The New Spanish Table

Another riff on Mediterranean food but so different. Artichokes with ham, a boiled dinner and suggestions on how to handle the leftovers, and of course tapas. There's a good discussion of course on olive oil, the backbone of Spanish cuisine. The food is Mediterranean with an Arabic twist, but different than any of the other variations found in that part of the world. The book is organized by region, because Spanish regions are very distinct and in some cases, have their own language. The recipes are unique--asparagus with tangerines and pistachios (how different, and how interesting.) There is a good chapter on eggs, because torta, the solid, potato-laden cold omelet is a staple of Spanish tables. Vegetables really shine in this book, though the Spanish love their fish and meat. My first introduction to Spanish food wasn't impressive--it was a slice of cold torta in sleepy Pamplona at the time of day when everything is shut up like a bank vault. I had an irritable hungry man with me who was dying for a midafternoon lunch. We had earlier tried (and failed) to get a snack at the local convenience store-gas station when we filled up over the border because it was an unbelievable five aisles of variously sauced canned sardines. Clearly, we were missing what Spanish food was truly about. This book has me wishing I had more time to spend in Spain (literally, a half a day) and I had no idea Spanish food was so creative. Fast forward ten years, and Ferran Adrià put Spain on the map culinarily. But this book has a good combination of the new and different mixed with the time-tested and classic. It's an absolute steal in the Kindle version.

It is my turn to host "International Night", for which I chose Spain as the theme. I bought the book and have been making many of the recipes as practice and qualifying ...the food from each recipe has been great. It will be hard for me to choose which one I will make on for my Spanish festival!. The book also gives such great information not only about the food but its history, the region from which it hales, the history of that region, and so much more. I am really having fun reading and planning because of this book!

The New Spanish Table is an amazing tool for anyone who loves spanish cooking and the country itself. The book is written to make you feel like the author is right there helping you make the dish. Everything i have tried has been a success. She is also realistic about some ingredients that you can not find in the states, but offers good replacements. Buy this one -its worth it!

The book is a pleasure to read and the recipes all sound authentic and delicious. My only quibble is that one of the reasons I bought this book was to find a recipe for salmorejo (Cordoban gazpacho), which I learned to love on a recent trip to Spain. The recipe calls for soaking the bread in water, draining it and squeezing out the excess liquid. Then it proceeds to describe preparing the tomatoes, peppers, olive oil and garlic portion of the dish (using both a food processor and later a blender). But nowhere in the recipe are there instructions for adding the bread to the tomato mixture. The bread is never mentioned again. Does it go into the food processor with the tomatoes, or into the blender, or get mixed in by hand at the end? I'm looking forward to making use of the book. Other than the salmorejo recipe, everything else I've read has been very clear.

I would give it more stars if I could. I love to cook and like to play with new recipes/cuisines. There are so many excellent recipes in this book from the simple, yet delicious(roasted asparagus with honey vinaigrette) to the show stoppers (hello pistachio crusted rack of lamb wrapped in pancetta...). For the people who left one star reviews because the recipes have unique ingredient pairings or aren’t traditional enough- read the title. It is called the NEW Spanish Table. This cookbook is a wonderful tour of some of the types of new twists on classic Spanish food she finds. The recipes won’t be found in your Spanish grandma’s book so if you’re wanting a traditional book then keep looking, and don’t badmouth this one because you didn’t read the title. I have made at least half of the recipes and while they’re not all winners, those are few and far between. Several have been instant favorites and get gushing reviews by friends and family I cook for and many are one my routine menu. This book is worth the buy.

Although it doesn't share the rich textual formatting of the print version, the Kindle version (on PC, Mac, iOS) appears to be complete, and properly hyperlinked (so that references to "page 385" in the text are clickable, and take you to the correct place in the book). Additionally, the back button takes you back to the original recipe. Also, the full color illustrations and photos appear in the Kindle content as you would hope. In summary, it's a great electronic version of the book.

This is an okay cookbook. Not what I was expecting. I had high hopes for this cookbook but it never really grabbed me.

This cookbook is a must-have. Unlike other Spanish cookbooks (many which are lovely in their own right), this one is less traditional and more modern and eclectic. The recipes are creative and so delicious! I've already made several in a single week, owing in part to how surprisingly easy some were to make. If you've heard about the modern gastronomy movement or chefs like Ferran Adria, you absolutely must buy this book! I was shocked how easy and diverse some of the recipes are; unlike other cookbooks I will never get bored with this one.

This is an outstanding cookbook with recipes that work out every time. Plus it is culturally interesting and provides a nice resource for anyone planning to visit spain, or to host a themed dinner. The only thing that I could fault it for ... which I imagine other reviewers will not ... is that there are not very many photographs and visuals of the dishes. Well, people, if you are reading this, then you likely know how to get on line and search versions of these dishes. I think that this book is very well done, and, as I have said above, every recipe so far has worked.

I like some of the recipes however, as a recipe book presented for my use (using a tablet), it didn't offer a layout or photos of the finished recipe as well as the previous recipe book which we purchased earlier this year 'Istanbul - Recipes from the heart of Turkey'

I have a collection of Spanish cookbooks, about half a dozen in all, and while I like them all for different reasons, they get a bit samey with their emphasis on traditional Spanish home cooking or very common tapas. This book delighted me as soon as I opened it. Most recipes here are from restaurants or tapas bars, from back street tavernas to Michelin-starred palaces. Yes, that means they are more complicated and time-consuming to prepare, but they are both original and truly representative of the best of modern Spanish cookery. I can't wait to get stuck into them. Von Bremzen really knows her stuff and has spent time with famous chefs such as Arzak and Adria, as well as in more modest kitchens with Spanish friends. Her knowledge of both home and restaurant cooking is clearly substantial and she does a great job in highlighting important points in her fairly lengthy introductory notes on recipes and techniques. If you want to make paella properly, the book is probably worth the money for that alone. There aren't many photos of finished dishes, which I suppose may be offputting for some, but doesn't bother me that much. Also, for British readers -- this is a US book so it uses cup measures, sticks of butter etc. There are conversion tables in the back though. She also makes many substitutions of US ingredients for Spanish ones that are hard to find there. However, she always says what she's substituted -- for example fresh cod for bacalao -- so if you do have ready access to the right ingredients you can swop them back for a more authentic flavour. Highly recommended if you want an advanced exploration of Spanish cuisine. If you're after something more basic and traditional, I can't recommend Pepita Aris's "Spanish" or Jenny Chandler's "The Real Taste of Spain" highly enough.

a brilliant and authentic book which I hope the recipients enjoy!

Some great Spanish recipes in here.