• Eat Your Books

  See Lisa is Cooking's review and her take on Tangerine marinated olives, Sevillian marinated carrots, and Smoky fried almonds and Veal-stuffed piquillo peppers and Black olive, anchovy and caper spread from this book.

• okcook on August 15, 2015

  I have just begun to use this book and the spine has cracked! I have not been rough with it. Normal usage really. My pages are now falling out. Too bad because I love the contents.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Tangerine-marinated olives (Aceitunas aliñadas con mandarina)

  • milgwimper on March 24, 2015

    This was very good and easy. It does taste so much better the next day. Too bad I don't have spanish olives here, but they worked fine with stone in black olives. Next time I used the spanish olives, and they were tasty too.

• Sevillian marinated carrots (Zanahorias aliñadas)

  • milgwimper on August 06, 2015

    These were fabulous! The flavors are strong but so incredibly tasty, and easy to make. I would make them again.

  • Allegra on April 24, 2013

    What a wonderful and easy tapa to make ahead for a party! These tender-crisp carrot coins are bursting with punchy flavours from the lemon and garlic rounded out with some warming cumin. They keep for up to a week in the fridge. My spouse detests carrots, and he actually asked for more, so this is a definite keeper.

• Black olive, anchovy, and caper spread (Garum)

  • milgwimper on August 12, 2014

    This was delicious but a little salty. It might have been my olives and capers that were salty. I had salted capers and I did not get to soak them four 1/2 hr nor the olives in water. So for me this dish was a bit salty. The spread was well received and the flavor was delicious on toast. Now I have a lot left over, and cannot wait to add it to other meals. It took awhile to stone the olives, but easy enough to make after all that.

• Catalan guacamole (Guacamole a la Catalana)

  • veronicafrance on December 01, 2019

    Used up two very soft avocados. We enjoyed this on toast, makes a change from regular guacamole. You can't tell it has anchovy in it. I skipped the parsley (don't like it) -- you could add basil or coriander leaves instead. OH complained about some lumps of garlic, so make sure you squish it properly. Note: this is a fabulous book. I haven't made anything I didn't like from it, and if I could only keep one of my many Spanish cookbooks, it would be this one.

  • L.Nightshade on August 03, 2015

    If your mouth is ready for Mexican guacamole, with chiles and cilantro, it’s going to be surprised by this one. It involves mashing up anchovies, garlic, parsley, and salt, adding the mix to smooshed avocado along with the grated pulp of a tomato, olive oil, sherry vinegar, and lemon juice. I used this in a sort of taco repurposing of the skirt steak from last night, along with the caper-almond relish from that dish. But I also tasted the guac on its own. It was a little too acidic for me; I don’t even like lemon or lime in regular guacamole, and this has lemon and vinegar. The acid seems to cut the richness of the avocado. Mr. NS, however, thought it was perfect. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/1020808?commentId=9668786#9668786

• Grilled shrimp with pepper confetti (Brochetas de gamba con vinagreta)

  • Breadcrumbs on August 01, 2015

    p. 39 - The author describes this as a festive and delicious Basque tapas dish and we’d agree. Small plates meals and summertime go hand in hand in my book and this dish held immediate appeal with its bell pepper vinaigrette. Its simplicity made it ideal for a weeknight dinner. The salad can even be made in advance so all you need to do before grilling is thread the shrimp on skewers and baste them with a little oil and salt. This really was a perfect little dish. The vinaigrette brought out the sweetness of the shrimp. The smokiness of the grill was heightened by the little bites of bacon and the veggies brought freshness, a little crunch and colour to the dish. We especially loved the vinaigrette and Ms vB notes its also great with chunks of canned tuna, white anchovies (I know I’d love this combo!), seared scallops and mussels. Photo here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/1020808?commentId=9666147#9666147

• Scallops with pistachio vinaigrette (Brochetas de vieiras con vinagreta de pistachios)

  • L.Nightshade on August 04, 2015

    This dish is in the tapas section, but we had it as a main course. The vinaigrette is made by reducing white wine, then adding white wine vinegar, crushed garlic, minced shallot, lemon juice, olive oil, a pinch of sugar, salt, and pepper. The scallops are cooked on the grill on skewers. Although our fire was roaring hot, the scallops cooked through, but had no color, so I threw them in a very hot pan for a minute, just to get a little sear on them. The dressing, chives, and chopped pistachios are dabbed/drizzled over the scallops. In spite of a few little glitches here and there for me, this was a reasonably attractive and very tasty dish. If I made it again, I’d just do the scallops in a pan to begin with, and do away with the grilling. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/1020811?commentId=9670873#9670873

• Eggplant stacks with tomato jam (Berenjenas con mermelada de tomates)

  • PennyG on July 04, 2017

    I made this as an appetizer for my Supper Club and it was very well received. Looking for an opportunity to make again!

• Basic one cup allioli

  • stockholm28 on August 15, 2015

    This was much better the day after I made it (the garlic was a bit sharp on the first day). I made this to serve with patatas bravas. The store cupboard ingredients are garlic, egg yolks, lemon juice, olive oil, peanut oil, and salt.

• Mock allioli

  • Breadcrumbs on September 01, 2015

    p. 45 - A terrific quick work-around if you’re looking for an allioli in a pinch. I eyeballed this as I only needed ¼ cup of sauce. Whisking allows you to achieve an airy, smooth and creamy texture. We enjoyed this and I’d make it again. Lots of variations provided in the book. Photo here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/1020808?commentId=9706410#9706410

• Sizzling garlic shrimp (Gambas al ajillo)

  • Rinshin on January 01, 2023

    Instead of shrimp, used leftover sashimi slices from our New Years Eve dinner of salmon, maguro ie blue fin tuna, sea bream, scallop slices, and few dungeness merus meat along with button mushrooms and broccoli top. Added chicken stock seasoning. Perfect lunch with baguette slices for dipping into flavorful olive oil. Simple and delicious with chilled dry white wine.

  • bwehner on October 13, 2012

    So simple & delicious. Must use fresh ingredients for this to shine.

• Mussels with chorizo (Mejillones con chorizo)

  • veronicafrance on December 01, 2016

    I made this as a sauce for pasta, and it was very good. It's a waste of saffron though; it's completely undetectable because of the spicy chorizo, and I'd leave it out next time. I didn't use shrimp stock because I was making this to use left-over mussels. So I used the mussel cooking liquor instead. Don't obey the instruction to salt before adding mussels; they are naturally salty!

• Fruity red sangria

  • Breadcrumbs on August 01, 2015

    p. 54 - Tapas were on the menu so it only seemed fitting to serve sangria alongside for our Spanish COTM’s-Eve dinner celebration. A delicious sangria this was however do heed Ms. Von Bremzen’s warning to “watch out – this is potent stuff!!” mr bc was happy to be back in the COTM kitchen to resume his bartending duties and he even remembered to snap a photo of his creation for me!! Ms vB suggests you can add more simple syrup if need be but ours was sweet enough. In fact, I might cut down on the syrup next time. We enjoyed this very much. The best part about sangria is the fruit IMHO and it was terrific to be able to serve this at a time of year when local fruit is available and at its prime. Photo here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/1020808?commentId=9666141#9666141

• Rose-raspberry sangria

  • Breadcrumbs on August 16, 2015

    p. 54 - Another lovely, refreshing Sangria from this book and this version with its juicy raspberries is decidedly summery too. Raspberries are placed in a blender and pureed then strained into a pitcher to remove the seeds. Wine, triple sec, OJ, pomegranate juice, lemon juice, simple syrup and diced fruit (the recipe calls for diced skin-on lemons and strawberries but we didn’t have strawberries so the lemons were on their own here). Ice cubes are added prior to serving. The author notes you may need to adjust the syrup/lemon juice before serving based on your taste preferences however for us, the sangria was perfect as is. If you’re a fan of sangria, you must try this version as it really is special. Photo here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/1020808?commentId=9687181#9687181

• Salmon with salmon roe and vanilla oil (Salmón a baja temperatura con huevos de salmón y aceite de vainilla)

  • L.Nightshade on August 23, 2015

    Mr. NS picked up some fresh Coho, and this tapa recipe appealed, but we had it as a main course. The recipe calls for cooking the salmon wrapped in plastic in a 180º oven. Ours was done on a slate tile, under a bit of foil, on the grill turned to low heat. The grill temp read 200º, which is as low as the thermometer goes. I think this dish is really meant to be a tapa, and it was my error making it a main course. Every bite I took, I wished the salmon was hot off the grill. The mother and child reunion of the salmon and the eggs was, of course lovely. I’m not sure about the vanilla oil. Aromatic and interesting, and I know vanilla is supposed to bring out other flavors, but I just wasn’t sure how much it added to salmon. That said, I think this might be a wonderful treatment for thinly sliced cured salmon. http://beta.chowhound.com/post/august-2015-cotm-spanish-table-kitchen-spain-tapas-soups-1020808?commentId=9696456#9696456

• Crisp potatoes with spicy tomato sauce (Patatas bravas)

  • Breadcrumbs on September 01, 2015

    p. 69 - Fabulous! Loved the results achieved by boiling then roasting the waxy potatoes. Super-crispy on the outside, tender and fluffy on the inside. Gorgeous caramelization makes these a visual treat as well. My favourite version of this recipe thus far. Photo here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/1020808?commentId=9706410#9706410

  • stockholm28 on August 15, 2015

    a.k.a. Patatas Bravas. The technique of boiling the potatoes and then cutting into quarters, tossing with olive oil and salt, and roasting in a 475 degree oven makes a very crispy potato. The potatoes are addictive. I made the Basic One Cup Allioli which was much better the day after I made it (the garlic was a bit sharp on the first day). If you plan to make this, you could make the allioli and tomato sauce the day before. I enjoyed the leftovers for breakfast this morning. I've got both allioli and tomato sauce left so you could increase the number of potatos you use.

  • alex9179 on May 26, 2016

    My go-to method for any roasted potatoes. Reduce tomato sauce recipe by half or plan to freeze.

• Tomato and bread soup with fresh figs (Sopa de tomate con higos)

  • L.Nightshade on August 02, 2015

    I wish I could give a hearty thumbs up to this recipe, but something just didn’t work for me. I am one who loves the mix of sweet and savory, but in this dish it just clashed. I think it could be improved by using red pepper instead of green pepper, and puréeing the soup, with the bread, before adding the figs. Maybe even a dash of baking soda would help. But I'm not going to go to the trouble of making it again to refine it. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/1020808?commentId=9667597#9667597

• Garbanzo cream with ham cracklings (Crema de garbanzos con jamón crujiente)

  • TonyInSeattle on August 06, 2019

    Made this for Thanksgiving one year and it was a big hit!

• Potato soup with fried almonds (Sopa de patatas y almendras)

  • stockholm28 on April 16, 2015

    This was noted as one of the Food52 genius recipes which made me take a look. Potatoes, garlic, almonds ... Delicious and easy.

  • chawkins on January 09, 2018

    Delicious soup. I used prosciutto for the ham and lemon juice for the vinegar. Tried to cut the potatoes using the suggested technique, but was not too successful and found it to be kind of dangerous, so just chunked it up in irregular shapes

  • mcvl on October 19, 2013

    Wow. I had an old American Serrano ham bone and made a broth from that plus some chicken and lamb bones. Un-be-leiv-ably delicious. Unfortunately, I don't know when I'll buy another whole ham, it's really hard for just two people to use it up. But really, a five-star meal, shared with intimate friends, the kind who understand that potato soup can be infinitely more interesting than caviar and champagne.

• Basque leek, potato, and cod chowder (Porrusalda)

  • veronicafrance on November 01, 2015

    I omitted the smoked fish, as I'm in Spain and I have salt cod :) I didn't have any suitable fish or vegetable stock though, so I just used wine and water; it was tasty enough, but stock would certainly have improved it. Obviously, if using salt cod don't add salt till the soup is cooked, as you likely won't need any extra unless you soaked your cod for far too long. It made a change from our usual ways with bacalao.

  • chawkins on January 27, 2020

    This was quite good, don’t skip the smoked salmon if you used fresh cod. I used shrimp stock instead of fish stock and butternut squash instead of pumpkin. The whole thing came together in about an hour.

  • dinnermints on December 31, 2022

    Delicious! I added a tsp of salt to the vegetables and that was definitely too much, maybe next time wait and salt at the end since the cod adds a lot of salt flavor and so does the smoked fish. I used store-bought fish stock, which was also a bit salty. It does come together quickly. I added some lemon juice to my bowl thinking to cut the saltiness a bit, but lemon did not taste like the right flavor to add to the soup. I would definitely make this again.

• Strawberry and fennel gazpacho (Gazpacho de fresas e hinojo)

  • LKrishnan81 on August 01, 2020

    I had hoped this would be a lovely as other gazpachos in the book, but found that the garlic overpowered both the fennel and strawberry, Would advise omitting it or adding in a tiny quantity.

  • L.Nightshade on August 07, 2015

    I did all the puréeing in the FP, as we don't have the blender called for to finish the purée. When I seeded the tomatoes, I placed them in a sieve over a bowl, so I just added the juice that had accumulated instead of the water called for. This soup was far more successful than the tomato soup with figs I had made from this book. I think because the strawberries were blended in with the tomatoes, the flavors came together smoothly. The flavor of the fennel was very much in the background to the tomato and strawberry flavor. The amount of fennel is very small in relation to those ingredients. I think I’d up the amount if I made it again. Also, I don’t know what green peppers are like in Spain, but I’m not a big fan of those we get here. They’re just too sharp, and a little acrid. The sub of the red bell pepper worked very well. http://beta.chowhound.com/post/august-2015-cotm-spanish-table-kitchen-spain-tapas-soups-1020808?commentId=9675661#9675661

• Andalusian potato salad (Papas aliñas)

  • TrishaCP on August 02, 2016

    This was very tasty, though my version was very wet. I used the full amount of vinegar because I didn't have enough time to marinate it per the recipe, but if you are planning to hold it any length of time I would definitely reduce it like the other reviewers because it was too acidic as leftovers the following day.

  • Breadcrumbs on August 01, 2015

    p. 115 - This is a great recipe that I’ll definitely make again. AvB has you boil the potatoes whole. This is something I never do. As a result they took longer to cook through and were softer on the outside and perfect towards the centre. I’ll cut them up first next time. The recipe calls for 6-7 tbsp of sherry vinegar to a total of ½ cup of evoo. I felt that would be too acidic for our tastes (I don’t have a well-aged sherry vinegar) so I used about 2.5 tbsp all told. We absolutely loved this. I’ve never had tomatoes in potato salad and we really enjoyed the flavour it brought, especially at this time of year when you have access to just-from-the-vine tomatoes that taste like what tomatoes are supposed to! I can imagine this salad being fabulous with some tuna and egg tossed in as well. I’d highly recommend this, with slight modifications as mentioned above. Photo here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/1020808?commentId=9666723#9666723

  • stockholm28 on August 24, 2015

    I really enjoyed this potato salad and it would be a nice variation at a picnic. It has a much lighter and fresher flavor than German potato salad. I used a red Marconi pepper which was noted as being a type of "Italian frying pepper". On Breadcrumb's advice, I cut back on the sherry vinegar and was glad I did.

• Warm salad of cod and oranges (Ensalada tibia de bacalao con naranjas)

  • veronicafrance on May 31, 2016

    This is a classic Spanish flavour combination: salt cod and oranges. It looks very pretty and colourful. We had salt cod so changed the method slightly: soaked the cod for 2 days, and then boiled it for 5 minutes before very briefly frying in olive oil. Whether the boiling is needed depends on how salty the bacalao is -- taste it after soaking and act accordingly. Also, if using salt cod, you must use the very best quality for this dish since it is barely cooked.

• Curly greens with tuna and anchovies (Xató)

  • mcvl on June 21, 2020

    Oh ... my ... gosh. This is beyond delicious. I had to omit the bread from the sauce, because no carbs for me, but otherwise, just a perfect recipe, a perfect dish. I used Belgian endives instead of curly, but I'm quite sure anything in the chicory family will do.

• Andalusian rice, shrimp, and fava bean salad (Ensalada de arroz con gambas y habas)

  • Breadcrumbs on August 26, 2015

    p. 122 - Back to Andalusia for another delicious dish last night. Since this recipe calls for your boiled (steamed in my case) rice to be used warm, I decided to heat the entire dish knowing the leftovers could be eaten cold the following day. I also added some shell peas to up the green veggie content. We really enjoyed this dish. The lemon and capers gave this a brightness that enhanced the flavours of the fresh veggies and the sweetness of the shrimp. The Sherry vinegar hit the right notes and served as a welcome reminder that this indeed is a Spanish dish. Great for summer since none of the elements in this dish are heavy and there’s a good ratio of veggies to rice. I’d definitely add peas again as their sweetness paired nicely with the sweet shrimp. Photo here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/1020808?commentId=9698665#9698665

• Frisee with pears and honeyed lardons (Ensalada de escarola con jamón y peras)

  • apattin on January 24, 2017

    Too much honey for the lardons, but other than that, it was a winner.

• Green salad with apricots and hazelnuts (Ensalada con frutas secas)

  • L.Nightshade on August 20, 2015

    I used half the red wine vinegar, and half sherry vinegar. I should have used all sherry. I’m not even sure I hesitated on that. I did follow the technique described of tossing the salad first in oil then adding the vinegar-orange juice-honey mixture. I love this technique, and I’m thinking I’ll do all my salads this way. It just seemed easier to get the right balance. It might work well to do the opposite also, toss the salad in the vinegar mixture, then drizzle on oil as desired. Will experiment. I think this would be good with some crumbly blue cheese or feta also. Not much to see in the photo, you can’t even tell that the salad was dressed. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/1020808?commentId=9693273#9693273

  • veronicafrance on September 03, 2015

    Excellent, simple salad. It really makes a difference toasting the hazelnuts. Note, in Spain it is normal to dress the salad with oil and vinegar separately, rather than making vinaigrette. It's usually done at the table.

• Mesclun with figs, Cabrales, and pomegranate (Ensalada con higos, Cabrales y granada)

  • L.Nightshade on August 07, 2015

    Since part of the pomegranate is grated to make juice, I looked around for something pink, a little tart, a little sweet, and came up with Campari. Bitter is close to tart, right? Anyway, honey, lemon juice red vinegar, and minced shallots were added to the Campari, then olive oil was slowly whisked in. Cut figs went under the broiler briefly, just to warm and caramelize a bit. Mesclun, figs, toasted pine nuts were lightly dressed, and blue cheese was crumbled on the finished salad. This is an easy, flavorful, and casually elegant salad. And I’m going to hang on to the Campari salad dressing idea; it worked beautifully. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/1020808?commentId=9675661#9675661

• Gazpacho salad (Cojondongo)

  • veronicafrance on May 08, 2021

    More substantial than it sounds. But leftovers can be liquidised to make gazpacho!

• Tortilla with potatoes, artichokes, and peppers (Tortilla de patatas, alcachofas y pimientos de piquillo)

  • chawkins on July 13, 2014

    Very tasty but not too pretty due to my own ineptness with the tortilla technique. Need to make this more often to perfect the technique.

  • lkgrover on August 31, 2017

    I enjoyed this. The (jarred) artichoke hearts and piquillo peppers add flavor, and potatoes make it filling.

• Shrimp and asparagus revuelto (Revuelto de gambas y espárragos)

  • mcvl on March 14, 2020

    Scrumptious . A rich, decadent mouthfeel and hauntingly subtle taste. Also very easy, especially if you can buy shrimps that have been completely shelled, which I cannot -- here in California they always leave the tails on. Why?

• Galician tuna empanada with melting onions (Empanada Gallega de atún)

  • veronicafrance on October 15, 2016

    I didn't entirely stick to the recipe; I used red peppers from a jar instead of fresh, capers instead of olives, and puff pastry instead of the yeast-based pastry she suggests. So take my review with a pinch of salt. I liked the fact that the onions and tomato kept the filling moist, but for me the paprika was overpowering; I'd use less if I made them again. They were definitely a lot better than my one other attempt at empanadas, which bordered on inedible.

  • LKrishnan81 on August 01, 2020

    Made this with slightly less tuna than required. I think there needs to be a higher proportion of sofrito to tuna for my liking. Otherwise, a lovely dish for leftovers and packed lunches.

• Olive oil and saffron pastry (Masa para empanadas)

  • mcvl on May 26, 2011

    This is one of my favorite doughs. I make a batch and divide it into four, one for today, three into the freezer for other times. I use it for empanadas, pasties, and hand pies of all kinds. Sometimes I leave the saffron out, but really, saffron goes with everything so why be cheap?

• Salmon with fava beans and fresh fennel (Salmón con habas y hinojo)

  • L.Nightshade on August 05, 2015

    We did this on the big egg, salt side down toward the heat, instead of the broiler. I’m not exactly certain if the salt crust makes a huge difference when it’s on a fillet like this. When a whole fish is salt-crusted, it will keep the moisture in, but on a fillet, it’s only on one side. That said, this fish was delicious. I thought it might have been on the grill a couple minutes too long, but it was perfectly tender and juicy inside. And I loved this dressing! Seriously, I could eat a bowlful with a spoon. I used edamame, I imagine it could be even better with favas. http://beta.chowhound.com/post/august-2015-cotm-spanish-table-kitchen-spain-seafood-poultry-1020811?commentId=9672153#9672153

• Grilled tuna with salmorejo sauce (Atún a la brasa com salmorejo)

  • L.Nightshade on August 15, 2015

    The salmorejo sauce is made a couple hours in advance so the flavors develop. Mine didn’t develop much, sad to say. I think it was the fault of our tomatoes, not the most flavorful orbs. Since the tomatoes are drained, and the bread is supposed to be soaked in water, I soaked it instead in the juice drained from the tomatoes, not wanting to dilute the already tame tomato taste. In the end, I went off recipe, and added a touch of paprika and a plop of sun-dried tomatoes in oil, and puréed it again. This worked out fine. While the tuna is on the grill, leeks are frizzled in oil, then sprinkled with salt. The tuna is sliced, topped with the leeks, and served with a little cup of the sauce. I loved the leek hay on the tuna, all salty and crispy, and with my modifications, the sauce was quite nice with the tuna. I’m sure the sauce would be fine made with good quality tomatoes. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/1020811?commentId=9685800#9685800

  • nicolepellegrini on February 22, 2019

    One of those recipes I never would have tried if it hadn't come up when, on a whim, I threw "leeks" and "tuna" in my EYB search because I had some leeks I needed to use up and quick. We really, really enjoyed it. I loved the salty/crispy leeks contrasted with the milder/sweet flavor of the salmorejo sauce. Because it's the middle of winter I didn't grill the tuna, but cooked in the same cast-iron pan I cooked the leeks in. Excellent and would make again.

• Scallops with garlic cream and tomato jam (Vieiras con crema de ajo mermelada de tomates)

  • JoanN on August 02, 2015

    This was outstanding. I’d have been pretty thrilled if served this as an appetizer in a high end restaurant.

  • nomadchowwoman on September 05, 2015

    Fantastic dish!

  • Breadcrumbs on August 31, 2015

    p. 218 - I wholeheartedly agree with Joan below. This is a restaurant quality dish that delivers on all counts. Fabulous contrasting flavours with the rich garlic cream sauce, delicate, briny scallop and the sweet, brightness of the stunning tomato jam. One of the best dishes I’ve made this year and by far my favourite from this book. A must try for scallop lovers. Definitely company-worthy and would be perfect for guests because the two sauces could be made ahead so you'd just need to make the scallops to order. Oh that jam! I made mine atop the stove. A perfect dish. Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/1020811?commentId=9705163#9705163

• Pork tenderloin with lightly seared strawberries (Solomillo de cerdo con fresas)

  • TrishaCP on June 17, 2017

    We like fruit in savory applications in my house, but even so, I was a tad nervous this recipe would be too sweet. However, not to worry, because the strawberries' sweetness was counterbalanced nicely by the rosemary and vinegar sauce. (I didn't have an aged sherry vinegar so only used about half the amount.) Mind the instructions not to use ripe strawberries however!

• Gypsy pork stew (Estofado de cerdo a la gitana)

  • okcook on February 26, 2012

    Nothing special.

• Lamb chops with piquillo pepper marmalade (Chuletillas de cordero con mermelada de pimientos de piquillo)

  • Breadcrumbs on May 22, 2012

    p. 246 Grilled lamb is one of those dishes that makes me salivate by merely thinking about it. When I read through this recipe I just knew we’d love the dish and indeed this was a winner. Prep is fairly straightforward and I simplified the process by placing the lamb along with all the marinating ingredients (garlic, evoo, rosemary, S&P) in a ziplock bag overnight so I just had to prepare the marmalade the following day. The marmalade tasted delicious with the sweetness of the peppers working beautifully with the slight tang of the orange and, the sherry vinegar that you stir in prior to serving. This marmalade is served alongside or atop the grilled chops. I opted to pass the bowl of marmalade and allow diners to use as much or as little as they wished. Unfortunately they wished for all the marmalade and there weren’t any leftovers!! mr bc grilled the chops to medium-rare perfection over charcoal. This is a wonderful dish that I’ll make again.

  • TrishaCP on August 02, 2015

    I quite liked this dish. Red peppers are plentiful this time of year locally so I went ahead and roasted some rather than using piquillo peppers. The orange was a nice complement in the marmalade but I thought the rosemary was a bit too strong.

  • L.Nightshade on August 01, 2012

    I finally got around to this recipe, based solely upon Breadcrumbs' great descriptions and ingredient list (I don't have the book). We had a piece left from a leg of lamb, that had been frozen for a while, and that is what I used instead of chops. I marinated it, as described above, in olive oil, garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper, starting in the morning. Later I made the marmalade, but, after taste testing I added more sherry vinegar, so it maybe totalled a full tablespoon. This was lovely! I've got some left over, and I wish I had more. I see lamb sandwiches with piquillo marmalade in my future.

  • stockholm28 on August 20, 2015

    This was a very tasty dish and it is quite weeknight friendly. I had to drive to three different grocery stores (and then shell out $12) to find a jar of piquillo peppers and while they are quite good, I think the marmalade would still be good with regular roasted red peppers. The marmalade was better on day 2.

• Mallorcan lamb stew with dried fruit (Cordero a la Mallorquina)

  • veronicafrance on September 20, 2018

    This is a good basic recipe, but definitely lacking in spices; I added considerably more than specified, and some people still complained it wasn't spicy enough. Bonus: I completely forgot to add the mint at the end.

• Grilled T-bones with Cabrales butter (Chuletones con mantequilla de Cabrales)

  • L.Nightshade on August 09, 2015

    Not much to this! The author calls for one T-bone per person, yikes! We shared one, and had leftovers.) Mash 2 parts of unsalted butter with 3 parts of Cabrales (I used a nice blue, Cabrales is still a long way away from us), form into a roll and chill. Season the t-bones with salt, pepper, and olive oil, let them set for 30 minutes then plop on the heated grill. When done, slice the blue cheese butter and top the steak. Serve with a bowl of flaky salt. Of course, it’s really just a grilled steak, but the blue cheese butter is dreamy atop it.

• Grilled skirt steak with almond and caper salsa (Falda de ternera con vinagreta de almendras y alcaparras)

  • L.Nightshade on August 02, 2015

    This salsa is a mix of ground, toasted almonds, capers, olives, parsley, garlic, paprika, black pepper, red and balsamic vinegars, and olive oil. It is killer! It was salty as-is, so I didn’t add the salt mentioned in the recipe, and I only used half of the 1/2 cup oil called for. The skirt steak is seasoned only with salt and pepper, and grilled for 6-8 minutes. Mr. NS did the grilling on the big egg. It may have been the particular skirt steak we purchased, but the meat was far too tough for me. I’ve had it before, of course, but more often in preps where it’s thinly sliced before cooking (such as bulgogi), not grilled as a steak. The entire time I was chewing on the meat I was wishing for something more tender to accompany this great relish. I’ll be making this salsa again, to go with a tender steak or a firm white fish. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/1020811?commentId=9667769#9667769

• The meatballs of Madrid tapas bars (Albóndigas en salsa)

  • apattin on January 24, 2017

    made tomato sauce with roasted cherry tomatoes that I had done earlier. The brandy was a great flavor.

• Minted lamb meatballs (Albóndigas de cordero)

  • nomadchowwoman on September 05, 2015

    If you like lamb and mint together, you should love these. What surprised me was how much I loved the minty tomato sauce with lamb.

• Garlicky roast chicken with apple and quince compote (Pollo asado con compota de manzanas y membrillo)

  • TrishaCP on November 01, 2015

    I loved this dish. The chicken (coated with a paste made of 10 cloves of garlic, rosemary, and paprika) is moist and flavorful and garlicky as promised. (Be sure to spread it evenly.) I liked the method of adding water to the roasting pan because it kept the drippings from burning and kept the chicken succulent. The compote is really a side dish- apples, quinces, onion, and garlic flavored with the garlic paste and more rosemary-this tasted heavenly together. (I found the fruit to be plenty wet and didn't need the extra stock.) Served with whole wheat couscous.

• Lemon chicken with honey and saffron (Pollo a la miel)

  • TrishaCP on August 23, 2015

    A really lovely and fragrant tasting chicken dish. Like the recipe says-it tastes more of lemon than honey. (I only had 60 minutes to marinate- would definitely go for longer next time.) I used boneless and skinless thighs (what was on hand) and adjusted the cooking time. (About 40 minutes, enough time to cook the chicken, but not enough time to brown it- dinner was already late.) I had a lot of liquid (maybe due to shortened cooking time)- and would remove some of it next time.

  • alex9179 on May 26, 2016

    Love this. Made with Meyer lemons from my tree and bone-in, skin-on thighs - which was rather messy to eat with the sauce. Will use BLSL thighs in the future. Served over rice with plenty of the sauce.

• Ferran Adria's rotisserie chicken (Pollo con frutos y frutas secas)

  • chawkins on February 01, 2020

    This surprisingly was delicious, I was concerned that the sauce with the port and the dry fruits would be overly sweet, but it wasn't. Easy enhancement for the regular old rotisserie chicken.

• Grilled chicken with piquillo gazpacho sauce (Pollo a la brasa con salsa de gazpacho)

  • TrishaCP on August 25, 2016

    This was good, but not a standout like some of the other recipes in this book. I used fresh basil instead of the oil but I don't think that's why I didn't love this. My problem is that I love gazpacho and the version here is delicious (used less vinegar to taste), but there just isn't enough of it as a sauce- I really wanted a bowl of it. The chicken was good, but almost a distraction in this case.

• Grilled chicken with fresh fig salsa (Pollo a la brasa con salsita de higos)

  • L.Nightshade on August 13, 2015

    The salsita is made by tossing together thin wedges of fresh figs, sliced red onion, sherry (I used fino, drier than the medium dry called for), sherry vinegar, and olive oil. It sits aside while the chicken cooks. Right before serving toasted slivered almonds and fresh mint are added. Boneless breasts (ours were skinless, skin-on is also an option) are brushed with a paste made of garlic, rosemary, salt, pepper, and olive oil, then grilled. Ours grilled on a wood fire of deadfall madrona. The paste added flavor, and also seemed to keep the chicken nice and moist, even without skin. The chicken is sliced and served with the fig salsita. This salsita elevates the plain old chicken breast to something pretty special. Easy enough for any weeknight, nice enough for guests. http://beta.chowhound.com/post/august-2015-cotm-spanish-table-kitchen-spain-seafood-poultry-1020811?commentId=9683139#9683139

• Chicken and apples braised in hard cider (Pollo a la sidra)

  • TrishaCP on November 20, 2021

    Yes, this was so simple but also so tasty. I used some local cider and it is best to keep that cider dry. I used boneless, skinless thighs.

  • mcvl on February 11, 2021

    Mmm, very much to my liking. I used Shacksbury Dry plus a bit more cider vinegar than called for, and Turkish rather than California bay. I'll make it again and again.

• Duck legs with prunes and olives (Anec amb prunes i olives)

  • lkgrover on October 30, 2018

    This makes intriguing blend of savory & sweet flavors in a rich sauce for duck. It is complicated preparation, but worth it if you have extra time.

• Rabbit stew with a touch of chocolate (Conejo con chocolate Rodrigo Mestre)

  • L.Nightshade on September 02, 2015

    Made this with boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Kinda looked like the dog’s dinner. I wanted to sprinkle some chopped parsley or something on it but it was pouring so hard (finally), that neither of us were willing to go into the garden. Mr. NS thought this dish was very good. I liked the sauce a lot, and the chocolate came through pretty strongly. My problem was not with the recipe, but with the chicken. Not being a thigh fan to begin with, they have to be of the highest quality for me to tolerate them. These weren’t. Now need to figure out what to do with the leftovers. http://beta.chowhound.com/post/august-2015-cotm-spanish-table-kitchen-spain-seafood-poultry-1020811?commentId=9708607#9708607

• Lentil and pumpkin stew with roasted garlic (Potaje de lentejas y calabaza)

  • veronicafrance on November 11, 2019

    Another success from this excellent book. The method may look unnecessarily complicated, but I think it's worth it for the depth of flavour. In particular, the roasted garlic really makes a difference. Notes: I used Pardina lentils. Puy lentils or other brown lentils would be good too. I used mostly water but added about a cup of chicken stock. Finally, when you add the vinegar at the end, it may seem too sharp, but during the 10-minute rest it mellows while still adding welcome acidity. Will make again! But not soon, as we have tons for the freezer. Great on a chilly autumn evening.

  • TrishaCP on December 01, 2019

    We loved this dish, which we served as a main dish over rice. The stew gets incredible flavor from the roasted and raw garlic and the smoked paprika that are used. I subbed Anaheim chiles for Italian frying peppers and ground the saffron separately to avoid staining my big mortar and pestle, but otherwise followed the recipe as written. I agree with veronicafrance that you need to let this dish rest after adding the vinegar so the flavors can be incorporated.

• Lentil and wild mushroom hash with poached eggs (Lentejas con setas y huevos escalfados)

  • love2laf on February 09, 2010

    While not a beautiful plate of food, a nice combination of flavours and balance. I was not successful with this book's instructions on poached eggs, I'll stick to another source for that. This is a great meal for a work night and satisfying.

• Chickpea and shrimp saute (Garbanzos salteados con gambas)

  • L.Nightshade on August 20, 2015

    I used scallions, a substitute given for the preferred garlic shoots (the deer ate ours along with the chives), and crumbled dried chile (I used a nora). Mr. NS made the optional allioli. Although it didn’t break, it never really developed much body, but it was a very tasty drizzle over our individual dishes. We both though this dish needed just a little something more, a few tomatoes, a touch more paprika, something. But that hardly merits a complaint, it was tasty and satisfying. Alongside, I served the salad with apricots and hazelnuts, from the same book. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/1020811?commentId=9693253#9693253

• Smoky mashed potatoes from Extremadura (Patatas revolconas)

  • TrishaCP on August 23, 2015

    These are incredible! Anyone that likes mashed potatoes and pimenton would like this recipe. Potatoes are boiled with a bay leaf and a ñora pepper prior to mashing- I had ñoras on-hand, but I think you can omit them- it was hard to discern the impact with the generous amount of pimenton added later. (Plus, they are hard to find and expensive where I live.) While potatoes are cooking, onions and garlic are cooked in olive oil (I omitted the onions and used half the oil) and then pimenton (I used picante) is added to create a pimenton oil. Potatoes are drained (saving some cooking liquid) and riced or mashed (I riced them), and the pimenton oil is added to the potatoes, along with cooking liquid as needed. The potatoes turn an appetizing shade of orange, and they really taste smokey and savory and delicious- no dairy needed.

• Boiled potatoes and green beans with garlic (Patatas con judías verdes)

  • bwehner on October 07, 2012

    Good and easy!

• Classic Valencian paella (Paella Valenciana)

  • lkgrover on September 03, 2019

    Delicious paella with a variety of vegetables. I used chicken (no rabbit), canned tomatoes, Arborio rice, and dried rosemary (no snails).

• Chiringuito seafood paella (Paella a la marinera)

  • hughb on September 03, 2012

    Outstanding. Made on the Big Green Egg. Well worth the effort.

• Noodles with white beans, chorizo, and clams (Cazuela de fideos con alubias blancas, chorizo y almejas)

  • Breadcrumbs on May 15, 2012

    p. 353 - If you like these ingredients, you’ll LOVE this dish. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get clams at my market but the author suggests mussels as an alternative so that’s the route I went. Despite having a fairly long list of ingredients, prep for this dish was surprisingly quick and, the dish cooks very quickly as well. This recipe calls for diced chorizo and while I was delighted to find amazing chorizo imported from Spain, I did find it very difficult to dice given its somewhat soft texture. Next time I’d partially freeze to make life easier. This was such a flavourful dish with lots of interesting, contrasting textures that further enhanced its appeal. I can imagine how impressive it would look if prepared and served in the cazuela and look forward to making this again for company. If you have this book, this one’s a winner! Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/846970#7340046

  • chawkins on October 07, 2022

    Very good and quite easy. I made half of a recipe and used a dozen clams, had a bit of problem fitting them into the casserole; they were advertised as little necks but looked like middle necks to me.

• Toasted pasta "paella" with shrimp (Rossejat de fideus)

  • lkgrover on September 16, 2016

    Loved the cooking method for thin spaghetti! The sauce flavorings (with the sofrigeto) were excellent, and very different from most Italian pasta sauces.

• Cannelloni with spinach, raisins, and pine nuts (Canelones d'espinacas)

  • veronicafrance on November 22, 2015

    Not a weeknight meal, unless you prepare it in advance -- like all cannelloni recipes you need a few hours to get this to the table. Anya says it will serve four as a main course (eight as a starter, which is how it's normally served in Catalonia). The combination of spinach, nuts, and fruit is very Catalan. I found the filling a bit scanty, but I did have a bit less spinach than she specified. I ended up using five normal-sized cannelloni sheets (Catalan ones are smaller), not the eight in the recipe. This was just right for two greedy diners. The sauce is a bit scanty though; if I really was doing it for four, I would increase the sauce by maybe a third, and spread a slick of it on the bottom of the dish to stop the cannelloni sticking. Flavour: it was a bit bland. I didn't have pine nuts, so I used slivered almonds instead, and owing to a lack of sultanas I supplemented them with some chopped dried apricots. Needs a heavy hand with nutmeg and sultanas/raisins to give it interest.

• Spring artichoke ragout with ham and sherry (Guiso de alcachofas y jamón)

  • LKrishnan81 on August 01, 2020

    Excellent vegetable dish easily eaten as a main course for a light supper. I find substituting peas for favas is the easiest solution since favas are rarely available fresh in my area.

• Grilled asparagus with honey and sherry vinegar (Espárragos con miel y vinagre de Jerez)

  • stockholm28 on June 04, 2017

    This is incredibly simple but really a nice treatment for asparagus. Definitely make again

  • hillsboroks on January 01, 2023

    I cheated when making this recipe New Year’s Eve and used the roasted asparagus recipe from “The Roasted Vegetable “ by Andrea Chesman, page 10, and just drizzled the honey sherry vinegar sauce over the asparagus after it was out of the oven. I had received a bottle of Pedro Ximenez Sherry Vinegar for Christmas and used this in the sauce. I also did not add the extra olive to the sauce since the asparagus had been coated in olive oil to roast. The flavor was fantastic and this side dish was perfect with my slow-roasted lamb roast.

  • Breadcrumbs on May 02, 2012

    p. 373 - I’d completely forgotten about a bunch of asparagus I picked up at the market last Friday so when I saw they were still salvageable, I hit EYB for a suitable recipe. With all ingredients in my pantry, this dish hit the top of my list. Super quick and easy to pull together. Asparagus are washed, trimmed and tossed in EVOO prior to grilling. Meanwhile a dressing is made by combining honey, EVOO, sherry vinegar, salt & pepper. Once the asparagus have been grilled you simply drizzle the dressing over top and give them a quick sprinkle of Maldon salt. This was terrific. A wonderful blend of sweet, salty and tart flavours that worked perfectly with the sweet smoky flavours of the grilled veggies. This is a keeper! We absolutely loved it. Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/846970#7316166

• Endive and fennel gratin with almonds (Gratinado de endivias y hinojo con almendras)

  • L.Nightshade on August 12, 2015

    Fennel and Belgian endive are placed in lemon water (for an unspecified time) then drained and cooked on the burner until tender, with chicken stock, lemon juice, olive oil, and a pinch of sugar. Then they are drained again and placed in a baking dish. The almond sauce is made by sautéing minced onion, garlic, and parsley. A little flour is added, and a minute later, milk and chicken stock go in. After this thickens, a rather large amount of ground almonds is added. The sauce goes over the vegetables and they roast at 450 for 20-25 minutes, then another few minutes with sliced almonds scattered on top. The muted monochrome of this dish is misleading. It’s quite flavorful, and the sweetness of the fennel plays well with the rich sauce. This sauce would be good elsewhere also; I’m thinking cauliflower. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/1020809?commentId=9681788#9681788

• Spinach with raisins and pine nuts (Espinacs a la Catalana)

  • L.Nightshade on August 03, 2015

    I’ve made this dish so many times, from both my Spanish and Italian cookbooks (it’s called Roman Spinach in the Italian books, and in the ENYT cookbook). Chard and escarole as mentioned as alternatives to spinach. There’s not much difference between the versions, except that most of the Spanish versions do not call for garlic. This one does, lots of it. I made half a recipe, using one bunch of chard, so only used half the garlic, which was still four cloves. On top of that, I wandered off briefly due to a demanding dog, and came back to find quite a bit of the chard stuck to the bottom of the pan. Since I had already prepped the garlic, raisins, and pine nuts, I went ahead and used all of them with the reduced amount of chard. No regrets. I do love this dish, with the sweet bites of raisins, and the slight crunch of the pine nuts, and I love this extra garlicky version. The chard is a bit more sturdy than spinach, http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/1020809?commentId=9668811#9668811

• Andalusian spinach with chickpeas (Espinacas con garbanzos)

  • L.Nightshade on August 15, 2015

    For some reason Mr. NS keeps coming home with armloads of rainbow chard, so into this dish it went. I did not use the bread given as an option. Once upon a time, Mr. NS made the spinach and chickpea dish from Moro, and I have to say that we liked this version better. Interestingly, it tastes and smells more Moroccan than the Moro version. It’s wonderfully aromatic and flavorful, and I’ll stick to this recipe from now on. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/1020809?commentId=9685819#9685819

  • veronicafrance on February 13, 2018

    I first had this classic tapa in Seville. It sounds quite uninspiring, so I was amazed at how delicious it was. Decided to try it at home with some excellent spinach from our veggie box, and it was just as good as we remembered.

• Baked cherry tomatoes with garlic and saffron oil (Tomates asados al aceite de azafrán)

  • L.Nightshade on August 28, 2015

    Saffron is not the highlighted flavor in this dish. I wouldn’t exactly say it was wasted, but I’d omit it next time. I think the acidity in tomatoes makes them somewhat unsuited for saffron. I think starches like rice, and the fat in meats, and even dairy, are far better vehicles. In spite of that, we definitely enjoyed this dish. We had a ton of local cherry tomatoes, so this lasted through dinner and will continue on into a few more days. Last night I served them with a phyllo pie made with leftover chicken, spinach, feta, and walnuts, and the combination was very nice. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/1020809?commentId=9703294#9703294

• Tomato jam (Mermelada de tomates)

  • Breadcrumbs on August 31, 2015

    p. 390 - Sweet and delicious! The book provides instructions for preparing this jam in the microwave, the author offers this as a means of simplifying the original version, which is slow-cooked atop the stove or in the oven. Since time was on my side, I decided to simmer my jam atop the stove where I could keep a close eye on the consistency. Otherwise prep is quick and straightforward, tomatoes are blanched, peeled and chopped. (mine weren’t blanched or peeled). This is a terrific way to use tomatoes when they’re in season as this recipe allows their wonderful fresh flavour to shine through like a bright neon beacon! Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/1020809?commentId=9705558#9705558

• Rosemary-scented apple and nut tart (Tarta de manzana perfumada con romero)

  • veronicafrance on January 02, 2016

    The rosemary in this didn't come through all that strongly, but our guests loved it and nearly everyone had seconds -- there was barely a crumb left. One thing I changed -- Anya tells you to sprinkle the top with cocoa, but that didn't seem right to me in the context. I'm sure it's only for colour, as the apples look a bit pale and uninteresting on their own. Instead I drizzled it with some butterscotch sauce I had on hand. Plain caramel would be fine too -- do it just before serving so that it doesn't soak in. Also note, the filling and pastry contain a ridiculous amount of butter -- over 200 g in total. It wouldn't do any harm to cut back on it.

  • PiperAdele on May 23, 2021

    Delicious! I agree that you could cut back on butter in shell, but wouldn’t change a thing about filling. Was skeptical of the cocoa, but it added just a hint of bitter earthiness against the sweetness of the apples that was perfect. Although it smelled strongly of rosemary during the cooking process, when baked and assembled there was just an herbal hint left. Truly surprisingly delicious and definitely something to make again.

• The Clarisa nuns' banana and hazelnut tart (Tarta de plátanos y avellanas hermanas Clarisas)

  • hillsboroks on July 24, 2014

    This is lovely and not hard to make. I did not have puff pastry so I subbed in the sweet tart crust from Dorie Greenspan's baking book and it turned out great. The pineapple custard and pineapple juice-soaked bananas give you a tart that is not too sweet like some banana desserts can be. We couldn't wait and ate the first pieces while it was still slightly warm but I think it will be even better when it fully cools.

• Blue cheese and pear tart (Tarta de queso azul con peras)

  • veronicafrance on September 03, 2015

    Unusual ... von Bremzen suggests half cream cheese and half Roquefort. I thought this would be too strong, so I used 300 g of Philadelphia and 100 g of Roquefort. There's not much sugar in the filling, and the initial impression was savoury rather than sweet -- I could imagine serving it as a starter with green salad. Once you get used to the tang of the Roquefort, it's good, but I think that as a dessert, next time I'll cut the amount of Roquefort a bit more and add a touch more sugar. Note, my conversion of gelatine from powder to sheets turned out just right at 5 x 2g sheets. It sliced very nicely; I did take it out of the fridge an hour before serving.

  • veronicafrance on September 03, 2015

    Edit: I didn't completely cover the top of the tart with pears. I made a single ring of pear slices round the outside edge, and I liked the contrast between the deep red pears and the glossy white cheesecake in the centre. However, on eating the leftovers I realised that the flavour of the parts with pears was much more balanced. So next time I will use more pears and cover most of the surface while still leaving a bit of white for contrast.

• Grandmothers of Sils' apple and yogurt cake (Cocas de pomas de Abuelas de Sils)

  • TonyInSeattle on August 13, 2019

    This is more a coffee cake than a dessert cake. See the blog linked on the ingredients page.

• My Christmas bread pudding (Budín de pan)

  • TrishaCP on January 01, 2018

    This was a great way to use up leftover panettone. (I had about half of one left, which was about what the recipe requires.) My panettone had chocolate, so I only toasted it for about 8 minutes, which was sufficient.

• Spicy tomato sauce (Salsa de tomate picante)

  • okcook on August 11, 2015

    Easy to make but ours did not turn out anything like the picture...probably because I did not use Roma tomatoes. Ours was not as chunky. The flavour is Spanish alright. Delicious.

  • Breadcrumbs on September 01, 2015

    p. 69 - We loved this somewhat spicy, smoky sauce and it worked beautifully with the crispy potatoes. I served with the mock allioli, which made for a perfect trio as the richness of the mayo countered the tang of the tomato sauce and balanced out the dish. The recipe calls for the sauce to be simmered “covered” to reduce to a paste. I was fairly confident the sauce wouldn’t reduce unless it was uncovered so that’s how I proceeded. As it was it took about 30 mins to achieve a thick consistency and I’d be hard pressed to call that a paste but it was thick enough in my view. I’d be keen to hear if anyone else simmered the sauce with the lid on the pan. I blitzed mine with my Bamix which worked perfectly. Photo here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/1020808?commentId=9706410#9706410

• Sofrito vinaigrette

  • Breadcrumbs on August 14, 2015

    p. 120 - It was the versatility of this recipe that caught my attention and when I brought a big basket of cannellini beans home from my local farm stand, I imagined a match made in heaven. What sets this apart from most vinaigrettes is that the ingredients are cooked. Also, this is yet another recipe from our Spanish COTM that calls for a 1:1 ratio of oil to acid. Once again I decided to add my vinegar to taste vs as stated and I ended up using just under 3 tbsp of pinot noir vinegar to the ½ cup of oil. The bright flavours of the vinaigrette paired perfectly with our rich, creamy beans. This is a recipe worth repeating. Photo here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/1020808?commentId=9683678#9683678