Customer Reviews

El Farol: Tapas and Spanish Cuisine

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This book, `El Farol' by Chef James Campbell Caruso contains recipes from the menu of the Santa Fe restaurant of the same name. A few restaurant cookbooks transcend their very simple objective of publicizing the restaurant. Some of the more obvious examples are `The French Laundry Cookbook' by Thomas Keller and the `Zuni Café Cookbook' by Judy Rodgers. Both take the reader far beyond simple recipes and provide either very basic insights into what makes a great restaurant or truly inspired instruction on what it takes to cross the boundary between good food and great food. While both of these cookbooks offer over the top attention to details, there are some transcendent restaurant cookbooks which succeed through simplicity, at the cost of providing instruction. The premier examples of such books are the cookbooks of Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers of London's River Café. If this book is to break out of it's mold as an elaborate advertisement for the El Farol restaurant, it will want to emulate these great River Café cookbooks.

I believe this book almost succeeds in matching the quality of the Gray and Rogers books. The first thing that impressed me was the modesty of the book's author and `sponsor', the El Farol owner David Salazar. There was no posturing, preaching about using fresh ingredients, or gratuitous photographs of strolls through the hills around Santa Fe. The next pleasant surprise was that in spite of the fact that El Farol is very close to `Tex-Mex Central', the cuisine is almost entirely Spanish, and a fairly faithful Spanish cuisine at that. As we see in the subtitle, the cuisine also specializes in tapas. In fact, fully half of the book is dedicated to hot and cold tapas, with another full quarter of the book dedicated to sauces, flavored oils, stocks, and other pantry preparations. The scant last forty pages of the book contain main dishes and desserts.

The second thing to impress me about the book was the chapter on `El Farol Basics'. This is the kind of stuff that most authors stick at the back of the book. I am glad Caruso has gone against this trend, as this very valuable chapter may otherwise be overlooked. Among the thirty-four (34) recipes in this chapter, there is plenty of pretty familiar stuff such as aiolis, stocks, flavored oils, salsas, and vinaigrettes, but even these staples are often done with a twist. I really appreciated that the aiolis are made with mortar and pestle. Jamie Oliver may have single-handedly resurrected this simple tool, but just in case, I really like to see it used whenever possible. It is utterly simple, easy to clean, and actually produces a better result than a blender or food processor for many jobs.

I have not studied Spanish cuisine as much as French and Italian, but if this book is any evidence, it seems that butter is an important ingredient at least in some regions of Spain, the world's leader in production of olive oil. There are several recipes here for flavored butters. There are also artifacts of the great Moorish influence on Spanish cooking. The book includes a recipe for preserved lemons and a Moroccan carrot sauce and the Moroccan Harissa spiced chile sauce, a very convenient intersection of old Spanish cuisine with New Mexican produce. The variety in this chapter is truly impressive, ranging from Migas (fried bread croutons) to a Spanish version of buerre blanc incorporating preserved lemons.

The first chapter also introduces several pillars of Spanish cuisine, jamon Serrano, Cabrales and Manchego cheeses, the fortified wines, sherry and port, and sherry wine vinegar. I suspect true Serrano ham may be hard to find in these United States, but I believe a good prosciutto will make a decent, if not inexpensive substitute. In fact, a good Italian prosciutto may actually be less expensive than a good Serrano. This ham is so important to the Spanish cuisine, the book even offers a Jamon stock recipe. It's the rare Italian who would put her prosciutto in a stockpot.

The cold tapas recipes have samples of all the different classic Spanish dishes you may expect, such as ceviches, escabeches, couscous salads, queso fresco and the very misleadingly named tortilla espanola. For anyone unfamiliar with Spanish egg dishes, a `Spanish' omelet is not Spanish, and the Tortilla Espanola, is an omelet (actually more like a frittata), and not a tortilla. But, it is very, very good. Believe me, I have made it.

The star of the hot tapas recipes is the empanadas, of which Caruso offers four different recipes. The beef and chorizo-potato fillings are expected, but the oyster and portobello fillings are something of a pleasant surprise. As I got to the end of the hot tapas, things started looking a lot like the cuisine of Spain's Italian cousins, especially in Sicily, with the grilled sardines and fried calamari.

It should be no surprise at all that the star of the `Main Courses' is the Paella, with variations using pork and spinach; poultry and seafood; and shrimp and blood sausage. The remaining dishes offer a very nice mix of shellfish, fin fish, beef, pork, duck, lamb, and quail.

The desserts are all fairly easy, with a lot of flans and chocolate coming to the party. The chapter on drinks is no surprise, with several recipes for sangrias, brandy, and tequila. There is a useful short chapter on Spanish vintage and fortified (sherry) wines.

The most impressive and gratifying aspect of the book is in the simplicity of the recipes, especially for tapas. I recently reviewed two books on entertaining whose recipes for `little bites' were as complicated or more complicated than many a main dish. This alone compares it favorably to Rogers and Gray of River Café.

This book will not replace a good book on Spanish cuisine, but at a list price under $30, it will not disappoint you.

El Farol is the oldest restaurant and bar in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Frescoes by Alfred Morang decorate the walls of the 1835 adobe. In this eclectic setting, oil paintings by Roland Van Loon dance across your vision as you take pleasure in the Spanish Cuisine.

For quite some time I've wondered about using smoked paprika and Chef James Campbell Caruso uses this ingredient in many of his recipes. Have you ever wondered how to make those preserved lemons? There is a recipe with simple ingredients like sea salt, cinnamon, cloves, garlic and olive oil. Once the lemons are preserved, you store them in oil for six months to a year. The Preserved Lemon Butter Sauce calls for 1 tablespoon chopped preserved lemons. This sauce can be served over salmon.

One of the most intriguing recipes is for the El Farol Pincho Spice Mix that makes use of all sorts of spices and herbs I've never blended together before like, smoked paprika and oregano. You rub the unique spices on anything you can grill.

If you love blue cheese, you may want to try to find "Cabrales." Most of the recipes do use readily available ingredients although you may have to hunt for saffron in your grocery store or order it online.

Recipes you may enjoy:

Lemon-Rosemary Flan - the El Farol's biggest-selling dessert

Marscarpone-Stuffed Figs and Dates - sprinkled with pistachios and arranged with orange slices.

Grilled Artichokes in Saffron Butter

Beef Empanadas - a masa harina/flour based dough filled with spicy turkey filling.

Grilled Artichokes in Saffron Butter - one of the most popular tapas (small, savory Spanish dishes)

The picture in this book that made me terribly hungry was the Ensalada de Uvas con Queso. A grape salad with fresh mozzarella. I had wondered about using the small balls of mozzarella and here is the recipe.

Pantry items you may need include: sherry vinegar, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, sea salt, sweet smoked paprika, Mexican oregano, saffron, star anise, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, olive oil, masa harina, raisins and of course, lots of fresh garlic.

Growing fresh herbs is optional and rosemary is one of the herbs I still need to plant this year. Once it is planted, I'm making the Lemon-Rosemary Flan. I have a feeling we will be eating a little better this summer than last! The food in the El Farol cookbook is comforting, delicious and at times a little exotic. Fortunately dried figs are not difficult to find and most of the spices can be found at the grocery store or here at Amazon.

~The Rebecca Review

I am living in Italy, close to Parma, so I am used to good cooking and food. When I buy El farol I wish to learn to cook some spanish dishes, but what I have found is more. Recepies are written in an easy way, step by step, and it is impossible to make a mistake. There are a lot of suggestions and I have immediatly tried to cook Caldo Pescado and Gambas al Alcaparra.
There is a lot of living joy in this book

As a former resident of the beloved Santa Fe, one of the things I miss most about it is the food. A no other restaurant ranks higher on my list than that of El Farol. The food is superb! Executive Chef Caruso pays extra attention to their famous, mouth-watering tapas. It has been a long awaited arrival for this book and it's about damn time. I can only hope to rekindle some of my fondest memories by attempting to recreate his masterpieces in my own kitchen. If you take pleasure in dining on Spanish cuisine, I implore you to buy this book. I, personally, am excited to add it to my collection of cookbooks.

Oh and one more suggestion, I recommend the fried avocado (a.k.a. aquacate). It's delectable, although not nearly as pretty as when it is served at the restaurant. I, however, am not a culinary artist nor even close to being a chef.

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.

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.

El Farol: Tapas And Spanish Cuisine features more than one hundred recipes from Santa Fe's oldest restaurant and cantina, El Farol, which is famous for its award-winning cuisine. Blending the culinary traditions of New Mexico with flavors from Mediterranean, Spanish, and Latin American cooking, El Farol combines practical instructions with spectacular full-color photographs to showcase some of the finest restaurant-quality preparations imagineable, from Aguacate (Crispy Fried Avocado) to Shrimp Escabeche with Black Olives and Mint, Pulpo Asado (Grilled Octopus), and so much more. El Farol is a lavish and superbly presented resource for creating extravagant, memorable dishes with cross-cultural zest.

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.

This is a very beautiful book. It is very well presented. Recipes are fantastic. What more can I say?

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!