December 15, 2022

Pears poached in red wine, the link to the Spice Islands and Miami 2022

Natacha Sanz Caballero Desserts and Sweets, Events & Travel Christmas dessert, festive dessert, first circumnavigation, First voyage around the world, fruit, I Was the First, Juan Sebastián Elcano, peras al vino, postre, Spanish cuisine, spices, yo fui el primero

If there was a dessert that my mom made very often when I was a young girl, that was peras al vino, pears poached in red wine. And I know what you’re thinking, and yes, drinking age is lower in Spain that it is in the US, but no, these pears have essentially no alcohol because all of it is evaporated in the making.

Phew! Now that we have cleared that up, let’s move forward.

Pears poached in red wine are one of the easiest desserts to make, and now that I mention it, maybe that’s why (more…)

July 15, 2020

Chicken with Cumin and Pimentón Dressing —and planning a vegetable garden (PART 1)

Natacha Sanz Caballero Salads, Meat and Poultry dinner, garden beds, main dish, mediterranean diet, one pan dish, pollo, spices, summer dish, vegetable garden

The recipe I’m sharing today, chicken with cumin and pimentón dressing and tomato arugula salad holds flavors that remind me of summers in Spain —grilled meats, pimentón and fresh vegetables in one single dish. The grilled chicken has the right amount of heat to please every palate at the table, and the tomato arugula salad, with a dressing that incorporates the flavors of the marinade, blend beautifully in this very summery dish.

This is the summer of what could have been and will not be. Of plans that came undone and yet thankfulness for our health. Of “what if‘s” that have affected us all.

As I write this, I should have been in Spain for three weeks now, expecting the rest of my family to arrive today. We would have been heading to the beach on Sunday for a week of family time and fun, relaxation and tapas bars hopping, beach games (more…)

October 10, 2017

Slow Baked Baby Back Ribs and Grilled Corn with Ñora Allioli

Natacha Sanz Caballero Meat and Poultry barbecue, corn, farmland, ñora peppers, oven baked, pork, ribs, slow baked, slow cooked, spices

I like ribs, but never loved them (I can hear you gasping). Of all the different pork cuts, I never found ribs to be tender enough, instead, I always found them kind of chewy, a cut of meat that was too much bone and not enough meat. In Valencia I had them mostly in rice dishes, like in hearty baked rice, arroz al horno. I love hearty baked rice, it’s one of my favorite rice dishes, but I would eat the chorizo, blood sausage, vegetables and rice before I ate the ribs (sometimes I even pushed them aside). So much so that I don’t even add pork ribs to my hearty baked rice recipe (find it here), even though they’re part of it.

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October 27, 2015

Moroccan Couscous of Fall Vegetables

Natacha Sanz Caballero Rice, Grains and Pasta, Vegetables butternut squash, couscous, fall vegetables, moroccan, moroccan couscous, spices, sweet potato, winter vegetables

When I set out to write this blog, my idea was to post the Spanish recipes I grew up with. Most of them are the traditional dishes cooked in the Valencian Community, or in Andalusia, the regions where my parents come from, and the dishes most made at my house. However, as I also mentioned (more…)