After having shared the recipe for allioli in my previous post, it was only fitting that I would share the recipe for seafood paella, which is what I mentioned I would be accompanying the allioli with. Matthew, the most paella-loving of my children, left yesterday for his second semester in college, which means I might not make paella for (more…)
I can’t believe today is the feast of the Epiphany, Three Kings Day, and I am making allioli while watching the Three Kings Parade on Spanish television. But these are Matthew’s last few days at home before he returns to college, and he wants to have homey, special dishes before he leaves, like the seafood paella I’ll be (more…)
It looks like the twenty five days of Christmas movies marathon is over on television. In fact, it was over the day after Christmas. It always makes me smile. Many Christmas trees will be recycled one day or two after Christmas Day. And yet, Christmas season starts on Christmas Day, and goes on for twelve days, until (more…)
To many reading this post, the pictures might be a bit shocking. I’m sorry you had to wake up to a fish staring at you! This, for me, is nothing new, or should I say, would be nothing new if I were in Spain. Growing up on the Mediterranean, that’s the way I was used to seeing fish on a regular basis, whether straight out of the sea or (more…)
I might have mentioned before somewhere in the blog that I warmed up to soups later in life (I think it was on the lentil soup post). I don’t know exactly what the reason was, why I didn’t like soups very much. Maybe it was the fact that, living in a warm country, hot soups didn’t really appeal to me. I totally identified with (more…)
Two events mark the beginning of the Christmas season at our house. The first is the set up of the Nativity Scene. In true Spanish tradition, our Nativity Scene includes the main characters, namely Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus in the manger, and the Three Kings making their way to Bethlehem. But our Nativity Scene also (more…)
Thanksgiving came and went, like every year —and just as fast as it does every year. Preparations for a big holiday always remind me of a climb up a mountain. You prepare, mentally and physically, you take your time, gather all you need, and start hiking. You keep looking up, the summit getting closer as you walk. The last few (more…)
Only two more days until Thanksgiving, and planning is underway. You can feel it in the air, and see it on the streets, in the markets and supermarkets, busier than usual. For me, the planning depends on whether I’m hosting or I’m the guest, alternating roles that happen every second year. You see, for as long as I can remember —maybe almost as long as (more…)
I didn’t think I would be including the recipe for quince paste this early in the life of Mama Ía blog. Don’t get me wrong, I love quince paste, but I understand it might not be a dish my American friends would eat often, as it is the case in Spain. Quince paste is very popular in Spain, and it’s usually eaten with cured manchego cheese, or with fresh (more…)
As a child, I thought lentil soup was okay. Just okay. In fact, I wasn’t a soup person, or a stew person. I didn’t like anything that had much broth in it. I much preferred dry rice dishes, like paella or arroz al horno, baked rice. And beans, in particular, weren’t my thing. I still remember my mom’s singsong, “Las lentejas tienen mucho hierro. Y fibra”, lentils have so much iron, and fiber. And her lentil soup with chorizo and bacon not only had a lot of fiber and iron, but was full of flavor. (more…)
