Spanish Kitchen or Chef Robert Presents Romantic Dinners for Two

Spanish Kitchen: Regional Ingredients, Recipes, and Stories from Spain

Author: Clarissa Hyman

"There are many common threads within the cooking of Spain, from rice to oranges, and Spanish home cooking throughout the Peninsula is simple, uncomplicated, and direct. The flavors of fresh, local ingredients need no disguise or affectation. Yet, for both historical and geographical reasons, the sense of regional identity and separatism remains strong in the many provinces of Spain, and this is also proudly reflected in the cooking." "The book is divided into 17 chapters, each highlighting an ingredient from a particular region of Spain. Each chapter tells the story of an ingredient in terms of culture, history, cultivation, traditions, location, and context. A selection of recipes using the ingredient then follows, illustrating the Spanish pride in quality regional products and their determination to safeguard their unique Iberian culinary heritage." Illustrated with photographs of Spain's diverse regions and recipes, this latest book from Clarissa Hyman celebrates the flavor of Spanish life and food.

Publishers Weekly

Part cookbook, part travelogue and part history lesson-albeit an engaging one-this volume offers an epicure's tour of Spain, with recipes. It's divided into chapters by region, each focusing on a specific ingredient (or two) that is a source of local pride and providing a brief, food-oriented history. In the chapter on Castile-Madrid, for example, Chinch n garlic is the ingredient of choice, and recipes include Garlic and Chile Shrimp, and Spicy Monkfish with Saffron and Chilies. Other chapters go from savory to sweet, as in the La Rioja chapter, which features pears in Duck Breast with Honey-Spiced Pears, Pears Poached in Moscatel and Spices, and Rioja Pear Cake. The Valencia chapter showcases oranges in Toasted Bread with Garlic and Orange, Hake in Orange and Saffron Sauce, and Delicias (an almond and chocolate confection). Recipes are generally simple and often rustic; there just aren't enough of them (only 75). The color photos by Peter Cassidy are honest; they don't try too hard to make things look modern or slick when they simply are not. Together with the text, they provide an authentic look into Spanish cuisine and the areas where it is prepared. (Aug.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

British author and 2002 Glenfiddich Food Writer of the Year, Hyman explores the varied regions and ingredients of Spain in her third book. Similar in format to her previous work, Cucina Siciliana, this book is divided into chapters, each dedicated to one of the 17 regions of Spain, complete with histories, stories, and recipes. Highlighting foods and spices such as sobrassada, pimenton de la Vera, and bonito del norte, the narrative and 75 recipes illustrate how interaction with many cultures over the centuries has affected Spanish cuisine. While this is a lively introduction to the regional diversity of Spanish food, it may be intimidating for beginning cooks. Most of the recipes rely on using a unique ingredient not readily found in most supermarkets (although some substitutions are suggested, no source list is given), and cooking times and temperatures are not consistently provided. Penelope Casas's Delicioso! and Tapas have more detailed instructions, and for a more exhaustive survey Janet Mendel's My Kitchen in Spain has over 200 recipes. Recommended for public libraries with larger collections.-Kimberly Bartosz, Univ. of Wisconsin-Parkside, Kenosha Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Go to: RoxioEasy Media Creator 8 For Dummies or The Practice of System and Network Administration

Chef Robert Presents Romantic Dinners for Two (Book and DVD)

Author: Robert Catherin

Impress your Lover with the gift of fine dining in your own home. Chef Robйrt guides you with easy step by step instructions on how to prepare and cook these Romantic Dinners For Two. Choose a Rendezvous, set the atmosphere and follow his Cookbook and DVD.

Sheila Intner - Library Journal

This pretentious book-DVD combo suffers from a number of amateurish features, but it has some surprisingly good points. First, the good: chef Robért Catherine is deft at demonstrating cooking techniques, and some of his recipes are original and interesting. The cost is reasonable for the set. Now the bad: the DVD demonstrates most, but not all, steps in preparing the dishes; some key visuals are missing. Some of the recipes are so laden with fat and calories that their consumption poses serious health risks. The lighting is poor, and much of the time the screen is too dark. Catherine tends to repeat himself, his delivery lacks verve, and his innuendoes fall flat. He should stick to cookery and menus and leave the romance to others. The bottom line: libraries shouldn't waste their money on this title unless they're aiming for exhaustive coverage of the cooking-class genre.