Take Me to Spain by Melanie Jenkins & Jo Wilcox

This gorgeous Beatnik book bursts with flavour and vibrancy. Melanie Jenkin’s photography perfectly captures Spain's beauty and these classic Spanish dishes. Melanie’s fine art photography has featured in exhibitions internationally, and the images in this beautiful hardback leap from the page. The visually stunning photography makes this book a fantastic feast for the eyes.

Food writer and stylist Jo Wilcox has created recipes with a fun holiday vibe that are easy to recreate in your own home. Jo knows a lot about creating great recipes with her experience being the food editor for New Zealand Woman’s Weekly and creating recipes for Nadia, Food and Taste Magazines. The recipes use local ingredients while creating food with the flavours of Spain.

Recipes take you from brunch to dinner and dessert, all with the warmth of sun-drenched Spanish hospitality. It’s almost impossible to choose a few stand-out recipes from this superb book, but here are some that wowed our family:

• Stuffed Mushrooms with Ricotta and Pine Nuts – perfect as a tapa or side dish, it’s mouthwatering blend of earthy mushrooms, cheeses, nuts and herbs.

• Albondigas – Spanish Style Meatballs – this recipe brings back very fond memories of our time in Spain.

• Roasted Beetroot & Orange Salad with Berry Dressing – colourfully gorgeous and with zesty flavours to suit.

• Baked Potato & Zucchini Tart – you can change many of these ingredients to suit what you have on hand, just as long as you keep the potatoes and egg quantity the same. So versatile!

• Crispy Skin Chicken Thigh with Roasted Romesco Sauce – delightfully rustic and tasty, and easy to do!

• Paella – a classic Spanish dish, considered their national recipe. A must do from this book!

• Caramel & Vanilla Bean Flan – such a popular dish in Spain, and so easy to make in a New Zealand home kitchen. Superb!

Take Me to Spain is a gorgeous cookbook with sensational recipes, but it’s so stunning, you could just use it as a coffee table book if you aren’t into cooking. Breathtakingly beautiful!

Reviewer: Karen McMillan

Beatnik Publishing