredients

• Two largish onions
• Four or five eggs, depending on size
• Chorizo, sliced
• Cheese, sliced
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Oil for cooking

Method

1. Warm up a large skillet or frying pan with some cooking oil in it.
2. While the pan is warming slice the onions into rings and place in the pan.
3. Whip up the eggs and grind some black pepper into them.
4. When the onions are nicely browned, turn the slices over and pour over the eggs.
5. Decorate with slices of chorizo and cheese.
6. Pop under the grill to finish. Take care if the pan has a plastic or wooden handle.
7. This may be difficult to get out of the in one piece, depending on how non stick your pan really is.
8. Serve with crusty bread.

Pasta Picante

We ate this in the Restaurante Terraza del Mar along the coast path from Puerto de la Cruz in Tenerife. This is my adaptation. Light lunch for two.

Ingredients

• Pasta for 2, whatever you like
• Small fresh chilli
• Small onion
• Couple of cloves of garlic
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Oregano
• Olive oil
• Anything else you fancy, we put some grated carrot in ours

Method

1. Cook the pasta in boiling water and drain when done.
2. Meanwhile warm up a large skillet or frying pan with a small amount of olive oil in it.
3. Chop up the chilli, onion and garlic and put in the pan.
4. Grind some black pepper over the pan.
5. Sprinkle oregano over the pan, and put a lid on, if you have one.
6. When the chilli, onion, etc are cooked nicely, pour over the drained pasta.
7. Give it a good shake and stir to cover the pasta with the oil and vegetables.
8. Serve in warmed bowls with some crusty bread.

Spanish omelette

A nice tasty potato and onion omelette for breakfast.

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• medium sized potato, cubed
• small onion, chopped
• chorizo, sliced, if liked
• Fresh ground black pepper
• vegetable oil

Method

1. Warm up a medium sized cast iron skillet, or omelette pan with a smidgeon of oil in it. Tilt the pan to make sure the oil covers the bottom and sides
2. While the pan is warming up, chop the potato and onions.
3. Put the potatoes in the pan, and spread them out so they brown and cook through.
4. Whip up the eggs in a suitable bowl or jug with enough headroom for the potatoes and onion. Grind some pepper into the eggs.
5. When the potatoes are browned, stir them around and move to one side to make room for the onions.
6. Put the onions in the pan for a few minutes until they soften, or brown according to taste.
7. Slice up some chorizo, if wanted and add to the eggs.
8. Carefully scrape the potatoes and onions out of the pan into the eggs and put the pan back on the stove.
9. Mix up the egg mixture until everything is coated with egg, and pour back into the pan.
10. If using chorizo, move the slices round the pan so they are roughly evenly distributed.
11. Get the last knockings of egg and bits of potato and onion you missed out of bowl into the omelette.
12. Cook until the omelette begins to bubble in the centre, It will now be firm enough to flip over.
13. Flip the omelette and cook the other side. It is possible to flip an omelette this size, but if not, use the plate trick to turn it over. If you use the reverse plate trick, slide the omelette onto the plate, invert the pan over the plate, and right both together, you will only get a bit of oil on the plate, so you can use it to eat the omelette from.

Leek and Potato Soup

A vegetable soup that’s full of flavour. Make it into a meal with plenty of bread and butter. Enough for two, double the recipe for four.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 125g/4oz potatoes, cubed
• 1 medium leek, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1/2 a fresh chilli, if desired
• 1 small carrot, grated
• 350ml/3/4 pint milk and water
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation method

1. Heat the oil in a large pan and add the onions, garlic, carrot, potatoes and leeks. Cook for 3-4 minutes until starting to soften.
2. Add the milk and water and bring to the boil. Season well and simmer until the vegetables are tender.
3. Whizz with a hand blender or in a blender until most of the vegetables have been liquidised, but leave some lumps of vegetables for a more interesting texture.