My grandmother Nieves was a strong woman. She had the courage to leave Spain for a better life in Cuba. She had even more courage to be the one to stay behind with us in Cuba when my parents had to escape to avoid Castro’s retribution. With my sister and me in tow, she traveled with us throughout Central America until we legally entered the U.S. Since my mom was a working mom, she was the one who took care of us when we weren’t in school and whatever my grandmother said, we did. She sounds tough, but she was also had great stories to tell and was an amazing cook. She was also a voracious reader which I guess is where I got to be such a big reader. I’m actually named after my grandmother since my real first name is Caridad de las Nieves. I had to change it when I became a citizen. I have to mention that my grandmother could not have done all those things without my grandfather who was truly a saint and a very loving and caring man.
Caldo Gallego aka Galician White Bean Soup #TuesdayTip
There is nothing more satisfying on a cold winter day than a nice bowl of hearty soup. One of my favorite soups is Caldo Gallego which is a dish from my grandparents’ native Galicia in Spain. Caldo Gallego is a mix of chorizo, ham, beans and greens in a tasty broth. Paired with a nice crusty loaf of bread and some wine and it’s a perfect winter meal. I hope you’ll try out my version which has some additions to the traditional recipe, mostly because I just love carrots! Also, I find turnips too strong in flavor and because of this and to cut carbs, I omit them. They are in the traditional recipe.
Ingredients
- 32 oz Chicken Bone Broth
1 Ham Hock
1 lb. Ham steak cut into large chunks
2 chorizo sausages cut into slices
2 large carrots in large chunks
1 large onion chopped
3 medium potatoes in large chunks
1 lb bag white navy beans (or 2 16 oz cans cannellini beans rinsed)
4 cups chopped turnip greens/collard greens/Kale
2 bay leaves
Directions
- Saute the onion in olive oil until soft.
Add sliced chorizo and chopped ham and cook for another 5 minutes or so.
Add ham hock, bone broth and bay leaves.
Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a low boil. Cooking at too high a boil will make the broth even cloudier. FYI you can start this with just water or chicken/vegetable broth. I’ve started using bone broth as it contains more protein.
Simmer for 45 minutes. If you’re using hard unsoaked navy beans, add them now and cook for another 45 minutes before adding the carrots. If you’re using soaked beans, add them when you add the carrots. Cook for 15 minutes and check the beans. If they are almost soft, add the potatoes. If not, cook for another 15 minutes or so, checking the beans to see if they are soft. Once soft, add the potatoes.
Remove the ham hock and take the meat off the bone. Add the meat back to the pot. Once the potatoes are almost fork tender, add the canned beans and also the chopped greens. Cook until greens are just soft.
Serve with warm bread, butter and wine!
Hope you enjoyed today’s Tuesday Tip!
#WriteWed The Ironbound Section & At the Shore
One of the things that I wanted to show with the At the Shore contemporary romance series is the diversity of New Jersey, both ethnically and economically. While Maggie and Owen from ONE SUMMER NIGHT are both well-off, Connie and Emma, the heroines of #2 and #3 in the series respectively, have both had to work hard to achieve what they have.
As for ethnically, Connie represents the large Cuban population of Union City. Emma is a suburban girl from Edison. The hero in #3 is Carlo Texeira from the Ironbound section of Newark.
I’m getting ready to write a scene in #2 where you find out a little bit more about Carlo and his family, who play a substantial role in #3. In that scene, you get to see a big Portuguese-style family dinner at their Ironbound home.
The Ironbound is a unique section of the city of Newark. It’s located not all that far from Newark Penn Station and between the airport and the Passaic River. It is a largely Portuguese neighborhood with the first immigrants from Portugal arriving in the early 1900s along with Spaniards from Galicia (my family’s part of Spain). In fact, many Portuguese food dishes are very similar to those from Galicia.
The main avenue in the Ironbound is Ferry Street which abounds with a number of mom and pop Portuguese shops along with a number of other Latin restaurants. In #3, the hero’s family has owned a successful bakery there since the 1930s. Carlo’s older brothers now run the business and Carlo has struck out on his own to make a life down the shore. He’s Emma’s Go-to-Guy in more than one way, although she refuses to admit that.
Ferry Street, as you might guess, was named after a ferry that ran between Newark and other locations to the east. Check out the video below that shows you Ferry Street. If part of it looks familiar, it’s because it made an appearance in the beginning of the 2005 remake of War of the Worlds (2:30 to 2:45 in the video). If you can’t see the video below, use this link: https://youtu.be/PGP_94G3Vms
#ThrowbackThursday My Galician Mom
I’ve mentioned in the past that although my parents and my generation were born in Cuba, all my grandparents were from the North of Spain in the province of Galicia. Galicia is one of the Celtic nations and it has its own traditions and costumes, much like the other provinces of Spain have their unique identities.
This is a photo of my mom taken during a very early visit back to Spain. She is dressed in the traditional costume of Galicia and in fact, I have a doll that was given to me by my grandparents that has this same outfit. The doll was made just for me, so it had my lighter hair color and green eyes. I will have to take a picture of it for you some day!
#ThrowbackThursday My Celtic Grandparents
It seems like an apropos throwback to share a photo of my Celtic grandparents! Although my parents and my sibs and I were born in Cuba, all my grandparents were from Galicia in Spain. Galicia is one of the Celtic nations.
My dad’s side was Roman, though. His family was from Puentedeume, a coastal village originally settled by the Romans. That side of the family can apparently trace its ancestors to those Roman conquerors.
My mom’s side of the family is Celtic, however, and from a small town near Orense in Spain. I have lots of green-eyed and red-haired cousins on that side of the family. I guess that’s where my mom and I got our green eyes!
This is a picture of my mom and my grandparents. The picture was taken in Cuba either right before or after a trip back to Galicia to visit family.
#ThrowbackThursday My Mom – Best friend and Mentor
My mom was my best friend and mentor and I know my daughter feels the same way about me. My daughter is my best friend and I am blessed to have her in my life.
This is another picture of my mom as a toddler. She’s wearing the traditional Galician dress and I’ve even got a little doll at home with this outfit. I’ll have to snap a picture of that for you to see it. The dolls were sent from our family in Spain for my sister and me. My doll has green eyes like me and my sister’s doll has blue eyes, like her.
Anyway, my mom. She was so cute as a kid and my sister looked just like her then and now as an adult.
#ThrowbackThursday My Mom & Old Time Grace
Whenever I see this picture, I think of how more formal people used to be and how the photos they took were filled with what I call “old time grace.” Of course, you didn’t just snap off a selfie back then. I’m sure having a photograph taken was expensive and quite an event, so you wanted to look your best.
This is a photo taken of my mom in Spain, I think. My grandparents had gone back to visit family before they returned to Cuba. My grandparents had plans to return to Spain to live, but the Spanish Civil War broke out and my grandparents just never got back there.
Many many years later, we would all have to flee Cuba and come to the U.S. and my grandfather would never see his native land again. My family finally visited Spain in 1973 to see where my grandparents had come from in Galicia and to find the family that had gotten lost over the years.
Anyway, my beautiful and adorable mother! Isn’t she lovely?
