Meet Virgina

Hello All,

(Gold star for anyone who knows the song that inspired my title)

I hope everyone’s week is going well and excited for the weekend. I'm about six hours ahead of you guys so I’m even closer to Friday!


This weekend, while most of the Loyola crew was livin' it up at Oktoberfest, a few us stayed here in Leuven and enjoyed the beautiful, although unusually warm, weather.

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Cait gettin' cray cray in Munich!HOLLA BALLA
Photo Credit: Cait Conlin

Since the Americans make up about 1/3 of the Huis and most of the Belgians go home for the weekend, it was very quiet. A little bit too quite, but we found ways to keep busy. I could tell you guys about my day trip to Antwerp, but ill spare you this time and talk about some food!

While my friends were chugging liters of beers and eating pretzels the size of their heads, I had the opportunity of sharing a meal with my new friend, Virginia (hence the title of the post). Virginia is from Madrid, Spain and she generously offered to cook Meaghan and I a Spanish Omelet. First off, if you know me well, you know that I never turn down free ANYTHING and secondly, how could I ever turn down an authentic, home cooked meal? It’s safe to say, as an avid food network watcher, I was quite excited about this meal.

At first I was expecting an traditional omelet, like the ones I, unsuccessfully, make myself. I was very wrong, but in a very good way, if ya know what I mean.

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Virgina working her magic!

Virginia’s authentic Spanish omelet consisted of eggs, onions and potatoes. No cheese or veggies? You know how some kids despise any food resembling a vegetable? I was a little bit different. For me, the more my food looked like it had been fished from the earth, the better! Although the omlete was missing my beloved grass looking legumes, I trusted Virginia and didn't ask questions. And as I watched Virginia make the omelet I realized that you flip the entire egg concoction - not just half of it. That’s my downfall in the whole omelet process. Flipping it in half is the biggest struggle and I always  end up with a  less than sunny  pile of scrambled eggs.. (Fun fact: My omelet's usually end up looking like a combination of my middle schools leftover meat surprise and the contents of my dogs stomach- not a pretty picture...)  Thanks to Virginia, I now know there are other ways to save my from my kitchen disasters.

The omelet turned out great! It was so delicate, light and fluffy. Due to the fabulous azure skies, we dined al fresco and I’m pretty sure our fellow Huis-mates were quite jealous of our meal!

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

·  1/2-3/4 cup of olive oil

·  5 medium baking potatoes( peeled, sliced and lightly sprinkled with salt)

·  1 yellow onion, chopped

·  5 eggs

·  Salt

· Red pepper (for garnish)

Preparation:

• Heat the olive oil in a skillet and add the potato slices
• Cook, turning occasionally, over medium heat for 5 minutes.
• Add the onions and cook until the potatoes are tender( Virginia said to NOT brown the potatoes)
• Drain onions and potatoes (Save the about 1/4 cup of the oil in skillet)
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the eggs
• Add the potatoes, and stir to coat with the egg.
• Add the egg-coated potatoes to the very hot oil in the skillet, spreading them evenly to completely cover the skillet( Virginia dropped  a slice of potato in the oil, and when it sizzled, that when its ready for the egg mixture)
• Cook the mixture on low to medium heat
• Use a plate to cover the skillet and flip the omelet, while holding the plate (Be VERY CARFEUL- Virginia did this like a pro!)
• Slide the omelet back into the skillet on its uncooked side.
• Cook until completely set. Allow the omelet to cool, and then cut it into wedges.
• Add red peppers to make it bonitaaa :)<---the extent of my 12 years of Spanish lessons.

In case you're wondering what Meaghan and I contributed to the meal, we baked brownies. It’s a very complex recipe, but don’t be intimidated.

Recipe:

• Brownie Mix
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Water

Preparation:

• Mix everything in a bowl
• Bake for 30 minutes in an old school toaster oven since the Huis doesn’t have a real oven. #firstworldproblems

Alright, thats it for now. You should try this omlete and tell me what you think!


Tot Ziens,
Shayne