The "Squall" Fried Eggs in 4 Steps

Pajaro Whole Wheat Bread Recipe

Octopus (or Calamari) Rice

The "Squall" Fried Eggs in 4 Steps

Seeing the appreciation shown recently from family and friends at the way I prepare fried eggs, I decided to share my treasured secret. After all, the reason for this success may be due to a squall at sea....

One good day I was sailing in the mid Atlantic, when suddenly my stomach started demanding food with noises. At the time I was contemplating the possibility of a squall approaching soon. However I decided that should not stop me from filling my stomach. (Besides, an empty stomach promotes bad judgment and bad mood...)

So, I turned on the stove, took my pan and placed about a 1/4" of olive oil level...(IMPORTANT: 0.4 acidity is the only one to be used for frying. 1 degree, virgin olive oil, burns itself out before getting hot, that's why is good only raw like, for salads.) Was then when...

1. With the oil starting to smoke

With the stove at full gas and the pan with oil, a sudden gust of wind helming Pájaro some degrees pushed me off to the cockpit to loose the mainsheet a bit. Once some verticality was gained and while watching the grey clouds approaching, I considered starting a second reef on the main...

By the time I finished this task I remembered the pan on the stove...

2. Leave the eggs alone!!

So with the oil starting to smoke (only slightly) I took two eggs from the box and carefully broke the shells with the side of the pan and placed them on the middle. Just then, another gust and change in direction brought me back to the cockpit where I began considering setting a smaller jib on the bow. That took some good three minutes and when I finished… I recalled a fry was going on below.

3. Bring some oil to the top

With a nice smell of cooked eggs I touched nothing, but just with the plastic pan-spoon, brought some hot oil from the sides to the rather raw center on top of each egg just 3 or 4 times until the egg yolk was soft pink instead of raw yellow, as I remembered my grandma Maria Nieves used to cook for us all.

It was then when some rain started pouring down through the open hatch. After placing the hatch boards and with this rain in mind, I took some sea salt in my hand and "rained it" over the pan...as the last touch .

4. And without turning off the stove yet

Before turning off the stove I retrieved my eggs from the pan. (That's important in order not to have egg to "oily". The reason is because when the oil starts to cool off it sticks to the food, soaking it. That's a basic principle to be used in avoiding "oily" heavy French fries. Always retire whatever you are frying while the oil is cooking-stove on. It's healthier too.)

The conclusions (occlusions?)

While eating that delicious egg I found out a very crispy tasty brown crust under a soft and hot but still liquid yolk. Two great factors of a good fried egg.. This practically effortless way of letting an egg cook by itself was a revelation to me after trying many unsuccessful ways of achieving the same results by moving the egg around like a "circus master" forcing his stubborn lion through the fire ring....

A TIP: After several weeks at sea, it pays to take a close look at each egg before throwing it to the oil pool... On one occasion I delivered something to the pan that surely was NOT an egg...

To make a long story short:

Place the eggs only when the oil starts to smoke (not before)
Leave them untouched for some minutes (use your nose)
Right before retrieving the egg, bring some hot oil to the top just to golden/pink-en it (don't forget to "rain them" with some salt)
Retrieve the eggs, always while the stove is still on.

Pajaro Whole Wheat Bread Recipe

2 cups of white flour
2 cups of whole flour
1/2 cup of water
1 spoon of baking powder
half spoon of sea salt
half spoon of brown sugar

Mix the water, salt, sugar and baking powder in lukewarm water. Add the flour and mix the dough thoroughly.
Let it rise on the bowl (as shown in picture) covered with a cloth until it almost doubles its size.
Pre heat the pressure cooker (valve always open) and set it on low flame.
Use some Canola oil so the dough doesn't stick to the bottom.
Let it cook for about 1 and 1/2 hours at very low flame. Then turn around the bread until baking is completed (use a knife to tap it). A hollow sound means it is ready.

(if you wish white bread only,subtitute the whole cups for white ones)

Octopus (or Calamari) Rice

This may be my most handy recipe when there is not much time and a hot dish is needed. The canned octopus I look for in the supermarket is imported from Galicia, Spain and sold under the Goya or Coloso brands.

brown rice (white jasmine rice works as well)
olive oil
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
1 tomato (New Jersey tomatoes are a plus!!!!)
1 or 2 cans of calamari or octopus.(That's when fresh is not available)

Place half a cup of rice in a cooking pot. Pour a little olive oil into the pot and with a medium flame stir until rice is toasted (takes about one minute). When hot, fill pot with water until water level is half an inch above rice. Cover pot and cook until rice is ready. Remove cover and set aside.

Chop onion and garlic and place in a pan with olive oil. Stir until onion is brown. Add chopped tomato and stir together. Add calamary and mix. Serve with rice.