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 (more…)
Almond cookies, amaretti-like, to sweeten up this very odd situation. It’s hard to believe what’s happening right now in the world. When I remember the times, not that long ago, when we could travel, I can’t help but think that we are living in a dystopian movie, and that, like in the movies, it will have a happy ending.
Temple of Sant’Angelo
My flight to Spain this summer has been canceled by the airline due to the pandemic and the closing of borders in many parts of the world (certainly the borders of Spain). I can now only travel in (more…)
When I first saw this Easter sweet from Málaga called nazareno, which literally translates as nazarean, my first thought was: hot cross buns! Their look is very similar, so I wonder if they are influenced by each other (maybe a traveler that brought them from one place to the other?). Nazareno, hot cross bun cousin.
A few differences are that, in the nazareno, the raisins are soaked in Málaga‘s sweet wine, and it also incorporates candied fruit and walnuts. As for the cross –characteristic on both of them–, the recipes vary: some use flour and water while some (more…)
We all need some comfort at this time in our lives – this time in humanity‘s life –, and apple cake falls into the category of comfort foods (anything apple, including apple tart, or apple ring fritters). As I’m writing this, in the warmth of confinement at my home in Fort Wayne, I should be in Santa Barbara, California, visiting my son Matthew, whom I haven’t seen since Christmas.
Holy Week starts Sunday, and many of you had plans to go to the beach, to go skiing, or to participate in the many religious celebrations that would be happening in all parts of the Christian world. No, this is not normal, and one day we will tell our (more…)
When I saw this recipe I thought I had to make it. The sugared cranberries, the beautiful creamy pink filling, and the crumbling crust, had my name written on them. But I was a bit weary: sometimes beautiful recipes don’t end up tasting as great as they look.
This one, in fact, was no exception, and I had to tweak it to turn it into something quite dazzling, not just in looks but in taste. Cranberry and lime tartelets will be (more…)
I know what my children will say when they see this post: banana nut bread (in any of its forms, like the banana nut bundt recipe I’m sharing today) is not Spanish. I’ll have to remind them then that this blog includes the recipes that I make at home, most of which are Spanish, but some of which are not. If I make it often enough and is part of my repertoire, chances are, it’ll make it to Mama Ía blog. I’ve been living in North America for over two decades, after all!
Monjavina is a sweet of arab origin, typical of the region of Játiva and of La Vall d’Albaida, where Onteniente, my hometown, is located. You can find it by other names like almoixàvena or monxàvena, but you will very rarely find it in any other regions of Spain other than the ones I just mentioned. My mom, in fact, never made it, as she comes from Seville, and I grew up eating it at the homes of friends. You could say that every household in Onteniente makes it.
The recipe is simple, with few ingredients, and that can mislead as to its result, which is a delicious, light, sugary cake that is best eaten on the day it’s made. My favorite time to have it is mid afternoon, with a glass of horchata (*) if I am in Spain, or an espresso if I am in America. This mid-afternoon snack is usually referred to as la merienda in Spain, a meal that is meant to stave off hunger between lunch and the late Spanish dinner. La merienda is most often also referred to as this meal in the context of children: the meal they eat right after they get home from school.
La Vila and Carmelites Convent, Onteniente
An apple recipe, finally. I was resisting it, not really wanting it to be autumn. But autumn is here, and I’m welcoming it now with open arms. It’s not that I dislike autumn, not at all. It’s the anticipation of winter that I dread, and the longing for summer. But I’ve made peace with it, and celebrate with these buñuelos de manzana, apple ring fritters.
Of all the Fort Wayne festivals, the (more…)
