{"id":43004,"date":"2026-06-19T10:31:32","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T10:31:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/43004\/"},"modified":"2026-06-19T10:31:32","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T10:31:32","slug":"create-a-taste-of-spain-using-ingredients-found-in-the-wilmington-area","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/43004\/","title":{"rendered":"Create a taste of Spain using ingredients found in the Wilmington area"},"content":{"rendered":"

I love traveling, getting to see different landscapes and wildlife,\u00a0learn\u00a0about history, and experience, in some small way, a different place.<\/p>\n

A couple of summers ago, I had a layover in Madrid on my way to Malta and decided to stay for a few days. I had always said I wanted to visit Spain, but I never felt a particular pull toward Madrid, assuming the big city would be a turnoff.<\/p>\n

Instead, it felt vibrant and lively, balancing tradition and modernity in a way that was unexpected.\u00a0Above all, though, the food stood out. I fell in love with the simplicity of the cuisine and the social aspect that came along with it.<\/p>\n

A couple of years later, I visited the Basque Country, a distinct region known for its love of food, as\u00a0evidenced\u00a0by\u00a0it\u00a0having one of the highest concentrations of Michelin stars per capita in the world. I was even more impressed by the food culture there; food is quite literally a celebration.<\/p>\n

More creative cooking using local fare: The Wilmington area’s spring harvest inspires creative cooking<\/a><\/p>\n

\"North<\/p>\n

North Carolina shrimp, toasted breaded, and a side of asparagus make an easy, Spanish-inspired meal.<\/p>\n

I happened to be in town the weekend before San Sebasti\u00e1n’s celebration of its patron saint, and the\u00a0tamborrada\u00a0drum parade is the main event. For\u00a024\u00a0hours, more than a hundred\u00a0tamborradas\u00a0take turns marching through the streets playing drums.<\/p>\n

I followed the sound of drumming to a small square where a local gastronomic society was practicing, and its leaders were hoisting oversized forks and knives, highlighting the importance of food in the region, where you can find celebrations dedicated to everything from a particular bean to a specific pepper or sardines.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve\u00a0probably noticed,\u00a0I’ve\u00a0been thinking about some of the bites\u00a0I’ve\u00a0had and decided to have a Spanish-inspired weekend using local ingredients. Gambas al\u00a0ajillo\u00a0was the first dish to make it onto the menu. North Carolina shrimp and garlic are a perfect match, and the recipe I used, borrowed from a Spanish restaurant, included sherry for a different flavor profile. I paired it with a Spanish loaf from Little Loaf Bakery and locally grown asparagus.<\/p>\n

For dessert, I enjoyed North Carolina pecans, Manchego cheese, and quince paste \u2014 inspired by the walnuts, quince paste, and\u00a0Idiazabal\u00a0cheese combination I had in the Basque Country. For breakfast, I started with a Spanish tortilla made with locally grown potatoes and eggs, alongside a small salad with strawberries and jam\u00f3n.<\/p>\n

More about healthy food: Wilmington area residents should focus enjoyment, not obligation in 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A Spanish tortilla, side salad topped with strawberries, and a little jamon were easy to make at home.<\/p>\n

Another dish that\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0looking forward to is pan con\u00a0tomate, which I love for its simplicity: good bread, tomato, garlic, olive oil, and flaky salt. Pan con\u00a0tomate\u00a0originated in Catalonia and is a classic example of Mediterranean cooking, relying on a handful of\u00a0high-quality\u00a0ingredients rather than elaborate preparation.<\/p>\n

I appreciate the emphasis on\u00a0gathering around\u00a0simple,\u00a0high quality\u00a0ingredients. Many of the dishes I enjoyed focused on local produce and straightforward preparation, a reminder that\u00a0good food\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0have to be elaborate.<\/p>\n

\"Morgan<\/p>\n

Morgan King is the Family & Consumer Sciences Extension Agent for N.C. Cooperative Extension – New Hanover County Center and Arboretum.<\/p>\n

Morgan King is the County Extension Director for N.C. Cooperative Extension in Brunswick County. She can be reached at\u00a0morgan_king@ncsu.edu.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Cook authentic Spanish food with items found in Wilmington, NC<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I love traveling, getting to see different landscapes and wildlife,\u00a0learn\u00a0about history, and experience, in some small way, a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":43005,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[3006,19782,17,19781],"class_list":["post-43004","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-spain","tag-basque-country","tag-creative-cooking","tag-spain","tag-wilmington-area"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43004","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43004"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43004\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43005"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43004"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43004"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43004"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}