The Barcelona Cookbook

A Celebration of Food, Wine, and Life

by Sasa Mahr-Batuz, Andy Pforzheimer

Price: $29.99
ISBN-13: 978-0-7407-7394-5
ISBN-10: 0-7407-7394-1
Format: Hardcover
Size: 9 x 10 in.
Page Count: 224 pages

“It’s tapas with a Mediterranean and Latin twist offering recipes perfect for sharing with friends and family. Along with the interesting sidebars, recipes are nicely paired with wine suggestions, menu and party planning recommendations, and tips for applying restaurant tricks to the home kitchen.” ––Suzy Said http://suzysaid.com/fairfield/index.php?page=stories&family=restaurants&category=Local_Cookbooks&display=10050

“We (my wife and I) collect cookbooks for many reasons, but you know you’ve hit the jackpot when a certain book is simultaneously fun to read with great stories; sprinkled with useful tips and hints throughout; contains photos that make you want to pluck the food off the pages to eat; inspires you; and, oh by the way, is full of delicious recipes that do not require a degree from Le Cordon Bleu or the Culinary Institute of America to prepare.” ––Books, Drinks & Beverages http://drinks-beverages-books.blogspot.com/2010/03/low-price-barcelona-cookbook.html

“When the Barcelona Cookbook came out last Summer, I was incredulous that I could recreate the flavors that emerge from their kitchens. Sure, these recipes don’t come with music and engaging bartenders, but the food tastes great.” ––CT Bites http://www.ctbites.com/home/2010/2/13/chef-talk-barcelonas-gambas-al-ajillo.html

“The Barcelona Cookbook is robust and gutsy, just like the establishment, and is oozing with good things. Alluring aromas, savory flavors, and good times are the main ingredients in this offering. It brings the cosmopolitan soul of Barcelona Restaurant and Wine Bar home with 110 unbelievable recipes perfect for sharing with friends and family. Along with the interesting sidebars, recipes are nicely paired with wine suggestions, menu and party planning recommendations, and tips for applying restaurant tricks to the home kitchen.” ––Imaginary Kitchen http://bit.ly/17En6u

“Since I do have tremendous foodies in my circle of friends, I would definitely buy this book for them. However, I don’t mean to imply that only advanced cooks would enjoy this book. The recipes are clear and concise and today, thankfully, most of the perhaps more exotic ingredients can be found in everyday grocery stores. The recipes range from classically easy (Roasted Olives) to more labor-intensive (Double-Thick Pork Chops with Basque Peppers and Crushed Fingerling Potatoes), with everything in between. Additionally, the inserts that are scattered throughout the book are timely and informative, shedding light on a particular subject such as choosing a good olive oil or curing meats, or describing an asado so delectably that my mouth waters reading the words and looking at the pictures.  This was one of my favorite things about the cookbook:  the “extras” besides the recipes and is part of the whole that makes this a very recommendable cookbook. ” ––Relish Magazine http://www.relishmag.com/article/36406.html

“It brings the cosmopolitan soul of Barcelona Restaurant and Wine Bar home with 110 unbelievable recipes perfect for sharing with friends and family. Along with the interesting sidebars, recipes are nicely paired with wine suggestions, menu and party planning recommendations, and tips for applying restaurant tricks to the home kitchen. A variety of both hot and cold tapas recipes are included. The outcome: a fabulous offering of mouthwatering dishes that are as rich and satisfying as the conversation around the table. The 175 beautiful photographs alone will convince you it’s time for a party.” ––Barcelona In Spain http://barcelonainspain.blogspot.com/2009/09/barcelona-cookbook-celebration-of-food.html

“Sasa and Andy will introduce you to a style of eating and cooking that might not be familiar but that will invigorate you with its palate of bold, exciting, and satisfying flavors and textures. They have traveled extensively and admire and include many of the world’s cuisines, but tapas are he cooking style they love more than any other. The Barcelona Cookbook includes 115 signature recipes that highlight the simple and clean flavors of their bold hot and cold tapas as well as main dishes, party food, and desserts. A sampling includes Roasted Beets with Cabrales and Toasted Walnuts, Mussels al Diablo, Chorizo with Sweet-and-Sour Figs, Swordfish with Panzanella, Paella Barcelona, and Chocolate Indulgence.” ––Global Gourmet http://www.globalgourmet.com/food/cookbook/

“The Barcelona Cookbook: A Celebration of Food, Wine, and Life is a stunningly beautiful cookbook with recipes from the very successful Barcelona Wine Bar and Restaurants in Connecticut. Listed in Zagat’s as one of “America’s Top Restaurants, Barcelona’s cookbook is filled with beautiful images of the prepared recipes as well as of Barcelona Spain.” ––Cooking Nook http://www.cookingnook.com/barcelona-cookbook.html

“If you’re looking for a nice introduction to more authentic Spanish cuisine or ideas for Tapas then look no further than the Barcelona Cookbook.  And if you live near one of the locations, do go check it out and let us know just how wonderful it is.” ––Project Foodie http://www.projectfoodie.com/spotlights/cookbooks/el-cookbook-de-barcelona.html

“The Barcelona Cookbook is a treasure trove of tempting, vibrant recipes, primarily, but not exclusively, tapas recipes, all signature dishes from the famed Connecticut restaurants (owned by the authors), the Barcelona Restaurant and Wine Bars. The main title refers to the restaurant recipes, while the subtitle, A Celebration of Food, Wine, and Life, can only refer to the authors exuberant attitudes to life. This is a book of great élan, one packed with vivacious recipes to be prepared and consumed with spirited enjoyment. ” ––In Mamas Kitchen http://www.inmamaskitchen.com/Book_Reviews/chefs_cookbooks/BARCELONA.html

“To me the book echoes what Andy and Sasa seemed to have set out to do in their restaurants: offer a fun, festive, colorful place to eat well-prepared food, drink great cocktails, and taste good wine. The book has a similar feel. The color photos are plentiful and well shot; a mixture of ingredients, dishes, kitchen and dining scenes from the restaurants, and photos of Spain. The two men state that the restaurants are foremost about entertaining people; sections of the book are devoted to throwing parties. There’s a whole chapter on cocktails and wine. Interspersed throughout are little histories and commentaries on Spanish food, wine, cheese, cured meats, trips to Spain, and the city of Barcelona, among others. They also include recipes for a number of stock Spanish dishes: sangria, cazuela, albondigas, zarzuela, romesco sauce, paella, gazpacho, arroz con leche and others. Well explained cooking techniques for many of the dishes are added value. Looking at the dishes, the recipes, and the ingredient lists that include such things as olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, paprika, cured meats, seafood, and saffron rice I could easily smell and taste the food, and was almost transported back to Spain.” ––100 Miles http://1hundredmiles.blogspot.com/2009_08_01_archive.html

“This 224-page guide, filled with mouth-watering images, also includes cocktail and wine sections with notes on Spanish wines and a recipe for a blood orange margarita. If you want to throw a tapas party, check out the menu suggestions. Learn about Spanish cheeses and cured meats as well as how to choose olive oil and fresh fish and meat.” ––Kansas City.com http://www.kansascity.com/living/home/story/1351476.html

“Perhaps the best thing about the recipes is that most are fairly simple, like authentic ethnic dishes made by real people often are. Most recipes have only a short list of ingredients, many of them simple things (olive oil, spices, butter, etc.) found in most kitchens. It’s the combinations and preparation that make the results so delicious.” ––Food Management http://food-management.com/segments/colleges/book-review-barcelona-cookbook-0709/

“The Barcelona Cookbook is a fabulous collection of Spanish-inspired, tapas-style recipes taken from the menu of Connecticut’s award-winning Barcelona Restaurant and Wine Bars. The recipes, 115 in all, use simple, fresh ingredients to produce dishes of extraordinary flavor.” ––My Gourmet Connection http://www.mygourmetconnection.com/food-finds/gourmet-library/the-barcelona-cookbook.php

“When The Barcelona Cookbook showed up on my desk, I initially thought it was a Spanish cookery book, or perhaps a cookbook of tapas recipes. As it turns out, The Barcelona Cookbook is both of these and more. It is a collection of recipes from Barcelona Wine Bar and Restaurants, a group of six restaurants located throughout Connecticut. While the cuisine served at all of the Barcelona restaurants can loosely be called Spanish, the menu is peppered with international influences from the backgrounds of this restaurant group’s two owners, Sasa Mahr-Batuz and Andy Pforzheimer.” ––Serious Eats http://www.seriouseats.com/2009/07/cook-the-book-the-barcelona-cookbook.html

“Because the tapas and the other recipes in the book are fairly simple to make and so versatile, it is possible to make a lot of them for a party or just a couple for an easy, casual dinner. This is a fun book for anyone who likes to entertain, loves fresh global flavors and wants to get out of their current appetizer rut and try something new. It would be a great gift along with some good Spanish wine or olive oil. ” ––Kahakia Kitchen http://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/2009/07/cookbook-review-barcelona-cookbook.html

“The Barcelona Cookbook is a treasure trove of tempting, vibrant recipes, primarily, but not exclusively, tapas recipes, all signature dishes from the famed Connecticut restaurants (owned by the authors), the Barcelona Restaurant and Bars. The main title refers to the restaurant recipes, while the subtitle, A Celebration of Food, Wine, and Life, can only refer to the authors exuberant attitudes to life. This is a book of great élan, one packed with vivacious recipes to be prepared and consumed with spirited enjoyment. ” ––In Mamas Kitchen http://www.inmamaskitchen.com/Book_Reviews/chefs_cookbooks/BARCELONA.html

“If Sasa Mahr-Batuz and Andy Pforzheimer could have it their way, people would come from far and wide to experience what diners at their Barcelona eateries around southwest Connecticut already know.  Given the logistical hurdles of such a plan, they went with the next best idea and put together the  Barcelona Cookbook: A Celebration of Food, Wine and Life. … The ideas are explained in the cookbook’s 200 pages. These were born out of the same motivation to share the food and celebratory culture of a typical Spanish tapas bar that led to the creation of the original Barcelona. “We wanted to create an ambiance of food and lifestyle of eating and drinking and laughing and socializing that is found in Spain, a trattoria in Italy, a brasserie in France.”" ––Greenwitch Time http://www.greenwichtime.com/food/ci_12615758

“This cookbook has become a favorite in my extensive cookbook collection. There are recipes to die for in here: shrimp in garlic sauce, paella Barcelona, wild mushrooms with herbed cheese, and flan, and some killer cocktails like blood orange margaritas, red and white sangrias, and clementine crush made with Svedka clementine vodka.” ––Big Bold Beautiful Food http://bigboldbeautifulfood.blogspot.com/2009/06/buy-this-book-barcelona-cookbook.html

“White Sangria. Grilled octopus salad with white beans. Mussels al diablo. Roasted suckling pig. Arroz con leche. If you frequent Barcelona Restaurant and Wine Bar, these foods are like old friends; they may disappear from the menu every once in a while, but you know that they’ll be back eventually. Now they never have to go away.” ––The Hour Online http://www.thehour.com/story/470603

“The Barcelona Cookbook is robust and gutsy, just like the establishment, and is oozing with good things. Alluring aromas, savory flavors, and good times are the main ingredients in this offering.

It brings the cosmopolitan soul of Barcelona Restaurant and Wine Bar home with 110 unbelievable recipes perfect for sharing with friends and family. Along with the interesting sidebars, recipes are nicely paired with wine suggestions, menu and party planning recommendations, and tips for applying restaurant tricks to the home kitchen.” ––Xoogie http://review.xoogie.net/gaurmet-food/the-barcelona-cookbook-a-celebration-of-food-wine-and-life/

Bobby Flay
Executive Chef/ Owner
Mesa Grill, Bar Americain and Bobby Flay Steak

With The Barcelona Cookbook in hand, you can re-create in your own kitchen what the restaurants do every night of the week. Inside you will find recipes to create a meal that can be as casual or elaborate as your mood, and your family and friends will love you for it.

Sasa and Andy will introduce you to a style of eating and cooking that might not be familiar but that will invigorate you with its palate of bold, exciting, and satisfying flavors and textures. They have traveled extensively and admire and include many of the world’s cuisines, but tapas are the cooking style they love more than any other. The Barcelona Cookbook includes 115 signature recipes that highlight the simple and clean flavors of their bold hot and cold tapas as well as main dishes, party food, and desserts. A sampling includes Roasted Beets with Cabrales and Toasted Walnuts, Mussels al Diablo, Chorizo with Sweet-and-Sour Figs, Swordfish with Panzanella, Paella Barcelona, and Chocolate Indulgence.

Also inside:
•  A Cocktails and Wine chapter with detailed information about Spanish wines and recipes for cocktails from Blood Orange Margarita and Gazpacho Boracho to Effen Awesome and White Peach, Pomegranate, and Agave Martinis
•  Menus for tapas parties
•  Information about Spanish cheeses and cured meats, as well as tips for choosing olive oil and fresh fish and meat
•  A photo essay from an asado, an outdoor party that you will wish you had attended
•  Sources for Spanish ingredients and food

Take it from Gerry Dawes, America’s pre-eminent authority on Spanish food, wine and culture, who wrote the foreword for The Barcelona Cookbook: Sasa and Andy’s restaurants are the next-best thing to being in Spain. Now with their cookbook, your home kitchen can boast the same exciting aromas, the same festive atmosphere and sense of camaraderie. If you love to eat and live life with gusto, you’ll love The Barcelona Cookbook.

Andy Pforzheimer has worked as a chef, consultant, and restaurateur in France, California, and New York City alongside such chefs as Jeremiah Tower, Anne Rosenzweig, and Martha Stewart, before opening the Barcelona Restaurant and Wine Bar. He is in charge of the menu selection for all the Barcelona restaurants.

Since 1996, co-owners Sasa and Andy have been entertaining people at their wine and tapas bars—warm, welcoming places with great wine lists and small plates of tantalizing food that can be eaten as easily at the bar as at a table. Their guests know they will laugh, have great conversation, and enjoy terrific food and drink.

Today there are six locations in Connecticut: South Norwalk, Greenwich, Stamford, Fairfield, West Hartford, and New Haven. Andy and Sasa search for the best ingredients at the local markets and from nearby farms, as well as rely on imported Spanish spices, olive oils, vinegars, cheeses, olives, and cured meats. All of this bounty is used in dishes that are cooked simply so that the flavors burst into life. See www.barcelonawinebar.com.

Serves 6

This is a great dish to make ahead for parties as it keeps for as long as four days, although we admit it tastes best on the day it is made. It’s flavorful, inexpensive, and exotic. When done right and allowed to sit at room temperature, the goat cheese softens so that it can be spread on toasted baguettes or crackers. After that, the brilliant green of the mojo verde starts to fade. It still tastes good the next day.

Goat Cheese Logs
6 sprigs fresh thyme
3 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
¼ bunch fresh chives
Two 8-ounce logs goat cheese
¼ pound cream cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Mojo Verde
1 green bell pepper, seeded, cored, and cut into ¼-inch dice
¼ medium red onion, cut into ¼-inch dice (about ¼ cup)
¼ bunch fresh cilantro, stems removed and leaves thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeño pepper, cut into ¼-inch dice (for less heat, scrape out the seeds and membranes first)
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of ½ lime
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Baguette slices, flat bread, or endive spears, for serving

1. To make the goat cheese logs: Strip the leaves from the thyme, parsley, and rosemary sprigs, discard the stems, and mince the leaves and the chives.

2. In an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook or the paddle attachment and set on medium speed, combine the goat cheese, cream cheese, garlic, and minced herbs. Season lightly with salt and pepper and mix well. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

3. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap about 1 foot long on a work surface. Using a rubber spatula, scrape enough of the cheese mixture along the plastic wrap to make a strip about 6 inches long and 1 inch wide. Roll the plastic wrap around the cheese to form a log about 6 inches long. Pinch and twist the ends to seal.

4. Continue to make logs with the cheese mixture until you have used all the mixture. You should have 2 to 3 logs. Refrigerate the logs for at least 2 hours and for up to 4 days.

5. To make the mojo verde: In a mixing bowl, mix together the bell pepper, onion, cilantro, garlic, and jalapeño. Add the vinegar, olive oil, and lime juice and mix gently. Season lightly with salt and pepper and stir well.

6. Using dental floss or a small, very sharp knife, slice the goat cheese logs into 18 rounds, each about ½ inch thick. Arrange 3 rounds on each of 6 serving plates to form a triangle. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the mojo verde on top of each round of cheese. The tapas can be prepared up to this point and left at room temperature for up to 2 hours or refrigerated for up to 6 hours. Let them return to room temperature before serving.

7. Serve with the baguette, flat bread, or endive spears.

Serves 4

This is Sasa’s dish, borrowed from a restaurant he worked in and—like many of our best-selling dishes—Italian through and through. This dish follows the Barcelona precept: simple preparation and big, striking flavors. We serve a large crouton with it, but people will typically go through an additional basket of bread to finish the broth.

40 Prince Edward Island mussels or other high-quality mussels
1 cup olive oil
¼ baguette, sliced on the diagonal into eight ¼-inch-thick pieces
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 cups canned tomatoes with their juice, crushed
1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
Kosher salt
1 cup dry white wine
½ bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, stems removed and leaves slivered, plus more for garnish
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.

2. Clean the mussels by scrubbing well under cold running water and removing any beards. Drain well, transfer to a large bowl, and refrigerate.

3. Pour ½ cup of the olive oil into a shallow baking dish. Lay the bread slices in the oil and turn once to coat both sides. Toast the bread for 10 to 15 minutes, turning once or twice, or until golden brown and crisp. Transfer the croutons to a plate to cool.

4. Pour the remaining ½ cup of olive oil into a large sauté pan and heat over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add the mussels, tomatoes, and pepper flakes and season with salt to taste. Stir well and cook for about 15 minutes.

5. Add the wine and parsley, cover, and cook for about 3 minutes, or until all the mussels open. (Discard any that do not open.)

6. Pour the mussels and the sauce into a large serving bowl. Garnish with parsley and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Stud the bowl with the croutons and serve.

We go through about 30,000 pounds of fresh calamari a year. Squid is, unfortunately, very seasonal, and there are times of the year it’s hard to find. Still, we serve this dish only when we have fresh calamari, because the frozen product contains too much water and never really caramelizes the right way. Don’t be shy with the seasonings; this is not supposed to be a subtle dish.

Serves 4

1 pound cleaned fresh calamari, cut into 1- to 1½-inch-thick rings, and tentacles, if included with the squid
Kosher salt
¼ cup olive oil
1 ½ tablespoons chopped garlic (3 to 5 cloves)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1⁄8 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt, for garnish
4 lemon wedges, for garnish

1. Put 2 large sauté pans (cast iron if possible) over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes, or until very hot.

2. Pat the calamari dry with paper towels and then season lightly with salt.

3. Put 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in one of the pans and cook the calamari for about 4 minutes, or until it releases its liquid.

4. Put the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the other pan and then remove the pan from the heat and hold it, at an angle, near the pan with the calamari. Lift the calamari from the first pan with a slotted spoon and transfer to the second pan, leaving the juices in the first pan.

5. Return the second pan to the heat and add the garlic and tentacles. Cook until the calamari is nicely browned. Add the parsley and pepper flakes, stir, and remove the pan from the heat.

6. Divide the calamari among 4 serving plates, drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, and garnish each plate with sea salt and a lemon wedge.

This is one of our signature dishes. Chef Bill Rosenberg’s wife is Sicilian, and one day she came in for lunch with her mother. Bill threw together some chunks of chicken, hot cherry peppers, and lemon and served them over pasta. Andy tried some and remembers asking, “What is that?” “Oh, that’s some Chicken Scarpiello for my Sicilian mother-in-law,” Bill answered. Andy asked if he could run it as a special, minus the pasta, and it hasn’t been off the menu since.

Hundreds of customers come in just for this chicken—some of them have it for dinner three or four times a week. It isn’t a difficult recipe, but be sure to use high-quality chicken, such as Bell & Evans or a free-range or organic bird, and be careful not to overcook it.

Serves 4

Two 3 ½-pound chickens
1 ½ cups plus 3 tablespoons olive oil
3 russet potatoes, unpeeled, cut into sixteen 1⁄3-inch-thick slices
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
4 cherry peppers, cored, halved, and seeded
2 cups chicken stock
¾ cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more to taste
¼ cup unsalted butter

1. On a cutting board, turn a chicken upside down and, using a sharp knife, remove the legs where they meet the thighs. Reserve the legs for another use. Cut the wings at the second joint, leaving the third of the wing closest to the body intact. Reserve the wing tips.

2. Find the breastbone with your finger and put the blade of the knife along one side of the bone and work downward to release the meat from the ribs. Work the knife farther downward and into the joint to release the wing from the body.

3. Run the blade toward you, bend the thigh back at the joint, and cut through the thigh joint into the back, until the half chicken is freed from the bones. Turn the meat skin side down.

4. Find the thighbone and follow it with the blade of the knife. Make an incision along the bone from end to end. With your fingers, pull around the bone so that you can grab the back side of it. Pull up to free the bone further before cutting it free from one end. Scrape the bone with the knife blade to clean it of any meat. Hold the bone vertically and with a twisting motion pull it from the thigh.

5. Repeat this process with both sides of the chicken and with the second one until the chickens are boned and in two halves. Alternatively, you can ask the butcher to bone the chicken except for the wings.

6. Wrap the chicken in plastic wrap and refrigerate.

7. Preheat the oven to 450°F.

8. In a deep sauté pan, heat 1½ cups of the olive oil over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, or until it registers 425°F on a deep-fat thermometer, or until the oil bubbles when a cube of bread is dropped in it and the bread moves slightly in the oil.

9. Working in batches, fry the potatoes in the hot oil for 6 to 8 minutes, or until browned on each side. Using a slotted spoon, lift the potatoes from the pan, drain on paper towels, and season with salt while still warm. Set aside, covered to keep them warm. Repeat, letting the oil regain its temperature between batches.

10. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and season on both sides with salt and pepper.

11. In a large ovenproof sauté pan, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken, skin side down, for about 6 minutes, or until the skin is golden brown and crisp. You may have to do this in batches, depending on the size of the pan.

12. When the skin is completely brown, put the whole pan in the oven, with skin side down.

13. Meanwhile, put 1 tablespoon of oil in a sauté pan and set the pan over high heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring to prevent burning. Add the cherry peppers, chicken stock, wine, and lemon juice.

14. Bring the liquid to a boil and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, or until reduced by two-thirds. Season to taste with salt and pepper. When the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pan and deglaze with the sauce, scraping the pan to remove any browned bits. Add the butter to the sauce, and return the roasted chicken, skin side up, and any accumulated juices to the sauté pan. Maneuver the chicken in the pan to keep as much of the skin as possible out of the sauce to keep it crispy and cook for about 2 minutes longer. Taste and add more lemon juice if necessary.

15. Put 4 potato slices on each of 4 serving plates. Put a half chicken next to the potatoes and then spoon about ¼ cup of the sauce over the chicken, with 4 cherry pepper halves in each serving. Serve immediately.