The traditional foods of La Mancha tell stories all their own. Some of Spain's most outstanding products come from this region, including Manchego cheese, saffron, Serrano ham, fine wines and flavourful olive oils. The cooking of La Mancha can be as simple as pisto, a medley of summer vegetables sautéed in olive oil, or as complex as the layered flavours of lamb stuffed with spinach and pine nuts. It's as subtle as saffron ice cream and as robust as peasant garlic soup. In Cooking from the Heart of Spain _ the first English cookbook to focus specifically on the foods of this distinctive region _ André Simon Award winner Janet Mendel offers up nearly two hundred recipes for fresh rustic dishes, including tapas, soups, salads, meat and fish and desserts.