Ana, my wife, is from Spain. She loves Spanish food, but she doesn't cook. What's more, we live in Central Florida, where good Spanish food isn't exactly easy to find. So I took up cooking the Spanish way, and now I love it too.
For the last fifteen years I've been learning and experimenting with Spanish cooking. Whenever we're in Spain visiting Ana's family, I spend a lot of time in the kitchen with Esperanza, mi suegra (sounds better than mother-in-law, doesn't it?) learning new recipes and techniques. Andrés, Ana's father, who passed away recently, worked for many years as a wholesale food distributor in Galicia . He knew everything about the foods of Galicia, Spanish wines, and also some of the best tapas bars in Madrid. He taught me much of what I will be writing in this blog.
Here's a picture of Andrés and Esperanza (taken around 1960).
Ana and I continue to travel in Spain. We return to our favorite tapas bars and markets, but we always travel to new places, visiting gardens and trying the local foods and wines. I hope to share some of those experiences here.
The rest of the year, here in Florida, I'm continually experimenting with recipes, some authentic, others inspired by Spanish dishes or techniques. I'm always checking out new Spanish cookbooks and blogs and searching out Spanish wines available here. I will be writing about all of this too.
For the last year I've been on a low-cholesterol, mostly vegetarian (and often vegan) diet. In May I returned to Spain, doubting I would be able to stick to it. As it turned out, I ate better than ever and discovered a new (and relatively little-known) side of Spanish food. While I will include occasional meat and egg dishes, this blog will emphasize a healthier, lighter style of Spanish cooking.
Buen provecho!
Bill
