[Suzanne F]

An American version is in the works -- actually, what I presume will be only slightly Americanized.

Anyone know the book? What do you think?

[rohandaft]

Hello Suzanne
What do you mean by Americanized? Style of writing? Presentation/design?
The first edition of Menú del Día is being published by Simon & Schuster in the States in September so it's not an American version as such.
What more can I tell you?
Rohan

[SRD]

And if that's not straight from the horse's mouth I don't know what is.

Welcome Rohan.

[rohandaft]

And if that's not straight from the horse's mouth I don't know what is.

Welcome Rohan.

Thank you SRD. That's kind.

[rancho_gordo]

Welcome, Rohan.
I don't know anything about your book but the title sounds great.
What's it about and when will it be published?

[The Scream]

and when will it be published?

I'm going to a wild guess, a total stab in the dark... it will published by Simon & Schuster in the States in September

[rancho_gordo]

and when will it be published?

I'm going to a wild guess, a total stab in the dark... it will published by Simon & Schuster in the States in September

Actually, I thought it might be fun to engage someone new who obviously is doing something interesting.

[rohandaft]

Welcome, Rohan.
I don't know anything about your book but the title sounds great.
What's it about and when will it be published?

Basically...., I'd say good, straightforward, authentic recipes for Spanish classics each accompanied by a musing, thought, anecdote, snatch of info etc that I hope will tell you something about the Spanish as well as how they eat.
I've spent many years in Spain both writing and travelling around sourcing ingredients for suppliers to restaurants in the UK and Ireland - I was once sent out to find some oddly long radishes for The Fat Duck. What happened to them I don't know.

[rancho_gordo]

Welcome, Rohan.
I don't know anything about your book but the title sounds great.
What's it about and when will it be published?

Basically...., I'd say good, straightforward, authentic recipes for Spanish classics each accompanied by a musing, thought, anecdote, snatch of info etc that I hope will tell you something about the Spanish as well as how they eat.
I've spent many years in Spain both writing and travelling around sourcing ingredients for suppliers to restaurants in the UK and Ireland - I was once sent out to find some oddly long radishes for The Fat Duck. What happened to them I don't know.

You just made a pre-order on Amazon. Sounds great.
Are ingredients a big issue in the UK? I would think it would be easier there than here.
Have you sourced ingredients for the US?
Are there books on Spanish food that you like? We had a nice run with The New Spanish Table awhile back. A lot of us bought it and cooked from it, with v. good results. In fact, I need to find it in my mess and try something new.

[Liza]

Welcome, Rohan! Looking forward to reading and cooking from your book.

[Blondie]

Welcome, Rohan! Your book sounds great. Are you including any Catalan recipes?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on Irish restaurants because the last discussion here on that subject wasn't very productive. If you don't mind me asking, which Irish restaurants did you work for?

[Suzanne F]

Nice to "meet" you, Rohan. When I asked, I hadn't yet checked that this would be the first edition anywhere. I thought it had already come out in the UK. It is indeed a worthwhile book, with very good recipes and interesting info. I hope it gets the beautiful design it deserves.

As for the Americanization, no, there's not much beyond changing the measurements and some of the more obscure (to us Yanks) colloquialisms. At least, that's what I was aiming for. I hope you were pleased. And you should know that some of the sources I added to your list are very popular with Mouthfullers.

[rancho_gordo]

Were you the copy editor? You lucky dog!

[rohandaft]

Welcome, Rohan.
I don't know anything about your book but the title sounds great.
What's it about and when will it be published?

Basically...., I'd say good, straightforward, authentic recipes for Spanish classics each accompanied by a musing, thought, anecdote, snatch of info etc that I hope will tell you something about the Spanish as well as how they eat.
I've spent many years in Spain both writing and travelling around sourcing ingredients for suppliers to restaurants in the UK and Ireland - I was once sent out to find some oddly long radishes for The Fat Duck. What happened to them I don't know.

You just made a pre-order on Amazon. Sounds great.
Are ingredients a big issue in the UK? I would think it would be easier there than here.
Have you sourced ingredients for the US?
Are there books on Spanish food that you like? We had a nice run with The New Spanish Table awhile back. A lot of us bought it and cooked from it, with v. good results. In fact, I need to find it in my mess and try something new.

That's terrific about the Amazon order! Many thanks. And I hope you enjoy the book.
I spend most of my time in Spain (and spent a lot of time in DC in my earlier years), but I imagine the UK is similar to the States with regards to the availability of ingredients: pretty good in the big cities and not quite so good - but certainly improving - outside. I know it's not the same as buying at market or good speciality stores, but you can get pretty much all you need (bomba and senia rice, cazuelas, salt cod, squid ink, saffron...) for the more intrinsically Spanish Menú del Día recipes over the net.
I haven't sourced ingredients for anyone in the States but would be pleased to!
I get pretty much all of my info on Spanish food directly from producers, vendors, restaurateurs and chefs but, with regards to books, I think Colman Andrews' Catalan Cuisine is particularly good, with the research really coming through. I also like Simone Ortega's 1080 Recetas de Cocina which, as I'm sure you know, was originally published in the 50's (?). The recipes are not all Spanish (I think the author was French) but it's something of a classic and will give you a good and valuable insight into the Spanish approach to food and cooking. I don't have a copy of The New Spanish Table but have heard very good things about it.

[rohandaft]

Welcome, Rohan! Your book sounds great. Are you including any Catalan recipes?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on Irish restaurants because the last discussion here on that subject wasn't very productive. If you don't mind me asking, which Irish restaurants did you work for?

There are a number of Catalan recipes, yes - fricandós of pork and eggplant and beef and ceps, an escudella barrejada from Palamos on the Costa Brava, variations on spinach, the Valencian fideuà (if by Catalan you mean the 'Paises Catalanes' which include Valencia and the Balearics), an Ibizan Sofrit Pagés (ditto)...
I haven't worked directly for any restaurants in Ireland, just the supplier to places like Patrick Guilbaud, L'Ecrivain and The Clarence. People either tell me what they are looking for or ask me for suggestions and I advise and supply them. I've heard good things about the above restaurants and I know they are admirably particular about ingredients, but from an 'eating in them' point of view I'm much better on restaurants in Spain!