Spanish omelet, tortilla española, Mama ía

Spanish Omelet, Tortilla Española, Spain’s most popular tapa

Spanish omelet, tortilla española, Mama íaSpanish omelet, tortilla española or tortilla de patatas, is the most popular of all Spanish tapas. I dare you to find a restaurant, a bar, or a cafeteria in Spain that doesn’t serve it. I dare you to find one household in Spain that doesn’t make it. As popular as patatas bravas are when it comes to tapas, nothing overshadows Spanish omelet. And yet, like with (more…)

Spanish nougat mousse, Mousse de turrón, Mama ía

Spanish Nougat Mousse, Mousse de Turrón —or the Spanish habit of conservation

Spanish nougat mousse, Mousse de Turrón, Mama ÍaIt happens every year around Christmas time: I buy too much turrón, Spanish nougat. And every year I tell myself that next year I won’t buy as much, but invariably, I do it again. Not that I don’t buy many other Christmas sweets, and make them, too, of course. But turrón is closest to my heart. I talked about Christmas nostalgia in other (more…)

Piquillo pepper and chickpea soup with rice, Mama ía

Piquillo Pepper and Chickpea Soup with Rice —eating light after Christmas

Piquillo pepper and chickpea soup with rice, Mama íaToday is the day that marks the end of Christmas in North America, at least for Christians: it is the feast of the Epiphany, when we celebrate the adoration of the Three Kings, the Three Wise Men, to baby Jesus at Bethlehem (click on this link, to read or hear a children’s story I wrote for Highlights for Children magazine a few years ago, where (more…)