I was first introduced to Penelope Casas' books several years back when a friend gave me "The Foods and Wine of Spain". I have been hooked since. Her recipes are always on target and delicious. A particular focus of this book are the regional differences in Spanish cuisine. From the Moorish influenced lamb and melon stew to the Catalan garlic chicken, Casas covers the cuisine deliciously. I use this book regularly and have even followed its suggestions on restaurants and tapas bars when we visited Spain.

The recipes in this book consistently taste like the food I've enjoyed in Spanish restaurants. Her chicken dishes are among the best I've made, and I am thrilled with how authentic the tapas dishes are. The recipes are easy to follow and most are fairly easy to prepare. They are organized by region rather than type of dish. Although it is interesting to read about the variations in regional cooking, the organization makes finding the recipes you are looking for a bit more difficult... but the results are worth it. I have a large collection of cookbooks, but this is one of the few I use repeatedly.

I first learned of Casas when I read her "Uncommon Guide" to Spain. She clearly loves the country and is devoted to its accurate representation. Her "Uncommon Guide" focused on areas and their foods. "Delicioso!" is the next best thing to discovering Spain. If you can't go, you can at least make the food. Her recipes are detailed and easy to follow. She also gives you some background on the recipes and covers tapas to seafood to desserts. The results are truly delicioso!

I enjoyed this book very much. Ms. Casas gives a brief description of the local food for the different areas of Spain giving some cultural background which explain the diversity of ingredients. I read it in a sitting and as I read I marked recipes I wanted to try. When I finished reading I had quite a lot of marked pages. I love tripe and loved the two recipes given for the dish as they make it in Madrid and in Galicia. It is not only a book to cook by but it helps you to understand Spanish food.

In 1982 Penelope Casas published the finest book of Spanish cookery ever. It is now in its 11th printing. Although she has written other books on the cuisines of Spain, "The Foods and Wines of Spain" has biblical standing among cooks. For her culinary expertise she has been honored by the government of Spain, but more importantly, she had built a following of gastronomes of all stripes who swear by her recipes. Their authenticity is never in question: she is an indefatigable researcher who goes back to the kitchen and discusses things with the local artists and then includes those recipes and techniques in her book. If a few of the dishes don't taste exactly as they did in Spain it is because not all the ingredients are available here. Still, Ms. Casas gives advice about reasonable substitutes, and now that serrano ham and some chorizos are allowed to be imported, such substitutions can be kept to a minimum.

The book contains not one but two recipes for garlic soup, simple to make by even beginning cooks, and highly addictive. The "arroz a banda" described is one of the more subtle and satisfying of the rice dishes; and of course there is the paella (about which Ms. Casas has written a separate book). In this volume its recipe appears a bit intimidating, but it is essentially easy to prepare if one does not think too much about it beforehand.

For those cooks who need exact formulas and pharmacy-like precision in their ingredients, this book will please them. For those who are relativists with active imaginations, the book will also satisfy by pointing them in the right direction: pork chops with prunes, duck with olives in sherry sauce, baked porgy and peppers with brandy, chicken with figs. Yum.

Penelope Casas can be considered the guru of Spanish cooking, as she is a true expert on this nation's cuisine. I have lived in Spain and have traveled extensively throughout the country and I know the land and cuisine intimately. The Foods and Wines of Spain is a true classic and no one wishing to prepare authentic Spanish dishes will want to be without it. Casas has written much more than a book of recipes--she gives a lot of cultural information behind the recipes that is not only informative but highly interesting. You quickly discover how incredibly diverse Spanish food is, and how numerous cultures have contributed to Spanish cuisine. You soon discover that it is hard to define "Spanish" food, as it varies from region to region. There is a significant Arab influence found in dishes from Andalucía in the south, while the dishes of the north are compeletely different. Meanwhile, rice (introduced by the Arabs) dishes predominate in the the eastern part of the country. I have made many of the recipes in this book, all with excellent results--this is the real deal if you want to recreate the dishes you relished in Spain. I highly recommend the paellas, the tortilla española, the garlic soup, and the tuna turnovers (empanadillas). These and many other recipes make this a cookbook that you will return to again and again. I highly recommend this book to all fans of authentic Spanish cuisine as well as those interested in discovering this diverse cuisine. Most of the recipes are made with common, easy to find ingredients, are easy to make, and are well liked by a large number of people--my family and friends (most of whom are not Spanish) always look forward to my Spanish lunches and dinners with great enthusiasm! Finally, my Spanish friends think they're back in Spain whenever I make them recipes from Casas' incredible book. If you love Spanish cooking or you are interested in Spanish cooking, do not hesitate to purchase the Foods and Wines of Spain--a finer Spanish cookbook has not been written.

A wonderful introduction to Spain's colorful and exciting "little dishes," this attractive cookbook provides the reader with an extensive range of tapas from many regions. The dishes described are as versatile as they are delicious, and although some are rather time-consuming, most are not complicated. A glossary of ingredients, shopping information, hints on techniques and utensils, tips for throwing your own tapas party, and carefully planned menus for a variety of occasions make this a very useful guide.

Also recommended: If you love tapas you will love mazzas, the "little dishes" of the eastern Mediterranean, a stunning selection of which is included in Sonia Uvezian's latest and greatest cookbook, "Recipes and Remembrances from an Eastern Mediterranean Kitchen." This extraordinary volume should be added to every food lover's "must" list!

Making and eating tapas is high art in Spain. The simple American 'appetizer' pales in comparison. I love the whole notion of hundreds of different delicious little morsels to be savored by friends with some sherry or why not even a glass of alberino... Such a wonderfully stimulating way to eat! -- Whether or not you have ever had tapas, you are certain to find several recipes to love in this mighty little volume. There are items to suit any occasion and number of guests, some can be served cold, some can be made ahead, and Penny Casas provides outlines of sample tapas party menus to follow if you find yourself too overcome with delight to be able to choose.

This book is the most authentic I've found and I will certainly buy future books by this author.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this book, with its sensual descriptions of ingredients and menus. Truly a taste of Spain here! I gave a chef/ friend a copy for Christmas; and for New Years' she whipped up a dreamy Tapas party that sent our whole group into the furthest reaches of epicurean bliss. Everything she served came from this book! These recipies are flawless.

After trying a couple of paellas from this book, I have to agree with the person who criticized the recommended cooking method. Baking the seafood for 20 minutes ruins it, rendering the shrimp tough and other seafood dry and tasteless. I had much better success with stovetop cooking, adding the seafood during the last five minutes or so. Perhaps baking the paella would work better if the seafood was added later rather than earlier. Ingredient lists and proportions are right on the mark, with the resulting flavors garnering highest marks.

Penelope Casas has come up with yet another indispensable addition to anyone's library of Spanish cuisine. This book greatly expands our knowledge of Spain's great rice dishes and I highly recommend it. Although many paella and arroz recipes seem daunting, if you follow Ms. Casas instructions you will find that, except for prepping the dishes, good paellas are surprisingly easy to make, colorful on the table, and usually popular with everyone. These enjoyable dish can even be reheated by micro-wave the next day, if indeed, there is any left. (My advice is to make double the amount you think you will need.) Making paella is a great family endeavor and the dish is a great dinner party, picnic, or outdoor barbecue dish. The variety of rice dishes in Casas's book gives an idea of the great diversity of Spanish cuisine.

I bought this after eating at the home of friends who used this cookbook to prepare dinner. Although paella can be labor and time intensive, I found the directions clear and easy to follow. Suggestions for desserts & drinks etc. beneficial and easy. NOTHING in the book has turned out badly. The varieties of paella described have made it possible for me to serve the dish to vegetarians, Kosher-observant Jews (!), and your basic American carnivore. A treat.