La Comida de Mi Madre en España

One of my favorite things about my host mom is that she is an AMAZING cook. Every day after class, I look forward to going home to eat the feast that my host mom has made - usually skipping out on tapas plans that my classmates have made to maintain my appetite for the huge lunch to come. I have heard many of my friends complain about the food that their host families make, but I truly have absolutely no complaints about the food my mamá Lola makes, and I feel so grateful that I am lucky in this way. Some of my favorite meals that she has made are salmon cooked in an orange sauce, lasagna (which is also her granddaughter's favorite food!), cerdo con patatas fritas (oven roasted pork with fried potatoes), and tortilla con patatas - just to name a few! Lola loves to cook and thus puts a lot of effort into everything she makes - and it all tastes so good!

The tomato and meat sauce Lola puts in her lasagna

Interestingly, in Spain, breakfast and dinner are the smallest meals, with lunch literally being a feast after which I am almost always overstuffed. My mom serves me a plate full of everything she has cooked, and I always feel bad if I don't finish everything. I want her to know that I absolutely love her cooking so I try to finish everything on my plate. However, I often finish lunch feeling too full and a bit sick before I trudge over to my bed where I take a siesta and try to sleep off the food coma. My host mom does not usually eat dinner - maybe a little fruit sometimes, so I usually eat a little dinner by myself while she watches TV. Usually, my dinner consists of some combination of toasted bread, fried eggs, ham, cheese, or salad with avocados and tuna. I am still getting used to tuna, but I often just eat it anyway if I'm hungry enough. My favorite dinner, however, is pan con tomato y queso manchego (bread with tomatoes and Manchego cheese). Manchego cheese is my new obsession - I sometimes randomly crave it but it is the best in this combination, and Lola knows how much I love it so she makes it often. 

This morning I had what I usually eat for breakfast - cereal called "Bolitas de Miel," but I put Cola Cao in the milk so it tasted like chocolatey heaven. Cola Cao is probably the most famous chocolate milk in Spain, and for good reason! I also ate my new favorite fruit called "paraguaya" (not sure what the word for it is in English...). It is a round and flat fruit that tastes a bit like a peach but sweeter!

For lunch today, Lola cooked oven roasted pork with fried potatoes (it took her about 1-1.5 hours to cook). While she roasted the pork in the oven, she was also cooking chicken for tomorrow's lunch. During lunch, we always watch Lola's favorite cooking show "Cocina con Bruno" with Chef Bruno Oteiza (who is from País Vasco) who loves to cook exotic foods. This is a lunch time tradition that I always look forward to!

The preparations

Cooking chicken

Lola doing her thing

The pork (cerdo) roasting in the oven

Lunch is ready!!

The food I eat here at home is always very filling and very healthy. Along with potatoes, Lola loves green vegetables. Her favorite food to cook and to eat is potaje - a type of stew made with vegetables, potatoes, lentils, and chickpeas. It is one of my favorites too because it is so healthy but so yummy! She also loves making lasagna for her granddaughter because her grandmother's lasagna is Lola's (her granddaughter is also named Lola) favorite meal.

Although Lola loves to cook and eat green vegetables, she told me that she noticed that the price of vegetables has unfortunately rose in the past few years. She told me that in general, buying food is quite expensive, especially since she does not like going to the supermarket ever but prefers local, specialized markets. Lola only likes to cook with fresh, natural ingredients, so she shops 2-3 times a week, buying fish and meat the same day she wants to cook them. Her staples, however, include milk, fruits, cheese, and serrano ham.

When I asked Lola who taught her how to cook, she nostalgically smiled and told me that her mother taught her everything about cooking. I have heard a lot about Lola's mother from her because she takes care of her mother a lot. Lola's mother, also named Lola, is very old and has Alzheimer's, so whenever Lola talks about her, she gets a bit emotional. I admire Lola so much for her courage and patience with her mother. She is not only an amazing cook, but also a loving and caring mother and daughter.

Although I currently suck at cooking in general, I hope one day I can learn to be as good as Lola. I guess I will have to ask my mom for cooking lessons this summer and learn the way that Lola learned!

Besos,
Niyati