There have been 38 years of cooking on television, more than 7,000 programs (of which around 1,000 in Argentina), and 13,000 recipes aimed at the general public, without fanfare, without magic tricks, with simplicity and “with foundation”. Karlos Arguiñano (Beasain, Gipuzkoa) remains vigorous and lively at 77 years old. “This is what comes from labor done with love,” he says. This is the formula for success that accompanies this chef who emerged from the gastronomic revolution known as the “new Basque cuisine” of the mid-1970s led by Juan Mari Arzak and Pedro Subijana. Arguiñano decided to embark on his own professional path. He embraced television and thus became one of the best-known chefs. The “rich rich man” who preaches on the screen daily in the program Open kitchenon Antena 3, transfers it to a recipe book every year. He has already published 12 of these recipe books with the Planeta 1 publishing house. The latest is entitled Cooking for everyoneand contains 560 formulas that “never fail” because they are “easy, delicious and healthy”.
“I’m a lucky guy”, declares Arguiñano in the presentation of his latest editorial work. He meets the press at his own K5 winery, run by his daughter Amaia. On Christmas Eve he always publishes a recipe manual. Planeta will be released this Wednesday in bookstores in 100,000 copies of Cocina para todos. His previous work, entitled 545 recipes for success and published a year ago, has already sold 115,000 copies. Arguiñano is a hovel for Planeta. Since its alliance with this publishing house, it has already sold “more than one and a half million copies”, says Ángeles Aguilera, head of non-fiction at the publishing house. “Maybe this year the planet will fall on me,” says Arguiñano with his trademark humour.
The latest production of recipes is based on “healthy, natural and seasonal cuisine”. He puts together simple dishes with ingredients that are found 10 minutes from home”, says the chef. And he adds: “When I cook I only think about families who earn 1,000 or 1,200 euros a month and have to feed three or four people. “I totally agree and people recognize me on the street.” Cooking for everyonewrites Arguiñano in the book’s introduction, it is a compendium of “those life-saving dishes that can be prepared in the blink of an eye, but also more elaborate recipes for when you feel like treating yourself.” “We hope this cookbook convinces you that cooking is not for a select few, but is within everyone’s reach,” he adds. Each specimen weighs 2.4 kilos and can be purchased for 24.60 euros (just over 10 euros per kilo).
Arguiñano always proclaims that “you should eat a little of everything and a lot of nothing.” This is how you succeed in the kitchen. It also recommends “not buying in excess to avoid waste” and “preparing healthy and varied dishes”. In view, for example, of the Christmas holidays, the TV chef advises avoiding large gastronomic festivals and replacing them with a tasty menu that is at the same time affordable for all budgets, like the one usually prepared at home: “Russian salad is never missing, then a good chicken broth, a fish that can be bought in advance and defrosted the day before, a roast chicken and, for dessert, some roasted apples”.
In Cooking for everyonehis son Joseba, also a television chef (he participates in his own program twice a week and also presents one in Basque on ETB) has acquired greater importance. Joseba Arguiñano (40 years old) signs 85 of the 560 recipes. Of the preparations created by his son, Karlos says the following: “Don’t miss his sugar donuts filled with chocolate, or his pork fillet with Café de Paris sauce; your mouth will water!” “He’s not as funny as me, but he’s smarter,” he takes the opportunity to compliment his successor. The section of the book reserved for desserts bears the seal of Sister Eva Arguiñano. Karlos seems incombustible and at 77 years old says he is “strong” to continue cooking on TV, although it is a fact that little by little he is starting to give way to his son Joseba to take over his baton. It is no coincidence that Planeta has launched his latest book as “the definitive cookbook by Karlos Arguiñano”. But no one dares say that this sounds like goodbye.
