The Barcelona Cookbook: A Celebration of Food, Wine, and Life [Hardcover]

Andy Pforzheimer (Author), Sasa Mahr-batuz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 16, 2009

It's tapas with a Mediterranean and Latin twist. This 224-page treat celebrates food, wine, and entertainment that is the heartbeat of the lively yet completely warm and inviting famous Barcelona Restaurant and Wine Bar in Connecticut.

The Barcelona Cookbook is robust and gutsy, just like the establishment, and is oozing with good things. Alluring aromas, savory flavors, and good times are the main ingredients in this offering.

It brings the cosmopolitan soul of Barcelona Restaurant and Wine Bar home with 110 unbelievable recipes perfect for sharing with friends and family. Along with the interesting sidebars, recipes are nicely paired with wine suggestions, menu and party planning recommendations, and tips for applying restaurant tricks to the home kitchen.

A variety of both hot and cold tapas recipes are included. The outcome: a fabulous offering of mouthwatering dishes that are as rich and satisfying as the conversation around the table. The 175 beautiful photographs alone will convince you it's time for a party.

* Barcelona Restaurant and Wine Bar first opened in 1996 and now has six locations. This Connecticut favorite can be found in South Norwalk, Greenwich, Fairfield, West Hartford, Stamford, and New Haven.

* It is listed in Zagat's as one of "America's Top Restaurants."

* This is a celebration of the Mediterranean lifestyle with lively and joyful Latin flairs and influences. It's a book for people who love to cook, eat, learn, experiment, and share, and love to give their guests a truly unique experience.

Editorial Reviews

Review

If Sasa Mahr-Batuz and Andy Pforzheimer could have it their way, people would come from far and wide to experience what diners at their Barcelona eateries around southwest Connecticut already know. Given the logistical hurdles of such a plan, they went with the next best idea and put together the Barcelona Cookbook: A Celebration of Food, Wine and Life. ...

The ideas are explained in the cookbook's 200 pages. These were born out of the same motivation to share the food and celebratory culture of a typical Spanish tapas bar that led to the creation of the original Barcelona. "We wanted to create an ambiance of food and lifestyle of eating and drinking and laughing and socializing that is found in Spain, a trattoria in Italy, a brasserie in France." --Greenwitch Time, June 17, 2009

Review

This cookbook has become a favorite in my extensive cookbook collection. There are recipes to die for in here: shrimp in garlic sauce, paella Barcelona, wild mushrooms with herbed cheese, and flan, and some killer cocktails like blood orange margaritas, red and white sangrias, and clementine crush made with Svedka clementine vodka.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing; 1 edition (June 16, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0740773941
• ISBN-13: 978-0740773945
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 9.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #112,589 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #16 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Drinks & Beverages > Wine > Food & Wine
  • #27 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International > European > Spanish
  • #32 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International > European > Mediterranean

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars IF YOU LOVE FOOD, YOU NEED THIS BOOK!!!, December 7, 2009

By 

Alex B. Min "the amateur gourmet" (Somerville, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Barcelona Cookbook: A Celebration of Food, Wine, and Life (Hardcover)

We (my wife and I) collect cookbooks for many reasons, but you know you've hit the jackpot when a certain book is simultaneously fun to read with great stories; sprinkled with useful tips and hints throughout; contains photos that make you want to pluck the food off the pages to eat; inspires you; and, oh by the way, is full of delicious recipes that do not require a degree from Le Cordon Bleu or the Culinary Institute of America to prepare.

First and foremost, we think for a cookbook to deserve a decent rating, the recipes have to work. Everything we've tried has been scrumptious thus far. Each recipe is well laid out, starting with a short introduction on the dish. Ingredients for the recipe follow and are listed logically. Easy to understand steps that make sense for any average home cook follow the ingredients.

If your mouth is not watering by the time you're done reading the recipe for "Sherry-Braised Short Ribs with Autumn Vegetables" that starts on page 95, you may not have a pulse. Even someone who can barely boil water should be able to follow the recipe for "Albondigas" (Spanish for meatballs in tomato sauce) on page 110 and easily make succulent meatballs worthy of serving to any guest. The "Roasted Beets with Cabrales and Toasted Walnuts" cold tapas on page 31 is simplicity itself, but with a "secret" trick (using a certain type of vinegar to accentuate the beets) that make the dish transcendent. I could go on and on and on.

Beyond the well laid out recipes that work, the anecdotes in the book such as "The Meat Guy" (starting on page 158) are amusing and fun to read. We don't know this meat guy, Mark Berlin, but after reading about him, we know we want to meet him someday and get our meat from him.

Whether you cook or not, if you love food, this is a great book and a must have!

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy this book now. You won't be disappointed., June 14, 2009

By 

Ninette Enrique "bigboldbeautifulfood.blogspo... (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Barcelona Cookbook: A Celebration of Food, Wine, and Life (Hardcover)

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.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Barcelona cookbook, December 6, 2009

By 

SJ Lee-min (Boston) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Barcelona Cookbook: A Celebration of Food, Wine, and Life (Hardcover)

Barcelona review
What I like most about this book is that the recipes work. There are no crazy insane recipes that require an advanced degree in the culinary arts. I also finally found the best Patas Bravas and chimichurri sauce recipes. These are so common, but it's hard to find really good recipes like the one in this book. Even if you don't cook, the book is full of beautiful pictures and delicious stories so it's fun just to read as a collection of stories.