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Suggestions on an Epic Tome of Spanish Cooking


DanM

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I am interested in experimenting with Spanish cooking, but have not found a good book on the subject. Does anyone have a suggestion for a nice, thick book on Spanish cooking?

Thanks!

Dan

"Salt is born of the purest of parents: the sun and the sea." --Pythagoras.

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I don't, but I'll offer this anyway...I was sent Menu del Dia by the publisher. Definitely not a tome, but offered a unique perspective for me. Its focus is daily, cafè workingman's fare. I've done a review and a number of recipes HERE.

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I am interested in experimenting with Spanish cooking, but have not found a good book on the subject. Does anyone have a suggestion for a nice, thick book on Spanish cooking?

Thanks!

Dan

Do you consider almost 1000 pages thick enough? How about 1080 Recipes by Simone and Ines Ortega?

When it first appeared it was heralded as "The bible of authentic Spanish cooking..." and referred to as counterpart to US Joy of Cooking and Italian Silver Spoon.

I tried three or four recipes out of 1080, that came out pretty good because with the exception of vegetables I bought everything at a Spanish store near Williamsburg, Va. I moved on to the next book because 300 mile round trip to La Tienda to pick up food imported from Spain annoyed my locavore family.

http://www.amazon.com/1080-Recipes-In%C3%8...a/dp/0714848360

edited to add link to Amazon...so, if you choose to buy it, you do it through eGullet.

Edited by skipper10 (log)
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I am interested in experimenting with Spanish cooking, but have not found a good book on the subject. Does anyone have a suggestion for a nice, thick book on Spanish cooking?

Thanks!

Dan

Do you consider almost 1000 pages thick enough? How about 1080 Recipes by Simone and Ines Ortega?

When it first appeared it was heralded as "The bible of authentic Spanish cooking..." and referred to as counterpart to US Joy of Cooking and Italian Silver Spoon.

I tried three or four recipes out of 1080, that came out pretty good because with the exception of vegetables I bought everything at a Spanish store near Williamsburg, Va. I moved on to the next book because 300 mile round trip to La Tienda to pick up food imported from Spain annoyed my locavore family.

http://www.amazon.com/1080-Recipes-In%C3%8...a/dp/0714848360

edited to add link to Amazon...so, if you choose to buy it, you do it through eGullet.

Looks amazing! Although I will have to break my rule on not buying cookbooks where the title is the number of recipes. Quite often I find that these books are quantity over quality.

Dan

"Salt is born of the purest of parents: the sun and the sea." --Pythagoras.

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You could try the Culinaria series...they have a great one about Spain.

I have a few friends who in "honest speak" collect dust on their Culinaria and Delices de... books. To be honest, none of us really have used the recipes. Of course, I had to have my Culinaria books, I could not live without them, and I am certainly not giving them up. :wacko: (Still being honest...) I tried a few recipes and they were not spectacular, or even as good as similar recipes with less / smaller or/NO pictures from Saveur or Fine Cooking. I do have the Spain book. Which recipes do you recommend?

If anyone does use those fancy European books, please, speak up and be my guide. I am particularly dying to try something that would work from Delices de France /Dine with master chefs? DESSERTS.

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...

Do you consider almost 1000 pages thick enough? How about 1080 Recipes by Simone and Ines Ortega? 

When it first appeared it was heralded as "The bible of authentic Spanish cooking..."  and referred to as counterpart  to US Joy of Cooking and Italian Silver Spoon

...

Looks amazing! Although I will have to break my rule on not buying cookbooks where the title is the number of recipes. Quite often I find that these books are quantity over quality.

Dan

Don't break your rule before reading the eG thread on 1080. :shock:

Instead of repeating my comments, I'll link to them - and thereby the comments of others in the dedicated thread.

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...dpost&p=1596450

Personally, I'd say that the idea of a single large book is less good for your library than a few better smaller ones, of individual virtue, perhaps dealing with, for example, regional differences in Spanish cooking. I have to say that I rather like Moro and Casa Moro, which reflect the Moorish influence in Spanish cooking.

However for anyone valuing quantity over quality, or looking for a doorstop, then 1080 must be exactly what you are looking for...

"If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch ... you must first invent the universe." - Carl Sagan

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...

Do you consider almost 1000 pages thick enough? How about 1080 Recipes by Simone and Ines Ortega? 

When it first appeared it was heralded as "The bible of authentic Spanish cooking..."  and referred to as counterpart  to US Joy of Cooking and Italian Silver Spoon.  

...

Looks amazing! Although I will have to break my rule on not buying cookbooks where the title is the number of recipes. Quite often I find that these books are quantity over quality.

Dan

Don't break your rule before reading the eG thread on 1080. :shock:

Instead of repeating my comments, I'll link to them - and thereby the comments of others in the dedicated thread.

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...dpost&p=1596450

Personally, I'd say that the idea of a single large book is less good for your library than a few better smaller ones, of individual virtue, perhaps dealing with, for example, regional differences in Spanish cooking. I have to say that I rather like Moro and Casa Moro, which reflect the Moorish influence in Spanish cooking.

However for anyone valuing quantity over quality, or looking for a doorstop, then 1080 must be exactly what you are looking for...

Okay. point taken. What do you reccomend?

Dan

"Salt is born of the purest of parents: the sun and the sea." --Pythagoras.

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While it's not the complete compendium of Spanish cooking, Colman Andrew's book, Catalan Cuisine, is a very strong cookbook with exciting recipes, fine writing and entertaining stories.

The book is mostly available on Google Books. I will read through the book tomorrow.

Thanks!

Dan

"Salt is born of the purest of parents: the sun and the sea." --Pythagoras.

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I am interested in experimenting with Spanish cooking, but have not found a good book on the subject. Does anyone have a suggestion for a nice, thick book on Spanish cooking?

Thanks!

Dan

I would recommend Penelope Casas' "The Food and Wines of Spain". I am not sure if this will fit your idea of "thick", but it is considered by many to be the definitive work on Spanish cooking...it is also a bit old, but being that most of the recipes are classic Spanish fare, I don't think they have changed much since 1982 when it was last revised (I think that is right, that is the edition I have). She has since written several others that cover more specific areas of spanish cooking such as tapas etc. but food and wine is a book that offers a great general educational approach to Spanish cooking.

Edited by Shelly Almasri (log)
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I am interested in experimenting with Spanish cooking, but have not found a good book on the subject. Does anyone have a suggestion for a nice, thick book on Spanish cooking?

Thanks!

Dan

I would recommend Penelope Casas' "The Food and Wines of Spain". I am not sure if this will fit your idea of "thick", but it is considered by many to be the definitive work on Spanish cooking...it is also a bit old, but being that most of the recipes are classic Spanish fare, I don't think they have changed much since 1982 when it was last revised (I think that is right, that is the edition I have). She has since written several others that cover more specific areas of spanish cooking such as tapas etc. but food and wine is a book that offers a great general educational approach to Spanish cooking.

I am a fan of Food and Wines of Spain, as well as Delicioso! "The Regional Cooking of Spain".

"If the divine creator has taken pains to give us delicious and exquisite things to eat, the least we can do is prepare them well and serve them with ceremony."

~ Fernand Point

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