I really can't say enough good things about my host mom, Juana. She is kind yet strong, humble yet spirited, stern yet silly. I have been lucky to live with such a wonderful woman. Juana is a madre of many talents, and, in addition to all her incredible character traits, she is the best cook on EARTH! On our only weekend that we actually stayed in Madrid, Rebecca and I decided to attempt to learn from the master. We set aside and entire morning for "cooking with Juana". I felt like a guest of a culinary sensation on a segment from the spanish cooking channel. She doesn't use any measurements, and relies on years of practice, an impeccable sense of taste, and a sixth sense for just the right ingredients. As a remedial cook at best, I could definitely learn a thing or two from Juana!
First Juana taught us to make Tortilla Española, which is nothing like a tortilla and more like a potato keish. Here is la receta that we came up with by watching and listening to her because she doesn't have anything written down (please excuse the spanglish):
Ingredientes: huevos, patatas, cebolla, aceite, sal
-pone el aceite el un sarten (about half full)
-wait until the oil is hot, then add patatas (cut in small chips) y cebolla (diced)
-pone la sal arriba
-cover with slotted top and let fry for a few minutes
-mix occasionally to spread sabor
-la mesclas esta lista cuando las patatas tienen un poco de color
-cuando esta lista drain the oil
-coge un otro sarten y pone las patatas until they break easily (leave a little oil to cook the eggs in)
-beat the eggs in a separate bowl (at this point Juana took the spoon from my hand and showed me the difference between "beating" and "mixing", never have eggs been beaten with such force!)
-pone los huevos in the second sarten with the potatoes
-let fry for a few minutes on a not too hot flame
-to flip get a plato that is un poco mas grande del sarten
-flip the tortilla onto the plate and slide back into the pan to fry the other side
-fin!
Juana also taught us how to make the most delectable dessert, Torrijas. These are normally only served during la semana santa (holy week), but Juana loved us a lot and made them about twice a month :) They are basically fried french toast (sensing a theme of frying all foods yet?) covered in cinnamon and sugar
and are absolutely delicious!
Just to top off my admiration for this lovely lady, she decided to come to church with us. Our whole study abroad group was doing a little farewell musical number for the ward, and Rebecca and I decided to invite Juana. She is very Catholic, so we weren't banking on her coming. But we tried anyways. And she came! She made sure she had the right bus times and routes to get to sacrament meeting on time and was so nervous that she repeatedly asked me if there were any special customs or rules. She showed up during sunday school and was that an entrance if I have ever seen one. She glided in with her brand new yellow and black jacket, plaid skirt, tights, and black lace-up heels-definitely the classiest woman in the room. She sat patiently through the meetings, and I tried to explain what was going on as best I could. She just kept saying how different it was from her church (she is devoutly Catholic) and she thought that we spiked the sacrament :) During the musical number-we sang "God be with You 'Til We Meet Again" in spanish- I looked down at Juana, and, upon seeing the tears in her eyes, couldn't help but tear up a little myself. At the end of the meeting she made the rounds and introduced her way around the chapel. She even found an old man that she recognized from the grocery store and chatted with him for quite a while; I am hoping for a little love connection. Rebecca and I performed a little private concert in another room of a piece that we had prepared just for her, and, as she exited the building with one of us on each arm, I think she truly felt like a queen. Mission accomplished! We ended the whole experience in "Juana fashion" with her running, in her heels, after the number 6 bus to make it wait for us. Perfect end to a perfect day with a perfect madre Española.
We Love Juana!
Te Amo,
Brooke
