"I came to Catalan cuisine as a novice, an outsider - and immediately fell in love with it," writes author Colman Andrews in the introduction to this classic and wonderful work. "I was taken by its freshness and vitality, haunted by its resonances of the past, thrilled by its forthright, vivid flavors. But what fascinated me most...was precisely its unexpectedness, its surprising way of doing unfamiliar things with familiar raw materials."
The ingredients of Catalan cuisine are familiar and easily found, and we can safely wade into these waters because of the sterling job Andrews has done in opening the doors to this cuisine. Colman Andrews has many gifts, primary among them the ability to write a good recipe, critical when dealing with a less-familiar cuisine. The recipes are finely wrought reflecting Colman's ability to translate a local ingredient into one more generally available.
To welcome strangers, Colman has revitalized the organization of a cookbook with great originality while retaining some of its standard methods of categorizing dishes. Divided into five section (with additional appendices) the book begins with a section on the background, the people, their language and the food they have developed over the centuries. The second section contains the basic sauces where you will find such delicious sauces as Allioli (the Catalan catsup, says Andrews), Sofregit ( similar to soffritto or battuto), Picada and Samfaini.
These are the building blocks from which Andrews springs into the all-important third section - raw materials. Delving into the chapter, the reader sees that nothing is unfamiliar. There are eggplants, anchovies, rice and poultry, an assortment of nuts, mushrooms, wild game, legumes and beans, olive and olive oil, seafood and "El porc" (the pig). Cargols, or snails, might be the only adventurous area of ingredients. With friendly ingredients, you are ready to adventure. Try Boles de Picolat - French Catalan Meatballs with Green Olives, or Lamb Chops with Olives. Cook "El porc" in a variety of ways : Pork and Cabbage Dumplings, or Pork Loin with Pomegranate Sauce, perhaps try Stuffed Pigs' Feet with Wild Mushrooms.
The fourth section deal with specific dishes and the last section deals with wines and restaurants. Following Colman's logic is easy and so informative that you "feel" the food before you begin to cook. The pages turn quickly under his elegant prose and Catalan cuisine feels comfortable, not formidable.
Head into the themes of Catalan cooking with La Calcotada a great salsa of green onions or scallions, almonds, garlic and spices. Try Escalivada, the grilled vegetables that are "cooked in ash" (or over the grill for us modern folk). The fourth section deal with specific dishes and finally the last section deals with wines and restaurants.
This is a deep study presented in a passionate and intelligent manner to open vistas to cooks everywhere. Kudos to Mr. Andrews.
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