Here in the UK we have José Pizarro, but in America the star Spanish chef is José Andrés.
He introduced generations of Americans to tapas and the pleasures of Spain’s table, ansd here hereturns to his roots in Spain My Way: Eat, Drink, and Cook Like a Spaniard, a cookbook that’s equal parts culinary guide, travel memoir, and cultural celebration.
Written together with Sam Chapple-Sokol, the book has over 130 recipes together with stories of the people, places, and traditions that have shaped Andrés’s lifelong love affair with Spanish food.
It’s not intended to be an encyclopaedia of Spanish cuisine. Instead, it is personal portrait of the country he still calls home—a Spain experienced through family kitchens, neighbourhood bars, bustling markets, seaside villages, and conversations with fellow chefs and producers.
The result is a cookbook with genuine personality, one that feels less like a lesson and more like travelling through Spain with an enthusiastic and endlessly knowledgeable companion.
The recipes reflect Andrés’s philosophy that extraordinary food begins with extraordinary ingredients. Here you’ll find classics such as tortilla Española, gambas al ajillo, paella Valenciana, and croquetas, alongside Basque-style rib-eye steak, salt-baked fish, and the now-famous burnt Basque cheesecake. The recipes are written with the confidence and practicality of a chef who genuinely wants people to cook them at home rather than simply admire them.
Recipes are accompanied by anecdotes of family gatherings, summer holidays, favourite taverns, and lifelong friendships, creating a rich narrative that explains not only how dishes are prepared but why they matter.
Andrés encourages readers to look beyond familiar tourist food, highlighting the country’s extraordinary range of landscapes and cuisines—from the seafood-rich Atlantic coast to the rice fields of Valencia, the olive groves of Andalusia, and the mountain cooking of Asturias. His message is simple: there is no single Spanish cuisine, only a collection of regional traditions united by a shared love of good ingredients and convivial eating.
Rich photography captures colourful markets, rustic kitchens, spectacular landscapes, and beautifully presented dishes without feeling overly styled.
Some recipes call for specialist Spanish ingredients that may require sourcing, but the internet is always your friend. Rather than diluting traditional recipes, he encourages readers to seek out quality olive oils, cured meats, peppers, cheeses, and seafood, believing that these ingredients are essential to understanding the true character of Spanish cooking.
Ultimately, Spain My Way is a heartfelt tribute to a country where meals are measured not by speed or convenience but by conversation, generosity, and shared experience.
Whether you are an experienced cook, an adventurous traveller, or someone who simply dreams of lingering over tapas in a lively Spanish plaza, Spain My Way offers both inspiration and practical guidance. It is a cookbook to cook from repeatedly, a travel memoir to savour, and a joyful celebration of one of the world’s great food cultures.
Buy at Amazon RRP £29.03 hardback
ISBN-10 : 0063328062