[.uk] El Farol (ISBN 1586851012)

Tapas nights at home!:
Inspired by a recent vacation in Andalucia, near Jerez, I wanted to prepare a tapas meal for a friend's birthday. This cookbook was excellent - I was able to pick out several recipes for small dishes that were all easy to prepare and delicious. The Grilled Artichokes in Saffron Butter were a huge hit, and the remaining butter sauce was very popular on bread. The Ginger Fig Puree was wonderful with grilled pork ribs. Also popular was the Chicken with Harissa, and the fish I prepared using the grilled sardine recipe. Unable to find a "flavorful small fish" at my local supermarket, I chose a mundane cod filet, which I cut into small pieces to be eaten in a tapas style, and prepared according to the recipe. This has now become my standard recipe for any type of white fish, as it is simple and delicious. I love reading this cookbook for inspiration. I started a jar of El Farol Preserved Lemons, and can't wait to start using them when they have aged. I have yet to try the dessert recipes, which are very tempting. Having executed several recipes successfully, I feel very confident that even the first time I try another, I will be able to serve it to my guests to rave reviews. James Campbell Caruso has shared with us some wonderful ideas and recipes on how to add great flavor to food in a straight-forward fashion that a home cook will have no problem understanding or recreating.

Always delicious!:
El Farol is a favorite restaurant in our family. I bought four copies of this book for family members, and every recipe I have tried is delicious. Out of all the cookbooks I own, this is the one I use the most. The glossary of Spanish ingredients and sources is especially helpful.

I'm Hungry Again Just Thinking About This Book...:
After a trip to Spain in September, I had a serious urge to create a tapas dinner for some friends and family, and needed some inspiration and guidance. A simple Amazon search led me to this book, and the reviews were all so positive that I had to buy it. They weren't wrong. From the very first recipes (which, interestingly, are the mise-en-place recipes that are so often found in the back of books) to the "big guns" in the entree section, the recipes are simple (a hallmark of Spanish cuisine), easy-to-follow, and easy to alter based on the seasons or your local ingredients. It's a rare cookbook in that it's written so that beginners can cook every recipe, and yet advanced cooks don't feel insulted or talked down to. As with most Spanish food that I've encountered, the simplest recipes often yield the most delicious flavors, and that's the case here. Few recipes contain more than 10 ingredients, with most averaging around 5-7 (and that's including salt and pepper), but they're combined in ways that you may not have thought of, like the Gambas al Alcaparra - shrimp with honey and capers. The #1 hits? The Puerco con Manzanas y Cabrales (pork loin with apples and blue cheese), Albondigas (lamb meatballs), Gambas al Ajillo (garlic shrimp in lime juice)... I'm hungry again. And for an extra-special twist, the desserts aren't just cast-offs, half-assedly strewn together by a chef who knows nothing about pastries. They're delicious, creative, and replicatable. Even if you can't cook, buy the book just for the pictures - frameworthy, each and every one.

For TAPAS lovers:
El Farol is one of those cookbooks that makes you hungry when you read it. Chef James Campbell Caruso has an easy going, conversational style that feels like you're in a tapas bar talking with friends, eagerly waiting for the next delicious dish to arrive. El Farol has a modern look and feel, with bright, vibrant photos of beautiful dramatic platings. The recipes are mostly grounded in classic Spanish ingredients and flavors (chorizo, paprika, etc.), but also incorporate non-traditional flavors such as various Southwestern chiles. I recently cooked the Grilled Honey-Caper Shrimp, and Smoked Salmon Potato Cakes. Both were easy to make and delicious. If I was choosing one definitive tapas cookbook, I'd probably choose Penelope Casas' wonderful "Tapas: The Little Dishes of Spain". But El Farol, with its' more modern look and feel, is an excellent companion to Casas' classic.

Excellent Purchase:
My passion is to research, collect and create new dishes all the time. I'm always looking for something different. And this book brings a high level of intense flavors to the table. If you love spices you'll love this. I've never been to the restaurant but after having this book..I'm ready want to go to the restaurant! Excellent soup stock made with fennel and cloves, roasted chicken with clove, Sweet Pea soup with smoked paprika oil, spicy Harissa sauce, pickled lemons and Rosemary flat bread. The Rosemary flan is exquisite! Book is on nice glossy paper. Recipes are laid out well and will motivate you to try the recipes. Numerous pictures in book but not on all recipes.Instructions on how long you can keep sauces are very helpful. I got this book because there were alot of raving reviews on this book. And today I add one more 5 stars to this book's buckle. I salute you El Farol!