Potaje de Cuaresma, sopa de vigilia, caldo de Cuaresma, are all names that refer to the same dish. The name would translate literally to “vigil stew” or “Lent stew” in English, but we’ll call it chickpeas and Swiss chard stew for the purposes of this blog.
Valencia’s Fallas 2022, celebrated as it was before the pandemic
The original or most typical version of it in Spain also includes cod. However, I omitted it today and made it a more simple dish, not only appropriate for Lent but also for a vegetarian diet.
The origin of this dish, like many other Spanish dishes, can be found (more…)
I can’t help it, but every time I have toast with bitter orange marmalade, or Seville orange marmalade, as the jar may be labeled, I think of my dad.
Bitter orange marmalade was my dad‘s, and also my, favorite marmalade.
For years, during middle school and high school, our dining room table at breakfast time would become not only the family table where everyone gathered to convene before going on our way to school or to work, but also (more…)
When thinking of what special treat I’d make for Valentine’s Day I knew I had to find something with coffee. Dave has a sweet tooth AND he loves coffee. So mocha, the combination of chocolate and coffee, was a good option.
I didn’t know, however, exactly what to make or how to make it, and I ended up going through recipe books and doing Google searches. Finally, taking a bit from here and a bit from there and then adding my own ideas, I ended up with this cake: mocha cake with espresso cream cheese frosting.
I have to say I don’t like calling myself a recipe developer. I am not one, and I don’t intend to be one. I am not a professionally trained cook, so I do not (more…)
After the rich and sometimes heavy meals, and indulging in sweets and baked goods, January calls for moderation and healthy meals, right? At least that’s in almost everybody’s minds, and salmon cakes are a perfect option.
I love the month of January. I may have said this before — actually, I know I have. But while I still love most aspects of it, I have to tweak my affirmation.
When my sons were younger, the month of January meant the back to normal, both literally and figuratively —or in other words, both in the house as in my mind.After a couple of months of the craziness associated with (more…)
After a few years of very good intentions, finally 2022 sees the recipe for roscón de Reyes, Kings cake, on the blog. Not that I haven’t been making it! But I am not a great planner of the recipes that I will post on Mama Ía blog and the Christmas hustle and bustle always caught up with me.
Kings Melchior, Gaspar and Baltazar at the January 5 Three Kings Parade in Alcoy (Alicante, Spain)
Nativity scene at the Holy Name Cathedral, Chicago
That always seems to be the case. I do have some method and loose plan of what I will post on the blog. However, more often than not, I will cook or bake something that (more…)
Don’t we all crave the flavors of our childhood at Christmas time, the treats that bring us back to our younger selves, the sounds of the songs sung and the games played with siblings and cousins in crowded, noisy and happy homes? Okay, I’m describing my own memories, but I’m sure each of us has our own, those which bring a smile to our faces and make us long for those care and stress-free days. Marzipan pastries or panellets are a treat that brings me back to the Christmases of my childhood.
Handel’s Messiah by the Fort Wayne Philharmonic at gorgeous First Wayne Street United Methodist Church, a Christmas tradition
The recipe I’m sharing today is that of a traditional Spanish sweet, more typical of All Saints Day than of Christmas, depending on what region of Spain we’re talking about. In Catalonia, Valencia and the Balearic islands these almond treatsare called panellets, and are eaten and sold at the pastry shops mostly on All Saints Day and All Souls Day, November 1 and 2nd. In other regions of Spain they are called simply mazapanes, marzipans, and even though they are made and sold throughout the year, Christmas is where you’ll find them more often at the pastry shops. The most famous ones are from obrador Santo Tomé in Toledo, an institution founded in 1856. (more…)
Every time Thanksgiving comes around, I feel I have to explain myself about why I post these recipes. Because today’s recipe, fruit and pinenut stuffing, is not something I ever cooked in Spain. We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in Spain, therefore its cuisine and traditional dishes are something purely American.
Most of what I cook at home are dishes from my homeland, Spain, sometimes adapted to the American market and the ingredients I can find here. But on many occasions I go by the traditions of the place where I live. My family wouldn’t have it any other way.
One such traditions is Thanksgiving. After (more…)
I am often asked about simple meals —as in easy to make—, for mid-week dinners. Today’s recipe, roasted chicken with seasoned potatoes and shallots, is one of those meals.
I have a simple method (or a little secret) to decide if a recipe is easy to make or if it’s time consuming: if it requires (more…)
I heard on the radio recently that again, Spain was ranked as the healthiest country in the world in 2021. When I started digging some more, trying to find out if there were other factors added to the ones that had ranked it in the same position when I first wrote about it in 2019 (you can check it here), I came across another ranking, that of the Healthiest CITY in the World.
Puerta Barroca de la Catedral, Plaza del Arzobispo
I was curious, and then happily surprised (or rather, validated) to see at the top of the list Valencia, my hometown! What a great way to accompany (more…)
I am missing fish, and I am missing shellfish. My brother-in-law Jaime makes the richest, most flavorful arroz con bogavante, soupy rice with lobster, and while I’m not able to replicate it here in Indiana, this creamy rice with langoustines is the best close second. So whenever I find whole shrimp at the store —that is, shrimp with the heads on, or even langoustines if I’m really lucky— I’ll make it.
This is what happened recently —I found langoustines!—, and I couldn’t wait to share with you my recipe for creamy rice with langoustines, a dish that (more…)