I am much more of a “can’t cook confidently” than a “can’t cook at all”. I have grand aspirations of recipes that I would like to cook and dish up for my friends / family meaning that I generally feel compelled to attempt THE hardest recipe in the book to impress. This tactic usually leaves me stressed out and demotivated when the timings go wrong and it gets all too hot handle in the kitchen. So it was with great pleasure that I attended the launch of Omar Allibhoy’s brand new cook book, Tapas Revolution – making Spanish recipes accessible and simple for even the most inept beginner chef such as myself! Let the challenge commence…

Madrid born, Allibhoy, is a tapas revolutionary who is appealing to the British public with his charismatic and easy going approach to cooking. He has two successful restaurants of the same name, Tapas Revolution, within Westfield Shepherd’s Bush and Kent Bluewater that serve hundreds of hungry shoppers every day.

Omar speaking at the launch

I’m no stranger to Allibhoy’s cooking as you can see from a previous post here and have perched on the T.Revolution iconic circular bar for a quick snack. However, I am a stranger to cooking Spanish food – and that is what Omar’s new book is all about. Filled with gorgeous and colourful images of the dishes, there are 120 recipes spanning the majority of eating occasions and categories. 

This weekend, myself and the boy had a go at the ‘Crashed Egg’ recipe for a spot of brunch – completely delicious and classically Spanish. And here it is:

My thoughts on the book? It has to be the first book that I think most of the recipes are ‘do-able’ even with my basic knowledge of cooking and none of the recipes are too intimidating or challenging. I would prefer more images of the finished dishes so you know what you are working towards, however the pages that show step by step pictures of how to flip a tortilla will certainly come in handy when I eventually get to that stage. Watch this space!

You can pick up Omar’s new book at all major book stores for £20, or here via Waterstones Online. There are also a selection of recipes available on the Tapas Revolution website.

[Disclaimer: I would like to thank Neil Reading PR for inviting me to the launch and supplying me with one of Omar’s books to review. Also a pat on the back to ‘the boy’ who slaved away in the kitchen with me. All thoughts and opinions are my own.]