Product Description
From the best-selling author of Tapas: The Little Dishes of Spain and The Foods and Wines of Spain.
Unless they have traveled to spain, most Americans have never tasted a really good paella. What passes for paella at restaurants and even in cookbooks here is a pale imitation of the real thing, the vibrant Spanish rice dish that marries the robust flavors of olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, and pepper with short-grain rice, broth, and meat, fish, or vegetables. Penelope Casas is here to restore the glorious paella to its rightful place as a grain-based meal that will gratify the senses as well as be the centerpiece for easy, elegant entertaining.
Casas presents sixty different fascinating paellas, some traditional, some her own creation, showing how easily some of the preparation can be done ahead of time with supermarket ingredients. She includes a superior collection of tapas, the Spanish meal starters, two dozen simple desserts, and a handful of broths and sauces. Her passion for paella, her clear directions, and her creative pairings of fresh ingredients make this unusual cookbook a winner.
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Paella!: Spectacular Rice Dishes From Spain
- Hardcover: 224 pages
- Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.; 1999-05-11
- Label: Henry Holt and Co.
- Studio: Henry Holt and Co.
- ISBN: 0805056238
- Average Customer Review:
 based on 23 reviews
- Sales Rank in Books: #89963
Avg. Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Great Book!! 2008-12-08
Comment: I have been cooking with this book for about 3 years and I can tell you that it is a great one. You can definitely make some of the best rise dishes in the US. After making about 12 rice dishes from this book, my favorites are: traditional valencia and the Lamb with red peppers. The Valenciana is the easiest so I would start with that one. Sure, you can argue about every little detail of making Paella, as most Spanish people do within themselves, but such constructive discussion shall not be good basis for bashing this good book.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: Simply Wonderful! 2008-06-12
Comment: I received this book as a Christmas gift a few years ago and thought only recently to write a glowing review of this book. Sorry Penelope! I should have done this a few years ago.
Penelope is a personable and expressive writer. As I read through all her time saving tips and scrumptious recipes I feel as though I have an expert advising me in real life on how to make some great dishes.
I consider myself an above average 'home trained' cook in the kitchen and following her recipes was a breeze. The only problem you should ever have, and this isn't related to the author whatsoever, is finding the ingredients. But they can be found online so don't fret!
One paella that I make for Easter is the salmon with asparagus with crumbled boiled egg and smoked salmon bits garnished on top. It's a winner with anyone who enjoys fish. Friends of mine who go to 5 star restaurants have told me that the paellas I've made from Penelope's book are some of the best food they've had in a long time. So thanks Penelope! You've transformed me into a better cook.
She also has a few more recipes in there that are for tapas and deserts. She educates you on the quality of ingredients that for the most part come from Spain and you develop a deeper appreciation for them. For example, I knew saffron was very expensive but I didn't know it was more expensive than gold pound per pound!
There are so many varieties of paella that one is sure to find a recipe in this book whether a person is vegetarian or a meat eater.
If you really like paella I can't recommend this book enough. My copy of this book stays close on hand. It'll never develop dust on the shelf from lack of use since I am always referencing it or trying a new recipes.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: Beautiful book with beautiful recipes 2008-01-11
Comment: Beautiful books with beautiful recipes! Perfect for anyone. Like traditional Paella - it's there. Like the idea but not some of the ingrediants - it's there too. A must have!
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: Paella in Depth 2008-01-07
Comment: I prepare Paella at least once a week now instead occasionally during the year. This book of accessable recipes is informative and very enjoyable . It makes Paella what is should be...an easy part of your weekly menu. Don't miss Ms. Casas's book on Tapas.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: Authentic Spanish Recipes!!! 2006-04-17
Comment: I am originally from Spain, and when I came to the US with my family and mom's recipes, it was really hard to convert all the measurements from the metric to the american system. So, when I found this book, I bought it....it is GREAT!! All the paella recipes that I have tried make me feel at home again. The recipes are easy to follow and really clear. My next buy will be her book about tapas. Since I am from the north of Spain, I will let you know what I thin about those recipes, but I am expecting a great book as well.
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Paella!: Spectacular Rice Dishes From Spain
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