March 27, 2020

Cod in Smooth Pisto Sauce —a confined kitchen at Lent

Natacha Sanz Caballero Vegetables, Fish, Events & Travel bacalao, confinement, Covid 19, Cuaresma, Lent, Memphis, pisto

It’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.

Routine 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…)

December 22, 2019

Citrus Marinated Salmon —and musings on Christmas preparedness

Natacha Sanz Caballero Fish, Tapas appetizers, celebration recipe, Christmas, tapas, Thanksgiving, yo fui el primero

Here we are again, days away from a major feast, with a recipe I would love you to make —because, trust me, your guests will love it! I serve citrus marinated salmon as an appetizer, and it’s always a hit. Pretty simple to make, it looks and feels as if you took special time and care to make it, as something special, for a special occasion. The occasion is certainly special (Christmas), but the dish is not complicated. The main thing you have to remember is to make it at least 3 days before you plan on having it.

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Arroz Negro, Black Rice with Squid, Mama Ía blog

January 31, 2019

Arroz Negro, Black Rice with Squid, a Showstopper

Natacha Sanz Caballero Rice, Grains and Pasta, Fish calamares, cocina valenciana, grains, mediterranean diet, Valencian cuisine

I know, I know, two posts in a row with recipes for fish. Not only fish, but mollusks, so popular where I come from, Spain’s Mediterranean coast, but not so where I live, Indiana. There’s an explanation, I’m still on detoxification mode from sweets after Christmas, and hard on the Mediterranean diet, the tried and true. But don’t fret: Valentines is around the corner, then a number of family birthdays, and soon after, Easter. Lots and lots of opportunities for sweets. So tag along with me, follow the Mediterranean diet, and your heart (and your waist) will thank you.

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January 15, 2019

Octopus with Potatoes, the Unexpected Guest at our Christmas Table

Natacha Sanz Caballero Vegetables, Fish, Tapas cocina española, mediterranean diet, Navidad, pulpo, seafood, Spanish cuisine

The anticipation of Christmas break is always special, no matter what one’s age. As a child, it was a magical time in every sense —the miracle of the birth, the visit of the Three Magi, loaded with toys, and the school vacation! As an adult, the excitement doesn’t wane, but new layers are added: this year was the first one we had two of our children away at college, and therefore back home for Christmas. What better opportunity than to celebrate with special dishes they don’t usually eat?

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March 25, 2018

Stuffed Calamari, Another Meatless Option for Lent

Natacha Sanz Caballero Fish, Tapas calamares, calamares rellenos, Cuaresma, Lent, meatless, seafood, squid

When 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.

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Braised cod with white beans, Mama ía blog

November 3, 2017

Braised Cod with White Beans, and a Year of Lasts and Firsts (Hint: Video Recipe)

Natacha Sanz Caballero Rice, Grains and Pasta, Fish alubias, bacalao, Bishop Dwenger High School, braised fish, high school soccer, Senior Night, soccer, video recipe

This is not the first time I post a recipe for cod, and it will certainly not be the last. You know that cod is one of my favorite kinds of fish, and I like it in any way and manner: baked, seared, in soups (click here), in fritters (croquetas or buñuelos, click here ), in green sauce, pil-pil style, with roasted vegetables or esgarraet, you name it. The recipe I am sharing today is delicious, but what can I say! The cod is first salted for ten minutes and then rinsed and seasoned with Spanish flavors, pepper and pimentón de la Vera, garlic, thyme. It’s then baked in a cocotte, and laid over a bed of black-eyed peas simmered in a butter, olive oil, and lemon sauce (you could use almost any kind of legume or dry bean of your liking). Serve the braised cod with white beans with fresh crusty bread and you have a fantastic meal.

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September 17, 2017

Calamari and Bean Salad —and a hike on Sierra de Irta

Natacha Sanz Caballero Salads, Fish Alcocebre, black eyed peas, calamares, calamari, salad, Serra d'Irta, Sierra de Irta, squid, summer

I am very glad the weather is still decent and we are going to have a very nice weekend, because I’m not ready to let go of summer. I’m harvesting the very last of my vegetables, and dreaming of all the fish and seafood I ate while in Spain and Portugal this summer. So before I start thinking and cooking fall recipes, allow me one last one, which transitions very well from summer to fall, and where I can enjoy the last of my homegrown vegetables: calamari and bean salad.

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Roasted red pepper, eggplant, cod salad, Mama ía blog

May 24, 2017

Roasted Red Pepper, Eggplant and Cod —or Esgarraet

Natacha Sanz Caballero Salads, Fish, Tapas mediterranean diet, montaditos, roasted vegetables, salt cod, tapas, Valencian cuisine

I don’t know in which category exactly to place esgarraet, salads or appetizers/tapas. Esgarraet is a dish typical of the Valencian community, and very often it is served as a tapa, on top of a slice of crusty bread, or grilled or toasted bread. It consists of roasted red peppers, salt cod, garlic and olive oil, and in some areas of (more…)

March 22, 2017

Soupy Seafood Rice, and thinking of Las Fallas

Natacha Sanz Caballero Soups and Stews, Rice, Grains and Pasta, Fish Fallas, fish soup, Las Fallas, mussels, rice, seafood, seafood rice, seafood stock, soup, soupy rice, Valencia

If you subscribe to Mama Ía blog, or if you’ve been following it, by now you’re probably familiar with Spain’s dry rice dishes, like paella in all it’s varieties, or arroz al horno (click here and here and here). But there’s a different category of rice dish in Spain, which is not as familiar outside of the country as paella is. In Spanish we call it (more…)

Oven baked tilapia over potatoes and onions, Mama ía

March 1, 2017

Oven Baked Tilapia Over Potatoes, a Quick One Pot Dinner

Natacha Sanz Caballero Fish Ash Wednesday, baked fish, bay leaf, fish, hake, Lent, onions, potatoes, quick dinner, white fish

If 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…)