Spanish Tapas is some of the best food I know. I've been to a lot of great restaurants all over Europe. I've bought some books, and tried different recipes for making this food. It should not be very hard to make it as good as in the restaurants, but the recipes I have found in the few books I've tried has all failed. They are indeed horrible!
Is there a great book with really good recipes for this kind of food?
Penelope Casas is the queso grande of Spanish cookbook authors. Her seminal 1982 book 'The Foods and Wines of Spain' is still a treasure trove of authentic, well-researched dishes from the many distinct culinary regions of Spain. She's done many other books on Spanish cooking since then, including the newly revised edition of 'Tapas: The Little Dishes of Spain', available on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Tapas-Revised-Little-Dishes-Spain/dp/0307265528/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1303850450&sr=1-3). In addition to her depth and breadth of knowledge, Ms. Casas is also a transporting writer who'll fill your imagination with the tastes and aromas she so engagingly describes.
My friend has one called 'A passion for Tapas' http://www.amazon.co.uk/A-Passion-for-Tapas/dp/1407502700 It has lots of nice and straightforward ideas.
http://www.amazon.com/MoVida-Rustica-Spanish-Traditions-Recipes/dp/1741964695/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1301676957&sr=1-1 Movida is Australia's top tapas restaurant, they have two cookbooks.I think you will really enjoy, I have used heaps of the recipes.
