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Summary: Demystifies paella!
Review: I love to cook, but have always been intimidated by paella. I'm not sure if it was the special pan or the expensive saffron- but I never tried it until I bought Paella! Our first attempt was not only delicious, but down-right memorable. Casas explains each ingredient and process clearly, indicating substitutions for more familiar ingredients where appropriate. Don't wait! I made my first paella without a paella pan or saffron. Maybe Santa will bring both because I'm certainly not going to stop making paella!
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Summary: spectacular rice dishes!!
Review: I think this is a great book my rice was not mushy at all and my vegetables and meat came out nice and tender. I got this book last week and yesterday the spanish rice I ordered online arrived and I made the chicken and eggplant paella. It was deeeeeeelicious!! I can't wait to make the other recipes. They are very easy to make and the hardest part is actually getting all the ingredients ready and cut to make the paella. After that, your home free!! I would definitely recommend this book!!!
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Summary: The definitive book on Paella! I love this book!
Review: I was lucky enough to get a preview copy of Penelope Casas's latest book, and it is a winner! I tried out the "classic" paella this weekend and I have to say, I never knew paella could be prepared so easily at home! I used to prepare risotto pretty frequently, but from now on I'm going to work through these fascinating paella recipes one by one! Paella is synonymous with Spanish food for most Americans, so I think this book will be a big hit. I love it!
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Summary: Delicious recipes with easy-to-follow instructions
Review: I've been a lover of paella since my first trip to Spain in 1972 (I've been back many times since) and when I saw this book, I was thrilled. I tried out 2-3 of the recipes and was very happy with the results. It was actually a lot easier to make a paella than I expected. This book is the ultimate guide for Spain's best-known dish!
Rating: 
Summary: This book does not deliver
Review: If the Spanish chefs Ms. Casas credits for many of these recipes are as good as she extols, then their secrets are safe. You will have to go to Spain to taste their paellas, because they obviously did not divulge their mysteries to Ms. Casas.I followed these recipes to the letter. I even went to my local Hispanic market to buy the right rice. Six recipes I tried-and six times they were perfect failures. Her oven cooking method toughens meat (I tried beef and chicken), and vaporizes seafood (mussels and clams dry up and disappear). Rice is both hard on top because it is baked to a crisp in the oven, and mushy below because the liquid is not simmered away fast enough. Vegetables become soft and taste boiled. I could go on and on about the shortcomings of this book, but that would be overkill. Nevertheless, I gave a 1-star rating to this book because the list of ingredients is helpful. If you already know how to cook paella, Ms. Casas' ingredients will give you a great dish even though her cooking method will not. Suffice it to say, if you search for the earthy, primal, unforgettable taste of Spanish paella, don't look for the recipes here. I have discovered other cookbooks whose recipes replicate the kind of paella I had in Spain. Try them instead. You'll be pleasantly surprised.
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Summary: The only book you'll ever need for making fabulous paellas
Review: If you want to make authentic paella, look no further than Penelope Casas' book entitled Paella! This is Spain's most famous dish, and it originated in Valencia, where I lived for several years. Casas' book is a delight for anyone interested in making this easier-than-you-might-expect dish. Like her Foods and Wines of Spain, she goes beyond simply writing a book of recipes--she explains a lot of the history and culture behind paella, which any food lover or lover of Spain will find most interesting. What is truly exciting about this book is that Casas includes a wide variety of paellas, from seafood and vegetarian paellas to rabbit, chicken and even meatball paellas. I have made countless paellas of all types described in this book and without exception they have all been delicious. Casas gives numerous and clearly written details on how to make an authentic paella. She even gives directions for making paella over an open fire, which as any person from Valencia will tell you, is by far the best way, and I agree. Casas also gives lots of valuable advice such as only short-grain rice can go into a paella, as any other type will change (ruin) the texture of the dish. Paella is a beautiful and surprisingly easy dish that never fails to please at a dinner or a party. Casas includes some of the classic paellas from Valencia, Cataluña and Murcia, while also including some lesser known versions of the dish, like one with pomegranites that is fabulous. If you have a paella pan, or plan to acquire one, you won't want to be without this essential book, which is truly a classic on this most famous of Spanish dishes.
Rating: 
Summary: Nice try.
Review: Ms. Casas seems to have the mistaken idea that all long-grain rice is "converted". It's not. Also, I don't believe that a recipe that cooks for 10 minutes in a gas oven would take 20 in an electric, "even when (the electric is) properly calibrated". Heat is heat, unless the oven is a convection model. Maybe she ought'a calibrate her GAS oven. THE HERITAGE OF SPANISH COOKING, by Alicia Rios and Lourdes March, tells you how to cook a paella on top of the stove, and by extension, the grill, like they do in Spain and New Orleans.
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Summary: Penelope Casas Does It Again!
Review: Penelope Casas has come up with yet another indispensable addition to anyone's library of Spanish cuisine. This book greatly expands our knowledge of Spain's great rice dishes and I highly recommend it. Although many paella and arroz recipes seem daunting, if you follow Ms. Casas instructions you will find that, except for prepping the dishes, good paellas are surprisingly easy to make, colorful on the table, and usually popular with everyone. These enjoyable dish can even be reheated by micro-wave the next day, if indeed, there is any left. (My advice is to make double the amount you think you will need.) Making paella is a great family endeavor and the dish is a great dinner party, picnic, or outdoor barbecue dish. The variety of rice dishes in Casas's book gives an idea of the great diversity of Spanish cuisine.
Rating:
Summary: Nice try.
Review: The dishes I have cooked out of this book so far are delicious! My vegetables and meat have come out wonderfully and the flavor in the rice is to die for!! I did order the spanich rice from spain for the paella and amazingly, 1cup of rice will feed 4 people! It expands that much! My favorite so far is the eggplant and chicken paella. the eggplant gives this dish such wonderful flavor!! I will definitely be cooking many times with this book. I still haven't been able to get that crust of rice yet..but I will keep on trying!
Rating:
Summary: Spectacular rice!!
Review: The dishes I have cooked out of this book so far are delicious! My vegetables and meat have come out wonderfully and the flavor in the rice is to die for!! I did order the spanich rice from spain for the paella and amazingly, 1cup of rice will feed 4 people! It expands that much! My favorite so far is the eggplant and chicken paella. the eggplant gives this dish such wonderful flavor!! I will definitely be cooking many times with this book. I still haven't been able to get that crust of rice yet..but I will keep on trying!
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