Mussels with white beans and tomatoes —and the revenge of the land
MAMA ÍA
by Natacha Sanz Caballero
1M ago
The recipe I am sharing today, mussels with white beans and tomatoes, combine products from the primary sector, fishing and farming, many of whose purveyors are demonstrating on Europe’s streets and highways as we speak. And I have to say, with good reason. Tractors demonstrating at Puerta de Alcalá, Madrid (photo credit Info Bierzo) Manuel Pimentel, agricultural engineer, farmer, editor, author and former Minister of Labor of Spain, has recently published a book entitled “La venganza del campo”, the revenge of the land, where he explains some of the reasons that have led to the current sit ..read more
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Lemon marmalade, Spain eating habits and la merienda
MAMA ÍA
by Natacha Sanz Caballero
2M ago
Citrus marmalades are my favorite ones and since I already featured the recipe for orange marmalade  (one of the blog’s most visited posts!), today is the turn for lemon marmalade. If you like very sweet marmalades, I have to warn you, this one may not be the one for you. It is citrusy, therefore, more tangy, but obviously, also sweet – otherwise it wouldn’t be a marmalade, right? And with this recipe, it’s time to address the beloved and most idiosyncratic meal in the Spanish culture: la merienda. I could translate la merienda to something like the afternoon snack, the pick-me-up betwee ..read more
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Galette des Rois, the Feast of the Epiphany French style
MAMA ÍA
by Natacha Sanz Caballero
3M ago
Galette des rois is not, as the name implies, a Spanish treat but a French one.  Usually made and enjoyed on the feast of the Epiphany, I thought this was a good moment to make it.  The feast of the Epiphany, celebrated on January 6, commemorates the visit of the Three Kings, the Three Wise Men, to baby Jesus in Bethlehem. In Spain, the feast is widely celebrated, marking the end of the Christmas season —and also the day when the children receive their presents and toys that the Three Kings, Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar, bring them. In Spain, the feast of the Epiphany or Three Kin ..read more
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Spice and Rosemary Pork Roast with Onions, and the festive awaiting of Advent
MAMA ÍA
by Natacha Sanz Caballero
3M ago
The preparations, the excitement, the arrival of loved ones to spend the holidays together. I want to help you out by offering a recipe that looks and tastes extra special but that it’s easy to make and will not break the bank: spice and rosemary pork roast with onions. The weeks leading from Thanksgiving to Christmas are some of the busiest of the year and yet, when Advent starts, they should become some of the most still and serene. Easy to say but hard to achieve, right? And if you’re hosting guests, an almost impossible feat. My two older sons arrive this week, and I am ecstatic. We don’t ..read more
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Shortbread Sandwich Cookies with Lemon and Coffee filling—and the First Circumnavigation at the IFLTA Conference
MAMA ÍA
by Natacha Sanz Caballero
3M ago
Christmas is just around the corner, and nothing says Christmas more than Christmas cookies! This is at least the case in this part of the world where I live, where cookie exchange parties are common—and where shortbread sandwich cookies will be on our menu this year. Of course, they will share the dessert trays with chunks of turrón, polvorones in their silky wrappers, cute mazapanes, marzipan figurines, and the always present homemade nanaimo bar. Our three nationalities are always represented at our Christmas table. Our exhibit table at IFLTA 2023 in Indianapolis Thanksgiving weekend was ..read more
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Scrambled eggs with wild mushrooms, Revuelto de Setas —and the walled city of Avila
MAMA ÍA
by Natacha Sanz Caballero
4M ago
In my aim to make the most of my time, I love it when I can make two different dishes out of one. Wild garlicky mushrooms with sherry that I made as a side dish for an entrée, become today one of the main ingredients in revuelto de setas, scrambled eggs with wild mushrooms. Today’s recipe for scrambled eggs with wild mushrooms is simple, because it uses the previous post’s recipe. This is one of those comfort food, rustic dishes that are made all over Spain, but are specially popular in central Spain, in the Castiles.  Last summer, I had the chance to taste some of those dishes duri ..read more
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Wild garlicky mushrooms with sherry—and Salamanca part II
MAMA ÍA
by Natacha Sanz Caballero
5M ago
This is in a way a continuation of the last post, where I talked about the centers of knowledge in the Spanish city of Salamanca, the University of Salamanca and the Pontifical University of Salamanca (you can check this post here). The recipe I’m sharing with it, setas al ajillo con jerez, wild garlicky  mushrooms with sherry, seems to go very well with it, not only because we are in the season of fall (and it finally feels and looks like it) but because they are somewhat color complimentary (I will explain). Apart from its universities, Salamanca has an extraordinary collection of his ..read more
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Fried eggplant sticks —and the university city of Salamanca
MAMA ÍA
by Natacha Sanz Caballero
6M ago
I never imagined when I planted two small eggplant plants in my vegetable garden that they would grow to give such generous production for our family. I get 2 to 4 eggplants every couple of weeks, just enough to supply us with produce to make some of the dishes we are familiar with, like pisto, (check the recipe here) or fried eggplant sticks. Soft on the inside, crunchy on the outside, they are so addictive that you will not be able to stop at just a few! I leave you with a few photos of the eggplants in the garden, used to prepare today’s recipe, fried eggplant sticks. But I wanted to add so ..read more
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Arroz del senyoret, gentleman’s rice —and my family’s link to Calpe and the dish
MAMA ÍA
by Natacha Sanz Caballero
10M ago
The word “senyoret” means gentleman in the Valencian language. Arroz del senyoret (where the consonants ny combined are pronounced as a Spanish ñ in the Valencian language) is a seafood paella where all the seafood shells have been peeled off and therefore the person eating it will not have to bother removing the shells from the shrimp or the mussels —hence “del senyoret”, for the gentleman. El Parador de Ifach, hoy: una torre de apartamentos y una zona común de recreo a imagen del antiguo parador The story of this dish is peculiar and very familiar to me and my family, as it started out a ..read more
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Coca de llanda (olive oil lemon cake), a Valencian merienda, after-school snack
MAMA ÍA
by Natacha Sanz Caballero
1y ago
Coca de llanda is one of the most popular after-school snacks in the region of Valencia homes, what we call “la merienda”. A walk in the neighborhood after la merienda La merienda —merendar— is that mid afternoon “tentenpié”, a bite to eat between lunch and dinner, sometimes sweet, sometimes savory, a simple but tasty sweet cake or a piece of baguette bursting with slices of jamón, chorizo or salchichón, Spanish meats and cold cuts, or squares of chocolate with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt. La merienda is an endearing Spanish idiosyncrasy. Coca de llanda is a simple ..read more
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