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…)
You’ve probably heard of Basque cheesecake, San Sebastián cheesecake, or cheseecake from La Viña restaurant. I’m sharing that recipe today, which is not mine, but Santiago Rivera’s, chef at La Viña resturant in San Sebastián.
I thought this cheesecake was perfect to accompany Part 6 (and last) of the construction of our vegetable garden last year. My aunt Isa loves gardening, and she has a green thumb —her garden is always colorful and exuberant— and gardening reminds me of her.
I’ve mentioned my aunt Isa on this blog before. My aunt (more…)
With 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 processions in Sevilla. Holy Wednesday, Hermandad del Baratillo – Brotherhood of Baratillo
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…)
This gingerbread layer cake was my birthday cake, but it turned out so festive and beautiful (and delicious!) that I think it will make for a wonderful end of your Christmas Eve dinner or Christmas day brunch or lunch.
The molasses in the gingerbread layer cake give it a very characteristic flavor, and you could substitute the molasses with dark corn syrup for a smoother flavor. The addition of the Guinness beer is surprising, and perfect. And then, the nutmeg in (more…)
It happens every year: Summer dwindles away and I hold onto it for dear life. It’s easy to think that way, when I look through my window and the sun is shining, and I go outside and sit on the patio and I don’t even need a light jacket. I scroll down through Instagram and all the beautiful, talented people I follow are praising the coming of fall and embracing it with open arms.
I, in the other hand, hope for the Indian summer, the “veranillo de San Miguel”,as we call it in Spain. And for (more…)
Print RecipeIf you like carrot cake, you’re going to love zucchini layer cake. The first time I made zucchini loaf bread I couldn’t even imagine you could put zucchini into a dessert. Yet, the result was outstanding. Less known than its cousin the banana nut loaf bread, zucchini bread is one to discover.
For Spaniards, carrot cake is a late discovery, and zucchini loaf bread is a complete unknown. So needless to say, this cake is not a Spanish recipe. You know Mama Ía blog is the place for Spanish cooking in America. But as I say in (more…)
Have you noticed something different in this post? Okay, you will have to scroll all the way down to the recipe. Which by the way, you’re going to love. It’s a triple cheesecake with amaretti crust and caramelized blood oranges. What a combination of flavors! One bite and you’ll realize how they were made to be together. For the amaretti crust —or almond cookie crust—, you’ll be able to use the recipe of my previous post. Those almond cookies are good on their own and they are outstanding for this crust.
Birthday party favors
Confined basketball
But I’m digressing. Let’s go back to my first sentence: if you scroll down, you will see the look of the recipe has changed. I’ve incorporated a new format that will make it easier for you to (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
The 13th century Acqueduct
My mom at Roca Paolina
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…)