Product Description

Penelope Casas, who introduced the classic little dishes of Spain to American cooks more than twenty years ago, now gives us a splendid updated edition of that seminal book—with fifty exciting new recipes and eight full pages of new color photographs showing tapas in all their glory.

Here are all the appetizer dishes that have long been a tradition in Spanish cuisine—mélanges of seafood in aromatic sauces; little ragouts of meat, sausages, beans; colorful salads and marinades; the omelets called tortillas that enclose a variety of tasty tidbits; banderillas, zesty combinations on skewers; and empanadas, savory delights encased in pastry. The new recipes Casas includes reflect the influence of the innovative cooking in Spain today—dishes seasoned with soy sauce or balsamic vinegar; ingredients wrapped in flaky phyllo pastry; accents of goat cheese and arugula; foie gras in elegant presentations.

With Spanish cooking at the forefront of today’s cuisine, this “exceptional book by the leading American authority on the foods of Spain” (as Craig Claiborne dubbed it in 1985) is a must for every adventurous cook in America today.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #30950 in Books
• Published on: 2007-02-20
• Released on: 2007-02-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 272 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780307265524
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

Amazon.com Review
Tapas are more than savory appetizers. "They represent a style of eating and way of life," says Penelope Casas, whose Tapas: the Little Dishes of Spain presents more than 300 recipes for the mouth-watering morsels. "So very Spanish, yet adaptable to America," she says, "they cross the line into what we think of as first course or main course dishes."

In chapters such as Tapas in Sauce; Marinades, Patés, Salads, and Other Cold Tapas; and Tapas with Bread or Pastry, Casas provides a definitive selection of the traditional Spanish bar food--dishes to pass out at a gathering, to serve on a buffet, or to make a party of. Readers wishing an introduction to this versatile food, and the culinary culture in which it thrives, will want this bestselling book.

The recipe array is vast. Sauce or ragout-like tapas include Shrimp and Mushrooms in Almond Sauce, Scallops with Cured Ham and Saffron, and Veal Meatballs in Spicy Chorizo Sauce. Endives Filled with Salmon and Shrimp Melon and Apple Salad are two examples of the many tantalizing cold tapas. Prawns Grilled with Garlic Mayonnaise, Lamb Brochettes, and the Three-Layer Omelet, a mixed-egg and vegetable tortilla, are hot-from-the-stove, show-stopping tapas. Including eight pages of color photos, a glossary of ingredients, menus, and a list of recommended Spanish tapas bars, the book is a complete tapas tour. Cooks at all skill levels will find dozens of these tasty little morsels to make and enjoy. --Arthur Boehm

From Publishers Weekly
Tapas are to Spain as pasta is to Italya fundamental culinary form of unending variety. And with Tapas, Casas (The Foods and Wines of Spain) continues to do for Spanish cooking what Marcella Hazan has done for Italian. Tapas are appetizers of every descriptionfinger food and salads, marinades and pates, tarts and toasts, beans, sauced dishes, even some soups. The author provides recipes for a tempting selection of dishes that conveys Spain's love for all types of seafood and sausage, potatoes and peppers, saffron, garlic, paprika and green sauce. Since tapas are, by definition, little dishes, quite a few recipes require a disproportionate amount of work per ounce, and one should get used to lists calling for -cup strong chicken broth or two tablespoons peas. Suggestions for tapas menus are listed, as are leading tapas bars in Spain. BOMC Cooking & Crafts Club and QPBC alternate. October 22
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
This updating of Casas' classic 1985 introduction to tapas shows just how deeply tapas has penetrated America's culinary scene. At the time of the first edition, few Americans outside New York and Chicago had any idea about this Spanish tradition of small plates. All that has changed, thanks to the multiplicity of tapas bars in every urban area and to Spain's revolutionary Ferran Adria, whose meteoric rise to the very top rank of chefs completely transformed the face of fine dining with foams and assorted novel cooking techniques. Casas' hundreds of recipes for these small plates range from very simple toasts to elaborate layered creations that require the kitchen skills of a pastry chef. Reflecting the internationalization of Spanish food, some recipes call for Asian ingredients such as soy sauce. A glossary and a list of mail-order sources for Spanish comestibles ease Americans' search for authentic Spanish ingredients. Mark Knoblauch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

A treasure trove of tapas from all over Spain
A wonderful introduction to Spain's colorful and exciting "little dishes," this attractive cookbook provides the reader with an extensive range of tapas from many regions. The dishes described are as versatile as they are delicious, and although some are rather time-consuming, most are not complicated. A glossary of ingredients, shopping information, hints on techniques and utensils, tips for throwing your own tapas party, and carefully planned menus for a variety of occasions make this a very useful guide.

Also recommended: If you love tapas you will love mazzas, the "little dishes" of the eastern Mediterranean, a stunning selection of which is included in Sonia Uvezian's latest and greatest cookbook, "Recipes and Remembrances from an Eastern Mediterranean Kitchen." This extraordinary volume should be added to every food lover's "must" list!

This is the one�
I've been looking for something like this for a long time. All recipe titles are displayed in English and Spanish. Ingredients and directions are displayed in English and converted over to the U.S. standards of measure. This is very helpful. If you have ever tried to convert a full recipe from metric to U.S. you know what trouble that can be. Recipes are very authentic of the Spanish Tapas I have ever had in my short 4 years of living in Madrid. Recipes are easy to follow and to understand. Includes helpful hints to make cooking and clean up a lot easer. For Example: The correct way to turn over a tortilla with out making a mess.

Delicious! A must!
I have thoroughly enjoyed this book, with its sensual descriptions of ingredients and menus. Truly a taste of Spain here! I gave a chef/ friend a copy for Christmas; and for New Years' she whipped up a dreamy Tapas party that sent our whole group into the furthest reaches of epicurean bliss. Everything she served came from this book! These recipies are flawless.