In a Spanish mood

I know, I know...people expect to read about Italian food on here, but what can I do? Summertime makes me think of all the summer vacations I spent in Spain and I loved it every time!

Food over there, needless to say, is very similar to our traditions (they don't call Italians and Spanish "the cousins" for nothing): lots of seafood, lots of bite-size apetizers, lots of vegetables and...lots of time spent at the table enjoying good dishes and good drinks.

So here is an example of a classic, super-simple Spanish-inspired dinner at my house:

We start out with some sort of tapas, such as marinated grilled veggies and olive and almonds pate', both spreaded over slices of crusty bread





Could it ever be a Spanish dinner without a made from scratch Paella? Uh-uh, I don't think so. Here we go:





Yeah, I'm full now and already start to think the world is a better place, but still...how about some dessert? Vanilla ice-cream and berries marinated in a watermelon vinaigrette, maybe?




Just imagine all of the above and a glass of chilled homemade Sangria (don't you even touch one of those pre-made mix in a bottle).

Yeah, there are ways to make the sun shine even if it's late at night or it's cloudy out there...

Fingerlicking Good!

Back to the subject of cooking with your children!

It still amazes me how much I accomplished with my son in terms of being receptive with different food, just by letting him be a part of the cooking process. It's that simple: if he makes it, he eats it!

Yes, there is a price to pay in cleaning up afterwards and spending more time than you would like in the kitchen, but it's priceless to hear your child to actually ASK you for the "Super-salad" for dinner (baby spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, olives and tuna or chicken)! And yes, it takes some creativity with names too, which I must say I lack ;-)

Nicholas recently even came to me with his own, handwritten recipe for a fruit salad!
Stay tuned: if I find it I'll scan it and post it and it will be the very first recipe published on Cucinamore! :-)

Belated Bigoi

Bigoi (or Bigoli) in Salsa are a very old, north Italian dish that we traditionally eat for Christmas Eve, when it's supposed to obey the Catholic rule of fasting and abstinence, since there is no meat in it.

I must confess that I always felt a little guilty about this, though, because to me it's always been a treat big time! So much for the act of penance! I used to anticipate Christmas Eve, mostly because my mom cooked Bigoi in Salsa every year.

Oh, how I love this rustic, heavy, quite impossible to digest plate of pasta!
Picture this: lots and lots of onions, slowly cooked in olive oil and a little wine. Anchovies. Lots of those too. Patiently dissolved in the already sinful sauce. Black pepper. No cheese for me, thank you. Can it get less of a punishment for my sins than that?

Anyway, with my parents visiting for the holidays I just realized the other day that I had not had my plate of Bigoi in years, so I placed a request and my mother cooked them for me, only... in January.

Still taste, I am sorry, like Heaven!