Simone Ortega Klein (29 May 1919 – 2 July 2008) was a bestselling
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
culinary author. Born in
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
to a family originally from
Alsace
Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...
in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
, she published her first and bestselling book ''
1080 recetas de cocina'' (republished in English as ''1080 Recipes'') in
1972
Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using mean solar tim ...
. She was married to publisher
José Ortega Spottorno
José Ortega Spottorno (November 13, 1916 – February 18, 2002) was a Spanish journalist and publisher. Born in Madrid to famous philosopher José Ortega y Gasset and Rosa Spottorno Topete, José Ortega Spottorno was the founder of affordable ...
, son of famous philosopher
José Ortega y Gasset
José Ortega y Gasset (; 9 May 1883 – 18 October 1955) was a Spanish philosopher and essayist. He worked during the first half of the 20th century, while Spain oscillated between monarchy, republicanism, and dictatorship. His philosoph ...
and founder of the Spanish daily newspaper
El País, until his death in 2002.
Her bestselling book, ''1080 recetas de cocina'' (1080 Recipes) has sold over 3.5 million copies in Spain since it was first published,
[Barcelona Degusta: Tribute to Simone Ortega, http://www.barcelonadegusta.com/en/global/0004simo.htm , URL accessed 5 Dec 07] and as of 2007 it was on its 48th updated edition there.
[''About the book'', http://www.phaidon.com/1080Recipes , Accessed 5 December 2007] In 1987 she was awarded the Spanish Special Prize of Gastronomy, following this up in 2006 with the Spain Food Awards Special Prize.
[ In awarding the latter prize, the jury spoke of "an entire lifetime dedicated to advising and teaching consumers about good cooking and good cuisine, with special emphasis on the quality of national products".][ 2006 also saw the French government bestow the Order of Arts and Letters on Ortega at a special ceremony in ]Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...
, at which Ortega commented that ""More than anything else, cuisine is what has brought France and Spain closer together".[
Aside from writing cookbooks, Ortega had a regular column in ]¡Hola!
''¡Hola!'' is a weekly Spanish-language magazine specializing in celebrity news, published in Madrid, Spain, and in 15 other countries, with local editions in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Greece, Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru ...
, and was a frequent guest of various radio programmes.[ ''¡Hola!: Gastronomía'', http://www.hola.com/gastronomia/rinconortega/ , URL accessed 5 December 2007] Her most recent books were written in collaboration with her daughter, Inés Ortega Klein, who has followed in the footsteps of her mother to become something of a celebrity chef
A celebrity chef is a kitchen chef who has become a celebrity. Today, chefs often become celebrities by presenting cookery advice and demonstrations, usually through the media of television and radio, or in printed publications. While television ...
and cookbook author.[
]
Publications
''1080 Recipes'' has been translated into English, Dutch and other languages. In collaboration with her daughter, Ortega released two separate English language editions of ''1080 Recipes'': one for the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
and the other for the United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, to reflect the ease with which customers in each country can get hold of certain products.[Publisher's Website, http://www.phaidon.com/Default.aspx/Web/1080-recipes-9780714847832, URL accessed 5 Dec 07]
Some of her books are:
* "1080 recetas de cocina" published in 1972
Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using mean solar tim ...
(English: 1080 Recipes)
* "Nuevas recetas de cocina" (1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...
) (New Recipes)
* "Quesos españoles" (1987
File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...
) (Cheeses of Spain)
* "La cocina de Madrid" (1987) (The Madrid Kitchen)
* "El libro de los potajes, las sopas, las cremas y los gazpachos" (1988
File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicenten ...
) (The Book of Stews, Soups, Creams and Gazpachos)
* "Las mejores recetas de Simone Ortega" (1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicist ...
) (The Best Recipes of Simone Ortega)
* "El Libro de Los Platos de Cuchara" ( 2004) (The Book of Dishes Eaten with a Spoon: Stews, Soups, Creams and Gazpachos) (in collaboration with her daughter)
* "Spain: The Cookbook" Phaidon Press, 2017. . (US Edition).
See also
*Spanish cuisine
Spanish cuisine consists of the cooking traditions and practices from Spain. Olive oil (of which Spain is the world's largest producer) is heavily used in Spanish cuisine. It forms the base of many vegetable sauces (known in Spanish as ''sofrit ...
* Phaidon Press publishers of the English 1080 Recipes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ortega, Simone
Spanish food writers
People from Barcelona
1919 births
2008 deaths