Cooking Marathon

I ventured into major cookery domesticity yesterday - usually an unfamiliar territory for me. I produced an authentic Spanish tortilla (learnt at the elbow of Margalida in Mallorca) for last night's wine and tapas evening at our friends in Corsham, plus a lamb shank casserole for lunch today.

As you can see, I also produced a 2 dozen clutch of mince pies. It felt a bit strange not producing my usual dozens to take into work, but I wanted a smaller production for today's SUP gathering at my house, plus enough for NAH and I to ensure good luck for next year. I made rough puff pastry, but as usual modified the recipe, using half white and half wholemeal flour in the vain attempt to convince myself it's a healthier option. I also use self raising flour instead of the usual plain - a habit learned from my mum.

If you want to make the tortilla, then Delia's recipe is the closest I've found to Margalida's. Ideally the onion should be omitted. On no account add any other extras than onion (e.g. peppers, chorizo, mushrooms etc.) to the recipe. I did this once in Mallorca and then made the mistake of asking my Spanish friends' opinion of the result. Their response was 'it's an interesting interpretation', so I don't think they were that impressed with my tinkering with a Spanish tradition! The lamb shank casserole is my own invention, so you'll have to improvise for yourselves using lamb shanks, shallots, garlic, carrots, mushrooms, bay leaves, rosemary, black pepper and water. Let me know if you want me to recreate what I did for this yesterday and I'll leave a Comment. Alternatively you could use this recipe instead.