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 countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

culinary author. Born in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of 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 c ...

to a family originally from

Alsace Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, 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 Solar time, ...

. She was married to publisher José Ortega Spottorno, 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 (; ) is a Spanish-language daily newspaper in Spain. is based in the capital city of Madrid and it is owned by the Spanish media conglomerate PRISA. It is the second-most circulated daily newspaper in Spain . is the most read newspaper in ...

, until he died 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 for Gastronomy, following this 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 List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

, at which Ortega commented that ""More than anything else, the cuisine is what has brought France and Spain closer together". Aside from writing

cookbook A cookbook or cookery book is a kitchen reference containing recipes. Cookbooks may be general, or may specialize in a particular cuisine or category of food. Recipes in cookbooks are organized in various ways: by course (food), course (appetize ...

s, 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 on 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 Books, printed publications. While telev ...

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 Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and the other for the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, 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

(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 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

) (Cheeses of Spain) * "La cocina de Madrid" (1987) (The Madrid Kitchen) * "El libro de los potajes, las sopas, las cremas y los gazpachos" ( 1988) (The Book of Stews, Soups, Creams and Gazpachos) * "Las mejores recetas de Simone Ortega" (

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

) (The Best Recipes of Simone Ortega) * "El Libro de Los Platos de Cuchara" (

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

) (The Book of Dishes Eaten with a Spoon: Stews, Soups, Creams and Gazpachos) (in collaboration with her daughter) * "Spain: The Cookbook"

Phaidon Press Phaidon Press is a global publisher of books on art, architecture, design, fashion, photography, and popular culture, as well as cookbooks, children's books, and travel books. The company is based in London and New York City, with additional of ...

, 2017. . (US Edition).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ortega, Simone Spanish food writers Writers from Barcelona 1919 births 2008 deaths

Publications

See also

References