Helen Bartlett's debut cookbook takes its inspiration from her adopted homeland in Andalusia where she is chef-patron of Fountainhead. In her idyllic new world she creates, with little help, outstanding dishes using the abundance of natural ingredients that surround her, including those harvested by her family. She eschews the fads of most of today's restaurant kitchens and focuses on getting the maximum out of her ingredients using innovative and traditional cooking techniques to produce dishes that excel in colour, flavour and originality. The book takes in her entire cooking spectrum starting with the inspiring tapas pages with images to tempt the palate and imagination. From Spanish traditional such as 'morcilla, apple and beans' to the contrasting flavours of 'scallops with rosemary and pimiento'. She describes the deli section as if looking into a shop front full of ready-made dishes from 'tuna with scallions, ginger and orange' to 'pork with sage, garlic and sweet lemons'.
She covers some intensely flavoured soups with her own unfiltered organic olive oil drizzled from its title page and in the seafood section, sublime combinations such as 'octopus with crushed raspberries and green herb oil' sit alongside the classic simplicity of 'fish baked in salt'. There is a complete section dedicated to colourful salads with fresh combinations such as 'strawberry, chilli and rocket' and 'sweet potato, red onion and lime'. Main courses are more complex, some robust, earthy and Andaluz, others combining spice and exotic tones of Arab influence. Delicious desserts and baking include a diverse infusion of fragrant ingredients such as saffron, wild herbs, geranium and anise. Above all, the recipes reflect the joy and enthusiasm the author feels about life and the art of cooking.
- ISBN10 0956669859
- ISBN13 9780956669858
- Publish Date 12 May 2012
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country GB
- Imprint Giant Mountain Publishing
- Format Paperback
- Pages 256
- Language English