Made in Spain

October 6, 2008
Andrés (Tapas
), chef-owner of seven D.C.-area restaurants and host of PBS's Made in Spain
, brings everyday Spanish cooking to the American table. A native of Spain and protégé of elBulli's Ferran Adrià, Andrés offers an insider's perspective of his home country's cuisine and the varied approaches the different regions take to food. Dividing the book by food type and region, Andrés provides a culinary guide to regional specialties: Andalucia and salads, Madrid and soups, and Cataluña and pork, among others. Recipes require no special cooking techniques or equipment and stress the importance of quality ingredients, most of which are easy to find. Mouthwatering highlights include lobster and mushroom paella, Catalan pork with sausage and mushrooms, and chicken with peppers, tomatoes, onions and Spanish ham. One hundred lavish full-color photos make even the simplest of dishes (such as roasted vegetables, Mallorca style, and Manchego with tomato, thyme and walnuts) tantalizing. This collection will appeal both to cooks new to Spanish cooking and those familiar with it, and all will learn something from Andrés, who shows us why Spain is taking its rightful place at the top of the culinary ladder.

October 15, 2008
Andrs is the chef/owner of seven restaurants in and around Washington, DC, including Jaleo and minibar. His first cookbook was "Tapas"; his new one is the accompaniment to his PBS series, "Made in Spain", now in its second season. Here the focus is on Spanish regional cuisine, both classic dishes and Andrs's more contemporary interpretations. Recipes are organized by course or main ingredient, but each chapter opens with a brief description of a different region and its culinary treasures; headnotes provide further context. Some of the dishes are rustic, others more sophisticated; all are shown in striking color photos. Spanish food is hot now, and Andrs is one of its stars; for all subject collections.

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2008
This celebration of contemporary Spanish cooking brims with Andr's enthusiasm and his passion for the food of his native country. Recipes fall into categories by geography and by type of ingredients. Introductions to each section lay out a regions history and its place in Spains culinary landscape. Andr's recipes are generally accessible, but they often call for ingredients not readily found in areas of America without good international markets. Nevertheless, these recipes are models of simplicity. Andr's offers substitutes where possible so that unique ingredients dont always present insurmountable problems for the home cook. Seafood abounds, and even pork-based dishes call for the addition of squid or Norwegian lobsters. Spains wonderful and varied cheeses appear just about everywhere. So refined is the chefs palate that whenever a recipe calls for water, Andr's insists on bottled or filtered water to ensure that flavors stay unsullied.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)