Author(s): Rafael Marcos
Publisher: Hippocrene Books
Publication Date: 1999-12-01
Pages: 123
Review: I got this book for my wife for Christmas. It’s great, and has Spanish on one page and English on the opposite, so you can learn some words and phrases if you feel so inclined. There is a wide variety of recipes, and they’re great. My wife loves to cook, and this has become one of her favorite cookbooks.I purchased this book because my family is from Havana, Cuba, and I felt I could get some good authentic recipes. I was very dissapointed. My grandmother who has shown me how to cook cuban food was even surprised at some of the ingredients in the recipes. The recipes are from foods we eat but the ingredients were way off. Sorry just my opinionThis was an interesting, early attempt at compiling a cookbook of Cuban recipes. Having the book in two languages may help your local library, but most chefs speak one language or the other — the result is a lot of wasted space. The simple graphics and lack of photos are uninspiring and there is nothing here that will entice or motivate you. A better choice for contemporary Cuban cuisine: Three Guys from Miami Cook Cuban .

There’s a wonderful Cuban restaurant on our neighboring island of St. Croix. So, I was thrilled to find this charming book. Easy to understand and filled with mouth-watering recipes to remove the drudgery of cooking. If you like this book, you’ll love Angela Spenceley’s two new cookbooks “Just Add Rum!” and “A Taste of the Caribbean”. Both books are valuable additions to any good cookbook library.
Price: $14.95   Buy This Book

Author(s): Andy Pforzheimer, Sasa Mahr-batuz
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Publication Date: 2009-06-16
Pages: 224
Review: The Connecticut restaurant Barcelona chain has a well deserved regional reputation for food that is especially elegant with flavor and cultural culinary subtext. Now the team of Sasa Mahr-Batuz and Andy Pforzheimer (with the assistance of Mary Goodbody) has compiled an equally elegant compilation of recipes for dishes served in the Barcelona restaurants. Superbly illustrated throughout, there are chapters dedicated to cocktails and wine, cold and hot tapas, main courses, party dishes, and desserts. The recipes range from a Clementine Crush; Goat Cheese with Mojo Verde; and Lobster Risotto; to Morcilla Sausage with Caramelized Onions; Grilled Sea Bass with Warm Salad of Fingerling Potatoes and Wax Beans with Broken Shallot Vinaigrette; and Crepas Salguero. Enhanced a listing of sources for Spanish ingredients and foods, an extensive metric conversions and equivalents table, and a handy index, “The Barcelona Cookbook” is a welcome and highly recommended addition to personal, professional, and community library ethnic cookbook collections!

As a college student who often cooks dinner with her 6 housemates on any given night, it is hard to find a cookbook that has recipes for delicious food that are actually possible to pull off well. The Barcelona Cookbook is one of those few that offers the combination of easy-to-follow directions for amazing entrees and appetizers, cool information on Spanish culture and cuisine, and (most importantly for us!) instructions on how to make killer cocktails. We also really appreciate that almost every recipe is paired with a great picture, so we know what the meal should look like - very helpful! I’ve been to two of the Barcelona restaurants before, and while I could never perfectly replicate any of the yummy food I’ve gotten there, the Barcelona Cookbook helps me come pretty darn close.I have an extensive collection of cookbooks, including cookbooks in Spanish which I bought in Spain, but this cookbook has brought great Spanish and mediterranean cooking into my kitchen like no other. In addition to the fabulous photography and excellent writing and explanations about wine and party menus, what is striking about this book is that it accomplishes both simplicity and sophistication in all its recipes. This means that these recipes should be accessible to any home cook and to anyone who loves to entertain in style (but with low stress). I’m not a big drinker, but the cocktails like blood orange margaritas, clementine crush, and red and white sangrias, are too tempting to pass up. Some of my cookbooks end up downstairs in my bookshelves, but this one is going to stay with a coveted few in my kitchen.A long-time patron of the fabulous Barcelona Restaurants, I was anxious to incorporate their signature dishes into my repertoire…and this book does not disappoint. There are recipes for both cold and hot tapas, main dishes (including Barcelona’s great “chicken al pimentos”) and party food. I especially like the chapter on Spanish wines and cocktails (blood orange margaritas top my list!) and the wonderful ideas for outdoor entertaining. The book is easy to read and easy to use — great for anyone who likes to eat and loves to entertain!
Price: $29.99   Buy This Book

Author(s): Adela Hernandez Gonzmart, Ferdie Pacheco
Publisher: University Press of Florida
Publication Date: 1995-09-28
Pages: 320
Review: Can anyone tell me if they have the recipe for their cuban bread in it? It is by far the best I have ever had!A recent salad made wonderfully by a friend convinced me that there is just about as much art in making salads as anything else. It made me think of the excellent 1905 Salad at the Columbia Restaurant which we get every time we’re there. It has just the right combination of things and an especially fine dressing. But here’s a case of “Don’t try to do it at home” unless you are really accomplished at that sort of thing. The time we tried to do it, following the recipe provided exactly, it didn’t taste anything like what you get at the restaurant. And we had purchased their own dressing. Anyways, they have have a new location in Palm Beach which I want to visit. The best we’ve tried is the one in Sarasota. You can go afterwards to see the Rubens tapestry cartoons at the Ringling Museum of Art. That’s a fun afternoon.Wow, this is some cookbook. I picked it up in the Orlando Airport, and have been enjoying it ever since. Highly recommend it.This is a wonderful recipe that also goes into the history of the restaurant. I love the columbia and always got to the one at St. Armands circle when I am in Florida. I love the ropa vieja and cuban snawhiches are quick and easyThis is such a wonderful cookbook. In South Florida, I visited Columbia and loved the food. I purchased it to try something new. The recipes are authentic with some background narrative woven in there. The language is easy and you can follow the recipe without any problems. Of the recipes I tried, most could be prepared from a well-stocked pantry, not necessarily a huge trip to the grocery store like some cookbooks demand. There are some really great seafood recipes in here too. You’ll love the simple Cuban sandwich in here too. I believe this cookbook is well worth the price.
Price: $24.95   Buy This Book

Author(s): Susan Serrano, Juan Serrano
Publisher: Hippocrene Books
Publication Date: 1997-05
Pages: 270
Review: This is the best cookbook I have. Not that I don’t use others probably more but when I’m entertaining or cooking for a crowd this is the cookbook I reach for because the recipes are clear, detailed, and the food is incredible. The one drawback is that there are times when the term “season to taste” is used… and you do need to determine what spices and herbs you’d like to use. If you have a preferred way of preparing various items (fish, meat, chicken, rice) this gives you the versatility to flavor things your own way. They don’t do this for all recipes… some call for very specific flavors and they give you specific quantities.

They provide many varieties on various recipes - how to substitute or where the meat is optional - and they usually explain fairly clearly what works and why. It’s not as technical as Cook’s Illustrated, it’s more like someone taking the time to write down how and why your grandmother cooked the way she did.

I can highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for a good Spanish cookbook to prepare anything from Tapas to Paella and everything in between.
Price: $11.95   Buy This Book

Author(s): Noemi C. Taylor
Publisher: Capital Books
Publication Date: 2003-03-28
Pages: 256
Review: Thumbing through the book you can practically smell the food cooking and you can absolutely feel the friendship these four women have forged over the years. That a daughter collected their creativity for all to share is a dash of spice. I and a friend prepared the first dish I tried for a dinner party with several friends. I’ll be dipping into this book many times!This book is a wonderful resource for an endless variety of tasty dishes! The recipes are easy to follow and prepare, and the stories are equally heartwarming. A great book for anyone who cooks because they love to. Salud!Ms. Taylor hit the nail on the head with this one. This is a fantastic compilation of delicious mouth watering recipes, I can’t believe Ms. Taylor put them in writing. I would have thought these recipes are “secrets”. I’m no pro but I was able to make delicious food quite easily. My kitchen is smelling so good at this point, I look forward to coming home from work and enjoying it. A great cookbook!!This cookbook is excellent. It features recipes of the Spanish -American culture,while also providing informative and entertaining information about the recipes. This cookbook not only focuses on delicious recipes, it also expounds on the history of four remarkable Spanish-American women who have remained friends throughout decades. These four women provide accounts of their friendship, as well as recipes for the many meals they have shared together. The recipes range from simple to semi-difficult. None are impossible, or take a ridiculous amount of time. The selection of recipes is excellent, and each chapter has its own table of contents, making that perfect recipe easy to find! I would recommend this book to anyone looking to liven up their recipe collection with some unique and delicious meals with some cultural history! This book is also very helpful if planning a dinner party. There are endless combinations of appetizers, salads, side dishes, vegetables, entrees, and desserts for all appetites.This book was a very well written book. The colors used and the layout of the book are excellent. I really like how for each food, it describes where the recipe comes from (Spain, Columbia, Argentina, Peru). It is also nice to see how each contirbutor to the book shares something personal about herself. I know from having had these foods how tasty they are. Ms. Taylor did an excellent job putting this book together. I reccomend this book to everyone who enjoys cooking and to those who enjoy a little variation in their diet. Great job!
Price: $17.95   Buy This Book