Lent

Mussels with white beans and tomatoes, Mama Ía blog

Mussels with white beans and tomatoes —and the revenge of the land

Mussels with white beans and tomatoes, Mama Ía blogThe 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.

Mussels with white beans and tomatoes, Mama Ía blog

Tracxtores en Puerta de Alcalá, Mama Ía blog

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 (more…)

Mandarina stuffed salmon with thyme, Mama Ía blog

Mandarina stuffed Salmon with Thyme, and the countdown to Spring

Mandarina stuffed salmon, Mama Ía blog

It is safe to say that we can start counting down to spring. It’s just over two weeks away! And while the winter hasn’t been one of the coldest ones we remember in this part of the world, I am very much looking forward to the warmer temperatures, to walks outdoors and to the first flowers blooming in our garden.

Mandarinas, Mama Ía blogMiami, Mama Ía blogAt the same time, I am still enjoying orange season —and winter is orange season. The recipe I’m sharing today, mandarina stuffed salmon with thyme, takes (more…)

Chickpeas and Swiss chard stew, Mama Ía blog

Potaje de Cuaresma, Chickpeas and Swiss Chard Stew, for Lent — and Fallas!

Chickpeas and Swiss chard stew, Mama Ía blogPotaje 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. 

Fallas Valencia 2022, Mama Ía blog

Valencia’s Fallas 2022, celebrated as it was before the pandemic

Chickpeas and Swiss chard stew, Mama Ía blog

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…)

A treat from Andalusia, made usually during Lent and easter.

Pestiños, an Andalusian Lent and Easter treat

Pestiños, Mama Ía blogWith the end of the season of Lent and the beginning of that of Easter, I bring you a Spanish treat typical of this season, pestiños. Don’t ask me to translate it, because I would have a hard time doing it. You’ll have to call it by its original name, and I will help you pronounce it: pehs-teen-yohs. 

Holy Week in Spain, Mama Ía blog

Holy Week processions in Sevilla. Holy Wednesday, Hermandad del Baratillo – Brotherhood of Baratillo

Pestiños, Mama Ía blog

The season calls for Lent and Easter meals, with meatless, savory ones enjoyed on Fridays and sweet ones (many of them) enjoyed on Easter, when traditionally lenten promises and (more…)

Salmon steaks with majado, Mama Ía blog

Salmon steaks with majado – and building a vegetable garden (Part 4)

Salmon steaks with majado, Mama Ía blogI don’t know if it’s happening to you, but for me, time is flying. Can you believe Lent starts this week? I had another recipe planned for this post, but I’ll postpone it, because I know you will be looking for fish recipes that are tasty and easy to make. These salmon steaks with majado are it: tasty, healthy, delicious looking and easy to make. 

Salmon steaks with majado, Mama Ía blogVegetable garden, Mama Ía blog

I like to look for steaks rather than fillets, and basically any accompaniment will work: depending on the season, you can use green beans, asparagus, or (more…)

Cod in smooth pisto sauce, Mama Ía blog

Cod in Smooth Pisto Sauce —a confined kitchen at Lent

Cod in smooth pisto sauce, Mama Ía blogIt’s a weird sensation these days, isn’t it? We wake up every morning wondering what the new limitation will be for the day ahead —whether we’ll be able to go out freely for a walk in the neighborhood, whether we’ll be able to fly next week to see a loved one. COVID-19 has turned us upside down as in the most dystopian of stories.

Memphis, Mama Ía blogMemphis, Mama Ía blogRoutine tasks we used to do without giving them a second thought now become a highlight of the day – leave the house for a moment to pick up the mail; take the garbage to the curb. A trip to the grocery store (more…)

Stuffed calamari, Mama ía blog

Stuffed Calamari, Another Meatless Option for Lent

Stuffed calamari, Mama ía blogWhen I asked my husband if I should translate this recipe, calamares rellenos, as stuffed squid or stuffed calamari, he immediately responded stuffed calamari, “Americans are grossed out by the thought of eating squid”. I had to laugh, but I think he’s probably right, since his American/Canadian perspective is always more accurate than mine. So here it goes, stuffed calamari.

Alcocebre, Mama ía blog

Stuffed calamari, Mama ía blog

(more…)

Oven baked tilapia over potatoes and onions, Mama ía

Oven Baked Tilapia Over Potatoes, a Quick One Pot Dinner

Oven baked tilapia over potatoes and onions, Mama íaIf I were in Spain, this dish would be made with hake. But you know the chances of me finding hake in the Midwest are zero, zip. And yet, as always, I can’t go without enjoying the dish. Filetes de merluza al horno con patatas becomes oven baked tilapia over potatoes. It is a very tasty dish, and yet, easy and relatively quick to make, which makes it (more…)

Cod+ Cauliflower soup with rice

Cod and Cauliflower Soup with Rice, for Good Friday

Cod and Cauliflower soup with rice, Mama ía

This week will culminate in Easter Sunday, which in gastronomic terms means chocolate and special sweets, and an occasion for family celebration. Eggs of every color and material, real and not, and also made of chocolate, inundate our tables, our decor, our stores. So understandably, my first instinct was to make an Easter treat for this week’s post. But this week is also (more…)

Salt Cod Fritters, Mama Ía

Salt Cod Fritters, Buñuelos de Bacalao for Friday

Salt Cod Fritters, Mama ÍaI’m multi-tasking as I write this, trying to get tickets for our trip to Spain as well as writing this post. I’m looking forward to our trip, and as they say, getting there is half the fun! This includes trying to make sense of the dates available for every member of our family, accomodating summer jobs, work, soccer camps and (more…)