Cookbooks for Spanish cuisine?

February 13, 2008 2:38 PM

Spanish Cookbook: Which should I get?

I just got back from a trip to Spain, and I want a Spanish cookbook to recreate some of the gems I found over there (and perhaps discover some new ones). Highlights I wouldn't mind being able to do at home were:

Barcelona/Girona area: Fried seasoned artichokes, Eel pasta w/ guindilla pepper/olive oil/garlic sauce, tortilla española, ham croquettas, mussels, asparagus in various styles, *the bread*[I realize I might have to just give up on reproducing spanish bread at home], mixed seafood paella,

Seville: "Hot Chocolate" aka hot viscous melted chocolate (is there anything other than chocolate in this?), patatas bravas

Arcos/Ronda: Slow cooked rabbit with some unknown, divine sauce, pine nut cookies, Sultana macaroons, marinated chicken or pork on skewers, I believe something resembling butter-fried rice, serranitos sandwiches, deep-fried battered shrimp with some sort of corn-based, deliciously spiced batter.

Granada: Shrimp pil-pil, arabic chicken puff-pastry things, tocino del cielo

I realize some of these are going to be restaurant-specific, but for the ones that you might recognize as traditional spanish dishes, is there a good recipe book that may have tasty, reproducable recipes including some of these? It need not be comprehensive, and I value a book containing fewer, but better recipes over many, so-so recipes (even if the so-so ones are somehow more "authentic", but I wouldn't mind including a decent number of the above.

From reading reviews at Amazon, it seems like there are a few good options, some of which are comprehensive and huge (1080 Recipes by Simone Ortega), some of which are pretty with not-necessarily clear recipes (The Foods and Wines of Spain, Penelope Casas), some of which are more like highlights (Delicioso, Casas), and some of which seem newer and prettier (The Cuisines of Spain, Barrenechea).

Anyone out there that owns one (or preferably more than one) of these books that can vouch for or against them (or for/against some other books I havent yet considered), or provide some more in depth reviews than can always be found on Amazon?

posted by sdis to food & drink (11 comments total)

I just got 1080 Recipes, and, although I haven't made anything out of it yet, it's incredibly comprehensive (think "Joy of Cooking," but for Spanish food) and so fucking adorable. Just reading through it has already given me tons of ideas.
posted by dersins at 4:08 PM on February 13

I have 1080 Recipes as well, though the cover isn't quite as cute. Maybe that's because I got it in Spain. Anyhoo, all of that stuff is good.
posted by Stewriffic at 4:24 PM on February 13

While you're waiting for the book to arrive, have some Castillian Hot Chocolate.
posted by Framer at 4:30 PM on February 13

I learned to cook Spanish food by using Penelope Casas's The Foods and Wines of Spain. In my experience (lived in Spain, married to a Spaniard, speak fluent Spanish), Spanish cookbooks tend to tell you to cook something until it's done, which may work if you grew up eating that food, but isn't much use for someone new to cooking Spanish food. Penelope's book has all the basic foods - the everyday meals eaten in Spain and even includes food that the average Spaniard never cooks for his- or herself, like Roscónes de Reyes (King's Cake) or pan gallego. While I have 1080 Recipes, my go-to book is Foods and Wines of Spain.
posted by daneflute at 5:28 PM on February 13

I have a number of Spanish cookbooks but the one I most consistently use is Casas' Food and Wines of Spain. The recipes are mostly terrific and coherently written with an eye to ingredients readily available in the US although she also references sources for things less commonly found here. Her Tapas cookbook is also excellent.
posted by leslies at 6:17 PM on February 13

Nthing Casas Food & Wines.
posted by Wilder at 11:22 PM on February 13

I have 1080 and it's a cool book. Obviously lots of recipes, but the instructions are a little brief, much like the equally awesome Silver Spoon (same premise, but Italian). If you're somewhat experienced in the kitchen, I say go for it. It's not chef-level material, but if you're new to cooking I can see how someone could get frustrated with the brevity of the instructions.
posted by Atom12 at 5:10 AM on February 14

I have Culinaria Spain by Martin Trutter and although it doesn't have 1080 recipes it does have a thorough explanation of the regions and types of foods which goes into very much detail. I'd recommend it as it is filled with lots of valuable information.

Assuming you are in the US, I also recommend shopping at La Tienda, where you can get authentic Spanish jamones and chorizos to add to your recipes as well as Valor chocolate a la taza. Valor makes some of the best hot chocolate in Spain.
posted by JJ86 at 6:17 AM on February 14

Simone Ortega's 1080 recipes is the gold standard of modern Spanish home cooking. Everyone I know has it, got it as a present when they moved out or when they got married, or have given it to their friends or family. Or all of the above.

And yes, the Phaidon edition is just lovely, with illustrations by Javier Mariscal, and stays open on a bench (the original was a paperback from Alianza Editorial, and the only way it would stay open would be to tear the spine. The only gripe I have about the English translation is that they haven't put in the recipe for Ajoblanco (my Spanish copy had it, I am sure of that!).
posted by kandinski at 3:14 AM on February 15

Also ).

Damn, I have to learn to preview before posting!
posted by kandinski at 3:16 AM on February 15

Another excellent cookbook if you can find it and if you can read Spanish is Manuel Vázquez Montalbán's, La cocina de los mediterráneos. He is one of Spain's most renowned intellectuals and authors of the 20th century. The cookbook is related to his famous novels about the gastronome detective, Pepe Carvalho.
posted by JJ86 at 5:24 AM on February 15