1080 Recipes

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Simone Ortega writes in the preface of 1080 Recipes (Phaidon 2007) : I am confident that this book has helped improve the way people in Spain eat: it has made learning to cook easier for those who don't have much time to spend in the kitchen; the recipes are tasty and simple; and my readers have told me that I have included clear and precise explanations that ensure my recipes always work, even in the hands of the most inexperienced of cooks. She and her co-writer, her daughter Ines do not disappoint. This is the Joy of Cooking of Spain, the resource bible that Spanish home cooks turn to day after day for their recipes. It elevates the daily food of life, and reminds us of its richness, variety and splendor, even while sticking to the simple and straightforward. The English translation of the book (first published in Spanish in 1972) is a marvel. It includes, not only the fundamentals of the kitchen -- from how to make puff pastry to how to prepare octopus and when to buy sorrel -- but also details recipes that are the creative standards of the Spanish kitchen. Ferran Adria comments on the richness of the cuisine when encompassed in a single book: This is a timeless book. When you read it, you suddenly realize the glories of the food in front of you, those that, until now, you have not fully appreciated. Ours is a splendid cuisine, born out of the pleasures of eating, and it is also one that is perfect for those who have little time to cook, but who don't want to give up the enjoyment of eating well and thus, of feeding their souls as well as their stomachs. The very number of recipes speaks to the richness of the cuisine. For practically every ingredient, there are multiple recipes and each one is clear and straightforward. There are 17 chapters, very sensibly divided. Each recipe is numbered, so it is easy to find them from the index (important when there are over 1,000). The first chapter on Appetizers starts with a drawing of a dish of olives by illustrator Javier Mariscal. His fanciful, naïve illustrations make the book less formidable, and help explain technique and presentation. They fit the home cooking aspect and the authenticity of the book, but also the simplicity and earthiness of the food. There are color photographs as well, showing the dish of octopus and a tempting Galician Pie (p. 47). Each main ingredient, such as octopus (p. 21), gets a description of how to buy it, and store it. They give three different instruction on how to prepare the octopus: either boiling it, boiling it in a pressure cooker, or the classic way of boiling it three times. The following page has two recipes for cooking octopus, Octopus with Paprika and Octopus in Vinaigrette (p. 24). The Spanish names of recipes are given, but most recipes are named after the main ingredient or are traditional names. 1080 Recipes includes the most famous and familiar Spanish dishes like paella. There are six recipes including Simple Paella (p. 162-3) with monkfish, clams, shrimp, mussels, squid and chorizo and My Paella (p.164) with only squid, mussels, clams and squid. You find out why one has fewer ingredients since there are no recipe headers. There is a wonderful illustration of a garden scene with the ingredients on a table and a pot of paella cooking. In the background are a grape arbor and a bicycle. At the end of the American edition is an extra chapter called Menus from Celebrated Spanish Chefs, which includes recipes of: Jose Andres, Pepe Balaguer, Sam & Sam Clark, Ramon Freixa, Andy Nusser, Jose Manuel Pizarro, Alexandra Raij, Joan, Jordi & Joseph Roca, Carme Ruscalleda, Santi Santamaria. Even without this extra chapter, 1080 Recipes is rich in rustic and more sophisticated food, these chefs' recipes add depth to the book and introduce more difficult and challenging Spanish food. It's like getting a second book of celebrity chef recipes included in the first. It shows how very contemporary Spanish food is closely linked to traditional recipes. 1080 Recipes is one of those essential cookbooks with no-fail recipes - there are so many it would be hard to ever get bored with the book. If you are serious about learning about Spanish cuisine, this is the source. Previous articles: Jose Andres: Tapas Cocina Betty Crocker: Portent? Superheroes de la gastronomia: Spanish is Better [Cookbook Reviews - complete] Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging, 1080 Recipes --> back to Super Chef