Auf den Spuren von Max Küng........ Kein Barcelona Besuch ohne die leckeren Mongetes con cipirones in der Pinotxo Bar. Der Junge ist legendär und es lohnt sich auch mal ein halbes Stündchen zu warten.

Just recently I read the following  kitchen books. So if you are in the mood for some food stories read these:

Anthony Bourdain: Geständnisse eines Küchenchefs

Kitchen Confidential  by Anthony Bourdain

"Kitchen Confidential is for diners who believe that their sublime sliver of seared foie gras, topped with an ethereal buckwheat blini and a drizzle of piquant huckleberry sauce, was created by a culinary artist of the highest order, a sensitive, highly refined executive chef. The truth is more brutal. More likely, writes Anthony Bourdain, that elegant three-star concoction is the collaborative effort of a team of "wacked-out moral degenerates, dope fiends, refugees, a thuggish assortment of drunks, sneak thieves, sluts and psychopaths," in all likelihood pierced or tattooed and incapable of uttering a sentence without an expletive or a foreign phrase. Such is the muscular view of the culinary trenches from one who's been groveling in them, with obvious sadomasochistic pleasure, for more than 20 years.

Bourdain, currently the executive chef of the celebrated Les Halles, wrote two culinary mysteries before his first (and infamous) New Yorker essay launched this frank confessional about the lusty and larcenous real lives of cooks and restaurateurs. He is obscenely eloquent, unapologetically opinionated, and a damn fine storyteller--a Jack Kerouac of the kitchen. Those without the stomach for this kind of joyride should note his opening caveat: "There will be horror stories. Heavy drinking, drugs, screwing in the dry-goods area, unappetizing industry-wide practices. Talking about why you probably shouldn't order fish on a Monday, why those who favour well-done get the scrapings from the bottom of the barrel, and why seafood frittata is not a wise brunch selection.... But I'm simply not going to deceive anybody about the life as I've seen it." --Sumi Hahn --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. "

Sunday Times
'More gripping than a Stephen King novel.'

You will read it like you were reading a thriller. All sex and drugs and rock'nroll . Great fun!

After hthis book I immediately had to read this:

Kulinarische Katastrophen weltberühmter Köche. Nicht zur Nachahmung empfohlen. Bloomsbury Auflage: 1 (Oktober 2006)

I bought this book because I already knew the story of Ferran Adria of "el bulli "and the lobsters.
The story is just superb and I loved it. Unfortunately it is the best story in the book and it is always a bit disappointing if you know the best bit already. Never  the less I enjoyed the book. It contains some very funny short stories.

For dessert I suggest this:

Schott's Food and Drink Miscellany. Ben Schott
Schotts Sammelsurium Essen & Trinken
Bloomsbury; Auflage: 1 (September 2006)

"From the mind that brought you Schott's Original Miscellany comes a collection of vital irrelevance and uncommon knowledge surrounding the worlds of food and drink. Schott's Food And Drink Miscellany is a snapper up of unconsidered trifles (in both senses of the word) - from food history to cooking terms; cocktail recipes to dining etiquette; grace before meals to after-dinner toasts. What other book can tell you the accepted procedure when drinking from a Loving Cup; which potatoes are best for mashing; how to fold your napkins into a variety of pleasing shapes; the correct technique for lighting a cigar, or a Christmas pudding; or how to make the legendary 'Monster Egg'? Schott's Food And Drink Miscellany offers all this - and more. It will inform you of the King who served foie gras to his dog; the feast where guests ate in fear of their lives; the socialite who spiked his punch with benzedrine; and the dining club whose members ate their meals in reverse. An 'olla podrida' of all that is pertinent to wining, dining and socialising, Schott's Food And Drink Miscellany offers everything for the food-lover, wine-drinker, gastronome and glutton."

Some month ago I bought locatellis new cook book because Nigel Slater was so enthusiastic about it. He called it the best italian cook book ever! So I had to have it. Of course I did not find to much time to cook from it so far, but I did read it and I love it. It's full of lovely stories about his family and  the italian way of life. It is also a very nice book, full of beautiful pictures. If you are into italian kitchen and into nice cook books in general I highly recommend it.

The latest addition to my cook book collection. A must have! Voted the best cook book 06.
I have almost all of Nigels cook books - he is great. This one is made like a diary  very nicely written and full of simple recipes.

out on FOURTH ESTATE (2006)

Ein Kochbuch der feinen Art. Der Chefkoch Roberto Abbadati, geborener Italiener, zeigt in seinem neu erschienenen Erstling was Fusion Kueche auf eine elegante doch witzige Art heisst.
Das Buch ist gedacht für bereits bewandte Koeche/innen:

„....in writing these recipes I consciously took for granted you know the most part of information about the merely practical technique. This is not out of ignorance or negligence coming from the author’s part (nor for the gigh cost of paper, as well…) it is only a matter of this book to be addressed to people who are already in the business or own the know-how of the culinary art.“

Ich kann mich nicht zu seiner Zielgruppe zaehlen, doch das Buch ueberzeugt auch durch sein Sein: Wunderschoen dokumentiert mit Bildern, grafisch schlicht und edel gestaltet und witzige Rezepttitel.

Ein inspirierendes Artwerk für die Kueche, bei welchem auch die Weinkenner nicht zu kurz kommen. Die Weinspezialistin Nicola Bonera wählt zu jedem Gericht den passenden Wein aus und liefert Hintergrundinformationen gleich mit.

Buon appetito

Bild oben links:
"Per La più bella del reame / To the beauty queen"
Dedicato a / Tribute to Audrey Tatou

Bild oben rechts:
„Domenica a pranzo da nonna hi-tech / Sunday lunch at high tech grammy’s“

Bild unten links:
"Surrealist Dish /Surrrealist Dish"
Dedicato a / Tribute to Salvador DAlì

Bild unten rechts:
Cover

www.robertoabbadati.it

Nigel Slater
Fourth Estate, (englisch)

Nigels Küche ist immer einfach: Keine ausladenden Festmenues oder kleine Party Häppchen, sondern gute Rezepte für ein einfaches aber leckeres Essen zu Hause, alleine oder mit Freunden.

Nigel Slater ist nicht nur bekannt durch seine witzigen Kolumnen in der englischen Zeitung The Guardian, auch seine Kochbücher tauchen immer wieder in den Top ten der englischen Cookbook Charts auf. Nigels Küche ist immer einfach: Keine ausladenden Festmenues oder kleine Party Häppchen, sondern gute Rezepte für ein einfaches aber leckeres Essen zu Hause, alleine oder mit Freunden. Kochen soll schliesslich Spass machen. Nigels Küche verleugnet seine englische Herkunft nicht. So findet man im Buch Rezepte wie wie : Grilled Mackerel with Sherry Vinegar, Creamed Oyster Toasts, Herbed Roast Chicken, Pasta with Spicy Sausage and Mustard , "Roast Spiced Aubergines, Lemon Surprise Pudding und vor allem eine ganze Sammlung von Mash (Kartoffelstock) Rezepten. Göttlich! Kein Wunder ist der Mann Food-Kolumnist: Seine Kochbücher sind spannend wie einen Roman.