Braised green beans with smoky tomato sauce, Mama Ía blog

Braised Green Beans in Smoky Tomato Sauce —and the town of Sant Mateu

Braised green beans with smoky tomato sauce, Mama Ía blogThe weather has been incredibly cold and snowy this winter across much of the United States (even in Florida!). And it’s not over yet! February just ended, so there could be even some more snow and cold temperatures in store for us. In these weather conditions, there are some foods that I crave: soups, stews, and rich, filling vegetables, like this braised greens beans in smoky tomato sauce that is so idiosyncratically Spanish, it almost transports me there.

Sant Mateu, Mama Ía blog

Borrull Palace, Sant Mateu

Green beans, Mama Ía blog

You can eat it as an accompaniment to any grilled fish, chicken or meat, but you can also have it as a hearty lunch, scooping up the delicious tomato sauce with pieces of crusty bread. Yum!

This cold winter is making me long for summer, and even though it is still a few months away (we just started the season of Lent!), I want to dream of it by writing about the beautiful town of Sant Mateu —San Mateo in Spanish, Saint Matthew in English—to accompany the recipe of braised beans with smoky tomato sauce. (more…)

Ginger caramels, Mama ía blog

Ginger Caramels, and All the End of the Year Celebrations

Ginger caramels, Mama ía blogCome Thanksgiving, and everything is a whirlwind of events, celebrations and parties. The fact that my birthday is in early December adds to it. Not to mention the yearly tradition of attending the Handel’s Messiah concert by the Fort Wayne Philharmonic. Ginger caramels have become a favorite with my sons at this time of year, so I thought it was time to post the recipe here on the blog.

Natacha's BD 2025, Mama ía blog

Making wreaths with Shelby and Ruby Moon Flower Farm

Thanksgiving 2025, Mama ía blog

The young ones at Thanksgiving

One of the utensils you will need for ginger caramels (or for any type of caramel) is a candy thermometer. I suggest you get one if you plan on making caramels, because they’re not expensive, and they take the guesswork out of reaching the right consistency for your caramels —not too soft, not too hard, just right. (more…)

Beef shank with wine and pimentón sauce, Mama Ía

Beef shank with Wine and Pimentón sauce —and Maui and the Hawaiian islands

Beef shank with wine and pimentón sauce, Mama ÍaIf November 2024 started with a trip to London and Edinburgh, November 2025 hasn’t lagged behind in excitement, with a trip to beautiful Maui, in the Hawaii archipelago. A perfect excuse to accompany this post with a celebratory dish, beef shank with wine and pimentón sauce.

Wailea, Mama Ía

Wailea, Mama ÍaBut don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying beef shank with wine and pimentón sauce should only be made for a special occasion. It’s just that it’s one of those dishes that looks beautiful on your plate and at the same time, feels comforting — the kind of dish your children coming home for the holidays are craving and will appreciate. (more…)

Pumpkin coca, coca de calabaza, Mama Ía blog

Coca de calabaza, Pumpkin coca —and fiestas de Moros y Cristianos in Onteniente

Pumpkin coca, coca de calabaza, Mama Ía blogWhile searching on my blog, I realized that I don’t have any post about the most important festival in Onteniente, my hometown, las Fiestas de Moros y Cristianos, the Moors and Christians Festival! Many recipes can be related to this post, so it was hard to choose, but I decided on coca de calabaza, pumpkin coca, a sweet torta popular in my region, la Vall d’Albaida and la Sierra de Mariola.

Moros y Cristianos de Onteniente, Mama Ía blogMoros y Cristianos de Onteniente, Mama Ía blogCoca de calabaza is a pretty simple coca, it includes only a few ingredients. It is eaten by itself, like a morning snack or an afternoon merienda, but I also like to eat it as a light lunch —never mind the sugar in it, the pumpkin (more…)

Alcoy meat cakes, Mama ía blog

Alcoy meat cakes, and the city that gives them their name

Pastel de carne de Alcoy, Mama ía blogIf you’ve been following Mama Ía blog for a while you know (and have heard me say more than once) that the recipes I post are quite simple. Spanish cuisine is not complicated and it doesn’t use a ton of ingredients, relying more on excellent ones cooked without many adornments.

Alcoy, Mama Ía blog

Alcoy at night (photo credit: comunitatvalenciana.com)

AlcoyToday’s recipe, Alcoy meat cakes, while not hard to make, is a bit more elaborate, so I have to warn you. It also requires the dough to sit in the fridge overnight, so it’s a recipe that you need (more…)

Slow roasted pulled pork with sherry barbecue sauce, Mama Ía blog

Slow Roasted Pulled Pork with Sherry Barbecue Sauce, for the Month of Graduations

Slow roasted pulled pork with sherry barbecue sauce, Mama Ía blogThe month of May seems to always be full of events. For Catholics, it is the month of Mary and first communions; in Indiana, it is the month of the Indy 500; for many, it is the month of weddings. And here in the United States, it is also the month of graduations, both college, university and high school. After a number of years celebrating graduations, we are not having any at our house this May.

Chimo St. John's, Mama Ía blog

After attending many graduation parties over the years, I’ve found that one of the most popular dishes to serve at parties —at least in this part of the world— is pulled pork. There are many recipes for pulled pork, and I can tell you right now, (more…)

Bell pepper, tuna and tomato torta, Mama Ía blog

Coca de pimiento, atún y tomate —Bell pepper, tuna and tomato torta— and Holy Week

Bell pepper, tuna and tomato torta, Mama Ía blogOn this Holy Week, a very appropriate dish, coca de pimiento, atún y tomate, bell pepper, tuna and tomato torta, a dish that is so idiosyncratic of my hometown that I am surprised I haven’t posted the recipe before.

Palm Sunday in Valencia, Mama Ía blogBell pepper, tuna and tomato torta, Mama Ía blog

Coca de pimiento, atún y tomate, bell pepper, tuna and tomato torta, is not only made at basically every family house in my home region, Valencia, and my hometown, Onteniente, but can also be (more…)

Orange and almond cake, Mama Ía blog

ORANGE AND ALMOND CAKE FOR MAMA Ía BLOG 10TH BIRTHDAY!

Orange and almond cake, Mama Ía blogOranges and almonds for a celebratory post: Mama Ía is 10 years old!

You may have noticed I haven’t posted in a while, and there’s a good explanation for it. But I didn’t want to wait any longer, because Mama Ía blog is having a big anniversary: 10 years since the first post! I still find it hard to believe. And I wanted to celebrate with orange and almond cake, a recipe that pays homage to some of the products grown in my hometown of Onteniente.

Natacha, Mama Ía blogFort Wayne, Mama Ía blog

The orange and almond cake is absolutely delicious, and like most of my recipes (I won’t get tired of repeating this), easy to make. I love it with my coffee in the morning for breakfast, and it’s perfect for afternoon tea or for a snack between meals. It is gluten-free, another added advantage for the gluten intolerant amongst you.

To accompany this post, (more…)

Standing beef rib roast, Mama Ía blog

Standing Beef Rib Roast with Red Wine Jus, and Edinburgh, a fairytale city

Standing beef rib roast, Mama Ía blogWhat could be more appropriate than a roast recipe to accompany a post about the UK? Rosemary and thyme standing beef rib roast with red wine jus is the recipe and Edinburgh, Scotland, the destination!

In the last post, I covered a lot of what we did in London, but it got a bit long before I could even start to tell you about Edinburgh. And Edinburgh deserved the attention! That’s why I am keeping my word and sharing some photos and stories of this historic, fairytale city, the capital of Scotland. If you have visited it, you know what I’m talking about.

Edinburgh, Mama Ía blogEdinburgh, Mama Ía blogBut first, about this standing beef rib roast. Standing beef rib roast is not an inexpensive dish, I have to warn you. That is why I’m (more…)

Yule log, tronco de Navidad, Mama Ía blog

Yule Log, Tronco de Navidad, for Christmas —and a celebratory London trip

Yule log, tronco de Navidad, Mama Ía blogThanksgiving came late this year, so as I kept basting the turkey every thirty minutes, I was already thinking of recipes for Christmas. With the aroma of the bird roasting in the oven, football on TV as the background sound and the sight of two of my children relaxing on the sofa —a heavenly picture, given that they had not been home since the summer—, my mind kept going back to …yule log!

Portobello Market, Mama ía blog

Strolling through Portobello Market, Notting Hill

For many years, I bought our Christmas yule log at the bakery, and it was good. But last year I decided to tackle it myself. It looked like a huge task, but I faced it in chunks to make it seem easier. I took the cake recipe from one (more…)