A pilgrim’s fare
It’s summer, and that means it’s time to travel! Whether you’re hiking through our nation’s beautiful national parks, touring historic cities like Boston or Washington, D.C., or just packing the car and heading to the family cottage, traveling in the summer months helps us all to recharge, relax and reconnect with places and people that inspire us.
It’s summer, and that means it’s time to travel! Whether you’re hiking through our nation’s beautiful national parks, touring historic cities like Boston or Washington, D.C., or just packing the car and heading to the family cottage, traveling in the summer months helps us all to recharge, relax and reconnect with places and people that inspire us.
Travel can have a deeper meaning, too. When we set out to visit a particularly important destination – especially one with religious or spiritual significance – we sometimes refer to our trip as a “pilgrimage.” Traveling with the mindset of a pilgrim means seeking out a transformative experience. You’re not simply going to see the sights and appreciate the history of a place; you’re going to claim for yourself the power and mystery that the place represents. Think the Holy Land and Jerusalem, the Vatican or Lourdes.
One of the oldest and most famous Christian pilgrimages is the Camino de Santiago (the “Way of St. James”), a network of routes leading to the Cathedral of St. James in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain.
St. James the Greater, whose feast we celebrate on July 25, was an Apostle of Jesus along with his brother St. John. After Jesus’ ascension, St. James’ zeal took him far from his native Galilee. He traveled to Spain and for 40 years proclaimed the Gospel in the farthest corners of the known world. When he returned to Jerusalem, he was martyred by King Herod Agrippa.
The location of St. James’ relics, which his followers brought back to Spain, was not discovered until the 9th century. Over time, pilgrims began visiting the cathedral in Compostela where the relics were housed. They would take a scallop shell, common along the shores of Galicia, as proof that they had completed the pilgrimage.
Today, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims still journey to Compostela each year. They come on foot, by bicycle or even in tour buses seeking meaning – and, hopefully, they find a deeper relationship with God along the way.
Although we can’t all journey to Compostela, we can all walk with Jesus, Mary and the saints in our daily lives by imitating their love. As you continue your pilgrimage to your heavenly destination, try this classic Spanish omelette in honor of your fellow traveler and forerunner-in-faith, St. James.
Tortilla de Papas
Spanish Omelette
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus 2 TBSP.
- 5 large Yukon gold potatoes – peeled, cut in half lengthwise, sliced thinly (about 6 c.)
- 1 large Spanish onion – thinly sliced
- 6 eggs
- 1 tsp. salt
Instructions
- In 11”-12" nonstick skillet, heat olive oil on medium heat until slightly shimmering.
- Carefully add potatoes, onions, and salt - cook until tender but not brown (about 15-20 min), stirring as needed. Taste a slice, adjust salt as desired.
- Remove from heat. Using slotted spoon, remove potatoes/onion, spread across a baking sheet to cool. Reserve remaining oil for another use.
- While potatoes cool, beat eggs in large mixing bowl. Add potatoes/onion, mix well.
- Heat 2 TBSP. olive oil in skillet on medium heat.
- Gently pour in egg/potato mixture, use spatula to even things out. Cook until bottom starts to brown (about 5-7 minutes).
- Turn off heat. Gently slide omelette onto a large plate, uncooked side up. Laying another plate on top (but upside down), hold plates together and flip. Remove top plate to reveal cooked side of omelet, then slide omelet back into skillet. Return to medium heat.
- Cook until soft set (about 5-7 minutes or more if needed), using fork to test doneness.
