snack

Grilled corn with ñora allioli, Mama ía blog

Grilled Corn with Ñora Allioli, on a Warm Fall Day

Grilled corn with ñora allioli, Mama ía blogThis might be the tail end of the corn season, but to go with the slow baked baby back ribs I made, I knew I had to make corn. Don’t ask me why, but I associate ribs with corn. And grilled corn with ñora allioli was the answer.

We are a divided house when it comes to corn, some of us like it grilled and some like it boiled. For this recipe I decided to grill it in its husk, and there were no complaints. The sun was shining, it was unusually warm for this time of year, and I was itching to go outside. I wonder, too, if the allioli I made to spread on the charred kernels had something to do with its success at the table. It wasn’t my regular traditional allioli (find that recipe here). The Spanish Tin had sent me a small batch of ground ñora peppers. Ñora peppers! I had never been able to find them in the US, and now I know where to go for them. Ñora is a small, round pepper that grows in the region of Murcia, just south of the Comunidad Valenciana, where I come from. It has a characteristic flavor and medium heat. To know that I can now source them through The Spanish Tin makes me very happy.

Grilled corn with ñora allioli, Mama ía blog (more…)

Monjavina, Mama ía blog

Monjavina, for “La Merienda”

Monjavina, Mama ía blogMonjavina 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, Onteniente, Mama ía blog

La Vila and Carmelites Convent, Onteniente

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Apple ring fritters, Mama ía

Apple Ring Fritters —and Celebrating Johnny Appleseed

Apple ring fritters, Mama íaAn 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…)

Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds, a Halloween by-product

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Bonus post this week! I happened to have a bowl full of pumpkin seeds, the remnants —or better, the byproduct— of last week’s jack-o-lantern making. Another great aspect of Halloween, and one of my favorites! Don’t get me wrong, I like the carving, it is a fun family activity. There’s lots of laughter, alongside (more…)