Fruit and pinenut stuffing, Mama ía blog

November 19, 2021

Fruit and Pinenut Stuffing —November means Thanksgiving

Natacha Sanz Caballero Vegetables American cuisine, American traditions, relleno de pavo, side dish, Thanksgiving

Every time Thanksgiving comes around, I feel I have to explain myself about why I post these recipes. Because today’s recipe, fruit and pinenut stuffing, is not something I ever cooked in Spain. We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in Spain, therefore its cuisine and traditional dishes are something purely American.

Most of what I cook at home are dishes from my homeland, Spain, sometimes adapted to the American market and the ingredients I can find here. But on many occasions I go by the traditions of the place where I live. My family wouldn’t have it any other way.

One such traditions is Thanksgiving. After (more…)

November 12, 2020

Pisto —and building a vegetable garden (Part 3): THE FENCE

Natacha Sanz Caballero Vegetables, Sauces, Tapas huerto, pisto manchego, side dish, Spanish cuisine, vegan, vegetable garden, vegetarian

I used so many of my garden vegetables for pisto that its recipe could only be posted alongside more on the progress of the vegetable garden, or Part 3.

Planting the seedlings on a very hot summer day

Tomatoes, peppers and zucchini have been growing with abandon, to the point where, mid November, I still (more…)

September 6, 2017

Crispy Battered Zucchini, from a home vegetable garden

Natacha Sanz Caballero Vegetables calabacines, figs, huerto, side dish, summer, vegetable garden, vegetarian

So many zucchinis! When I planted my vegetable garden back in the spring, I didn’t realize I would get such a generous bounty. My friends Cort and Kathleen share the produce from their amazing garden as well, so I’ve ended up with quite a few of them! All the better, since crispy battered zucchini are a hit with my family.

I didn’t realize either, when I dug the holes for the seedlings, how large the zucchini plants would get. Lesson learned for next year: I need more room for the zucchini plants, and more space between them and the next variety of vegetable. But the lesson for this year, which I learned early: wear garden gloves! Those zucchini leaves are very spiky.

Granadas del Taron, pomegranates, Mama ía blog

Pomegranates from El Taroncheral (photo Marlen Caballero)

Figs from El Taroncheral (photo Paula Sanz Caballero)

(more…)

April 13, 2017

Oven Baked Eggplant with Pimentón, one of two sibling sides

Natacha Sanz Caballero Vegetables berenjenas, first course, Mediterranean cuisine, pimentón de la Vera, primer plato, side dish

I have a section in the Mama Ía blog called IDIOSYNCRASIES (click here). It is there that I talk about certain aspects of Spanish life and culture that are different from those of the United States, and that somehow have caught my attention. Some of those aspects merit a whole section or post about them, like the way we celebrate Holy Week (more…)