Chicken lemon and capers in a port sauce, Mama Ía blog

August 26, 2022

Chicken with lemon and capers in a port sauce —and splashing in Alcocebre and Onteniente, Summer 2022

Natacha Sanz Caballero Meat and Poultry Alcocebre, chicken, Mediterranean, one pan meal, Onteniente, Pou Clar, weeknight meal

I hope you had or are having a wonderful summer. I have been in back-to-work mode for a while, and thought that chicken with lemon and capers in a port sauce was a recipe worth of being the first one of the new “school year “.

If you have been a regular follower or subscriber of Mama Ía blog for a while, you know that in the summer, the blog takes a short hiatus. This is the time when, more than blogging, I am “researching“. Okay, okay, that’s (more…)

Soupy rice with langoustines, Mama Ía blog

August 26, 2021

Creamy Rice with Langoustines —and beach days in Spain, two years later

Natacha Sanz Caballero Soups and Stews, Fish Alcocebre, arroces, arroces valencianos, arroz caldoso, comunidad valenciana, langostinos, main dish, seafood, shellfish, sopas, verano en España

I am missing fish, and I am missing shellfish. My brother-in-law Jaime makes the richest, most flavorful arroz con bogavante, soupy rice with lobster, and while I’m not able to replicate it here in Indiana, this creamy rice with langoustines is the best close second. So whenever I find whole shrimp at the store —that is, shrimp with the heads on, or even langoustines if I’m really lucky— I’ll make it.

This is what happened recently —I found langoustines!—, and I couldn’t wait to share with you my recipe for creamy rice with langoustines, a dish that (more…)

April 11, 2019

Barley and Kale Salad with Pine Nuts and Cherries, the World’s Healthiest Country, and the Mediterranean Diet

Natacha Sanz Caballero Salads, Rice, Grains and Pasta Alcocebre, dieta mediterránea, ensalada, mediterranean diet, olivos, vegetarian, world's healthiest country

The article started with this paragraph:

“Spain has many attractions —delicious cuisine, a balmy climate, sublime music and a fascinating history. And now it can add another accolade: it has just been named the healthiest country in the world.”

I thought it appropriate to share the recipe for this powerful salad, barley and kale salad with pine nuts and cherries, to accompany this news —I will explain why later.

(more…)

September 12, 2018

Leche Merengada Granita —Granizado de Leche Merengada

Natacha Sanz Caballero Desserts and Sweets, Drinks Alcocebre, Alcossebre, granizado, helado, ice cream, leche merengada, summer

It has been raining for a few days, the temperatures have dropped, and I feel under the weather, so what better time to post a recipe for ice cream than now, ha ha! When I was preparing this recipe for the blog, a few days ago, the temperatures were in the 90’s Fahrenheit, 30’s Celsius. The landscape workers that were trimming our bushes and pulling out all my lavender (sniff) had to leave early because the heat was unbearable. I was happily making my husband’s favorite ice cream, in granita form, leche merengada (loosely translated to whipped cinnamon milk granita), and we still managed to enjoy it during those high temperatures.

(more…)

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.

(more…)

Fresh white anchovies in vinegar, Mama ía

October 3, 2016

Fresh White Anchovies in Vinegar, Boquerones en Vinagre

Natacha Sanz Caballero Fish, Tapas Alcocebre, anchovies, boquerones, fresh anchovies, Spanish tapas, tapas, white anchovies, white vinegar

I have to warn you about this post: if fish is not your thing, particularly the way it comes out of the sea, then stop right here. Don’t keep reading. Don’t scroll down. The images might hurt your sensibility.

I once had a colleague, my counterpart in England (in a previous “life” I used to work in Madrid for a British (more…)

Piquillo pepper and eggplant toasts, Mama ía

July 13, 2016

Piquillo Pepper and Eggplant Toasts —and hiking to Santa Lucía in Alcocebre, Spain

Natacha Sanz Caballero Vegetables, Tapas Alcoceber, Alcocebre, Alcossebre, eggplant, ermita de Santa Lucía, grilled eggplant, hike, marinated piquillo peppers, montaditos, piquillo, piquillo peppers, Saint Lucia chapel, Spain, toasts

I’m writing this as I’ve just sat down, trying to catch my breath after the hike to la ermita de Santa Lucía, Saint Lucia chapel in Alcocebre, Spain. The breathlessness is real, as the hike is a steep one, trying to navigate rocks, some of them part of a glacier plateau, and bushes of wild rosemary and the many other varieties of wild herbs and low Mediterranean pine trees (more…)