January 25, 2024

Lemon marmalade, Spain eating habits and la merienda

Natacha Sanz Caballero Sauces, Desserts and Sweets breakfast, citrus, eating habits, jams, meals, preserves, tea time

Citrus marmalades are my favorite ones and since I already featured the recipe for orange marmalade (one of the blog’s most visited posts!), today is the turn for lemon marmalade.

If you like very sweet marmalades, I have to warn you, this one may not be the one for you. It is citrusy, therefore, more tangy, but obviously, also sweet – otherwise it wouldn’t be a marmalade, right?

And with this recipe, it’s time to address the beloved and most idiosyncratic meal in the Spanish culture: la merienda.

I could translate la merienda to something like the afternoon snack, the (more…)

Cranberry and lime tartelets, Mama ía blog

November 25, 2019

Cranberry and Lime Tartelets, and a One Day Visit with Matthew at Purdue

Natacha Sanz Caballero Desserts and Sweets merienda, otoño, postre, Purdue University, tarta, tarta de lima, tartaletas, tea time, Thanksgiving, West Lafayette

When I saw this recipe I thought I had to make it. The sugared cranberries, the beautiful creamy pink filling, and the crumbling crust, had my name written on them. But I was a bit weary: sometimes beautiful recipes don’t end up tasting as great as they look.

This one, in fact, was no exception, and I had to tweak it to turn it into something quite dazzling, not just in looks but in taste. Cranberry and lime tartelets will be (more…)

February 8, 2018

Banana Nut Bundt, and a Christmas Family Reunion

Natacha Sanz Caballero Breads, Desserts and Sweets banana, bizcocho de plátano, Christmas, family reunion, merienda, plátano, Spanish Christmas, tea time

I know what my children will say when they see this post: banana nut bread (in any of its forms, like the banana nut bundt recipe I’m sharing today) is not Spanish. I’ll have to remind them then that this blog includes the recipes that I make at home, most of which are Spanish, but some of which are not. If I make it often enough and is part of my repertoire, chances are, it’ll make it to Mama Ía blog. I’ve been living in North America for over two decades, after all!

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October 23, 2017

Pear Tart, Fruit Trees, and Bougainvilleas

Natacha Sanz Caballero Desserts and Sweets afternoon snack, bougainvilleas, El Taroncheral, la merienda, pear tree, peras, summer in Spain, tea time

A pear tree grows in the woods next to my house, and I made a pear tart (actually two!) with its fruit. This pear tree is just one of the wonderful discoveries in my garden this summer and fall. Another one, that I’ve mentioned before, was the “resurrection” of the fig tree I planted last year. And it came out in force. It’s now almost taller than me! The weather is still summer-like, we are having a beautiful, beautiful autumn, but I start to worry about how I will protect it for the winter. I think replanting it in a pot and bringing it indoors is out of the question, the tree is too big. What should I do? Do you have any suggestions? If you do, please tell me! I’d love to see the tree alive and well next spring, and I’m afraid much of it will depend on the kind of winter, less or more harsh, that we have. If there’s a special way of wrapping the tree that will protect it better, I’d love to know.

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September 27, 2017

Monjavina, for “La Merienda”

Natacha Sanz Caballero Breads, Desserts and Sweets merienda, monjavina, monxavena, Onteniente, snack, summer in Spain, tea time, Valencian cuisine, vegetarian

Monjavina is a sweet of arab origin, typical of the region of Játiva and of La Vall d’Albaida, where Onteniente, my hometown, is located. You can find it by other names like almoixàvena or monxàvena, but you will very rarely find it in any other regions of Spain other than the ones I just mentioned. My mom, in fact, never made it, as she comes from Seville, and I grew up eating it at the homes of friends. You could say that every household in Onteniente makes it.

The recipe is simple, with few ingredients, and that can mislead as to its result, which is a delicious, light, sugary cake that is best eaten on the day it’s made. My favorite time to have it is mid afternoon, with a glass of horchata (*) if I am in Spain, or an espresso if I am in America. This mid-afternoon snack is usually referred to as la merienda in Spain, a meal that is meant to stave off hunger between lunch and the late Spanish dinner. La merienda is most often also referred to as this meal in the context of children: the meal they eat right after they get home from school.

La Vila, Onteniente

La Vila and Carmelites Convent, Onteniente

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Chococlate almond tart with blackberries, Mama ía

May 25, 2016

Chocolate Almond Tart with Blackberries —and Memories of a Gathering of Women

Natacha Sanz Caballero Desserts and Sweets almond tart, berries, blackberries, chocolate tart, coffee time, tea time

It is said that the sense of smell is the most evocative of all senses, and this chocolate almond tart with blackberries made me think of it, not only because of the current aroma in my kitchen (I wish food blogs could be not only visual but carry the fragance of the dishes to their readers!), but because of what it (more…)