October 19, 2015

White Sweet Potato Preserve Turnovers, Empanadillas de Dulce de Boniato, A Winter Delicacy on a Fall Day

Natacha Sanz Caballero Breads, Desserts and Sweets boniato, dessert, empanadillas, empanadillas de boniato, sweet potato turnovers, turnovers, white sweet potato, white sweet potato preserve, white sweet potato turnovers, winter delicacy

I find it interesting to see how this blog thing is working out. Take this week, for instance. I had a few ideas in my head as to what to make for this week’s post. I could choose from a number of recipes that included Fall vegetables —the beautiful pumpkins, or butternut squash, sweet potatoes, delicata or acorn squash. I hadn’t made up my mind yet, waiting to see what peaked my interest. (more…)

October 12, 2015

Pork Tenderloin with Prune Sauce

Natacha Sanz Caballero Meat and Poultry pork, pork tenderloin, pork tenderloin with prune sauce, prunes

If you have been following my blog, by now you know that I like cooking. I like the process, and I like having my family enjoy a delicious meal. A home meal, cooked with love, from natural ingredients, can be very powerful. A family, around the dinner table.

Yet this daily, almost routine event (more…)

October 5, 2015

Coffee Meringues, a melt-in-your-mouth sweet treat

Natacha Sanz Caballero Desserts and Sweets coffe meringue, coffee, dessert, egg whites, meringue

Making paella always wakes up my senses, every one of them. I’m sure it is because of all the sentiments it evokes, and the memories attached to the dish. Growing up in Spain, we used to have paella mostly on Sundays, when the after-meal time could linger for hours and well into the early evening. In the summer, the after-meal time (more…)

September 28, 2015

Valencian Paella, Cooked on the Fire

Natacha Sanz Caballero Rice, Grains and Pasta chicken, cooking on the fire, garrofón, lunch, outdoors cooking, paella, paella valenciana, rice, saffron, Valencian paella

I didn’t think I’d be posting the recipe for paella valenciana, Valencian paella, this early in the life of Mama Ía blog. I don’t know, I thought I had to do a few more simple recipes first, ease into the paella, maybe get you acquainted with the blog, in particular with the section on paella and all the information there that I highly (more…)

September 18, 2015

Dried Cherry and Candied Pecan Cheese Torta —for a High School graduation

Natacha Sanz Caballero Tapas, Events & Travel appetizer, cheese, dried cherries, dried cherry and caramelized pecan goat cheese torta, goat cheese, graduation, party appetizer, pecans, tapas

This is a celebratory post, Matthew’s high school graduation, and as such, it calls for a celebratory (and party appropriate!) recipe: dried cherry and candied pecan cheese torta.

But let’s begin at the beginning.

It took me a few months to (more…)

September 14, 2015

Plums and Almonds Cake, an evocative combination

Natacha Sanz Caballero Desserts and Sweets cake, El Taroncheral, orange tree fields, plum tree fields, plums, plums and almond cake, summer fruit, tart

There once was a field planted with orange trees, rows upon rows of orange trees, that soaked up the sun most every day of the year. One large round basin kept a watchful eye, collecting both well and rain water, and letting it go, flooding the fields where the orange trees lived. The trees grew blossoms that perfumed the air, that turned into oranges that hung from the trees, clusters of them, weighing the branches, until harvest, around Christmas time.

(more…)

September 4, 2015

Andalusian Gazpacho

Natacha Sanz Caballero Soups and Stews, Drinks Andalusian gazpacho, cold soup, Gazpacho, green pepper, soup, tomatoes

I find it hard to define gazpacho. In general, you’d see it classified as a cold soup —like what one usually eats with a spoon, served in a bowl or in a soup plate. Yet, that’s not how I remember my mom having gazpacho in the summers of my youth. And she should know, because (more…)

August 28, 2015

Fideuá in Washington DC

Natacha Sanz Caballero Rice, Grains and Pasta, Fish, Events & Travel fideos, fideuá, fish, lunch, shrimp, tapas, Washington DC

I thought by the time I wrote my first post on this blog, all the tabs in the navigation bar would be filled with information. But that hasn’t happened (yet), and I just couldn’t wait! I’ve been writing and collecting family recipes for years—of course also preparing them!—, and the many notebooks and binders where they now sit were starting to burst at the seams. (more…)

April 29, 2015

Seafood Stock – Caldo de Pescado

Natacha Sanz Caballero Soups and Stews fish, fish broth, fish stew, seafood stock, soups, stew

I have to confess it has not been easy to develop a recipe for seafood stock that would resemble the ones you can make in Spain, and particularly in my region of Valencia. The availability of a wide variety of white fish and shellfish, that one can purchase not only at fishmongers but (more…)

March 20, 2015

Picada

Natacha Sanz Caballero Sauces fish, fish stew, picada, Sauces, soups, stew

A picada is one of those “idiosyncrasies” of the Spanish kitchen. A very original way to thicken soups and stews while at the same time giving the dish a deep flavor. Similar to the majado, it incorporates an added ingredient, almonds (sometimes hazelnuts instead), and even toasted bread. (more…)