The Galician publishing house Agoeiro Ediciones has released a new book that is already making headlines thanks to the author of its foreword. That author is Jesús Ortiz, the father of Queen Letizia—a true rarity. Journalist and founder of the publisher Jorge C. Alonso, creator of the recipe collection “Las comidas de Villasinda,” shared details about this unique collaboration, which was made possible thanks to their longstanding friendship.
The collection itself grew out of Alonso’s long-standing passion for cooking. He admits he has always enjoyed spending time in the kitchen. The idea for the book originated from a blog he maintained several years ago, and he finally decided to publish it two years ago after a summer lunch at his home in Villasinda. At the urging of friends, he began posting photos of his dishes and recipes on social media, and the initiative received a huge response. As a result, the book now contains 200 recipes, arranged not by category, but in the order in which the author cooked them for himself and his wife. Alonso emphasizes that he aimed for maximum simplicity, so the collection even includes a sandwich recipe, allowing anyone to open the book at random and easily cook something delicious.
The foreword from Jesús Ortiz is a sign of special favor and deep friendship. The Queen’s father leads a very private life, avoids publicity, and has only given one interview in the past twenty years. His agreement to participate in a friend’s project speaks volumes. Alonso recalls that their friendship began on a professional level, as both are journalists. They are also united by their passion for gastronomy. The book’s author gratefully notes that it was Ortiz who, with immense patience, taught him how to make the perfect Asturian fabada, revealing all the subtleties of the process.
In his introductory remarks, Ortiz gently teases his friend for not specifying the exact amount of ingredients. Yet, he adds that this approach reminds him of how his grandmother used to cook—relying on intuition and years of experience. Jorge C. Alonso describes his friend as a person of exceptional honesty, kindness, and generosity, whose friendship is proven by actions rather than words. He expresses deep gratitude to Ortiz, noting that for each of his books, he’s always asked a friend to write the foreword, and this time was no exception.
