Currently Browsing: Caroline J. Beck 223 articles
Spanish Potato Omelette “Tortilla Española”
This popular Spanish tortilla espanola creates total tourist confusion in bars all over Spain. You think you know what a tortilla is? Well, in Spain, it’s not that flat thing you wrap burritos in! It’s a Spanish Potato Omelette, better known as a Tortilla Española. It’s very simple to make with only three ingredients and […]
Wood-Fire Oven Baked Spanish Rice
Today we’re going to prepare a classic rice dish of Spain but not the one you might be thinking of! Paella may be the most famous dish of Spain but Arroz al Horno which also hails from the Valencian region is equally tasty, loaded with garbanzo beans, fresh ripe tomatoes and black sausage known as […]
Toss the Candy Canes. Try Turronés.
In Spain, the Christmas season lasts from early December until Jan. 6 and features a dizzying array of culinary traditions throughout the extended holiday. Christmas dinners are typically celebrated on the eve with either a traditional bird or a mélange of seafood, depending on regional customs. Twelve grapes are eaten at the stroke of midnight on […]
The Yellow Brick Road to Cuenca
Road trips across the Spanish countryside often bring surprises. Like driving along for hours smack in the middle of acres upon acres of spent sunflowers withering in the fields, as harvesters scooped up the bounty for Spain’s sizable nut and oil production. We were on our way to the UNESCO World Heritage city of Cuenca, but […]
La Trampa del Ratón
Turning a corner and stumbling into a new neighborhood food find makes my day. It’s not hard to do in Alicante where new restaurants and shops pop up seemingly every week. It is one of the charming aspects of experiencing Spanish culture. On almost any day, you can find personal expressions of retail establishments on […]
From Apricots to Almond Extract
My orchard produced an overabundance of apricots this year and I discovered a new byproduct of all those heretofore useless pits: make some kick-ass almond extract. That’s right. Not a typo. Almond extract from apricots. This discovery all came about because I was in a bit of a funk about the short life span of all […]
Crowning Glory of the Roscón
Another holiday cake studded with candied fruit? Seriously? My first reaction to Roscón de Los Reyes, or Three King’s Cake, was about as enthusiastic as the traditional Texas Fruitcake™ my mom would gift to just about everyone we knew – despite the equally traditional jokes about fruitcake. After all, when you are little, you tend to […]
Time for Cava When the Clock Strikes 12
Once again, we are willing to sacrifice in the name of culinary research and substitute the traditional glass of Champagne for a copa de Cava this New Year’s Eve. On Nochevieja or old night, as New Year’s Eve is known in Spain, we will be armed with a glass of the local cava and a handful of […]
Port Wine Is A Great Excuse For A Tasting Party
Quick, how would you describe port wine in three words? Before hosting a port tasting party the other night, I would have said, “sweet, old-fashioned, and British” – and I would have been mostly wrong. The most fun way to learn about port is to drink it, so finish reading this article and gather together […]
From 3-Stars to Tiny Bars, Denia’s Many Menus
Three-hours on a high speed tram ride up the coast from Alicante brought us to the small, harbor town of Denia. With only 45,000 residents, exactly why Denia is overrun with great restaurants and tapas bars is still a mystery to me but one we were willing to try to solve. There are a few […]
