Photo Courtesy of Katie Button
Chef Katie Button, Cúrate owner & cookbook author
Favorite sipper while cooking?
“2025 Ameztoi ‘Rubentis’ Rosé Getariako Txakolina—it is light, crisp, refreshing, and delicious.”
What’s playing?
“I made a playlist of ’90s hip-hop to listen to while recipe testing for this cookbook.”
One item that’s always in your fridge?
“Anchovies”
What’s next?
“I’m currently in a ‘say yes’ work moment, so who knows?”
Katie Button almost wasn’t a chef. While her devotees may know her as the five-time James Beard Award nominee at the helm of Spanish dining room Cúrate (a 2022 James Beard Award winner), she was almost Dr. Katie Button, neuroscientist. “I have a background in science,” she says, “but dropped out of a PhD program after earning my master’s in biomedical engineering to enter the world of restaurants.” Her culinary future, however, had been written in the stars.
As a child, Button was always proximate to her mother’s catering business, which she ran out of their home. “I was lucky enough to get the leftovers and quickly developed a deep love of food and cooking,” Button says.
Once she decided to leave science behind, Button became absorbed in the world of Spanish cuisine thanks to a lucky break: the only restaurant that accepted the résumé she was distributing by hand throughout Washington, D.C., was run by legendary Spanish chef José Andrés. From there, she was off to the races. The burgeoning culinarian met Félix Meana, a Spanish expat who became her husband, then ex-husband, but remains her business partner to this day. Together, they traveled through Spain, building Button’s palate and sending her head over heels with the international fare.
“We would pop into one tapas bar, order a glass of sherry, and people watch,” reminisces Button. “Then, we’d move to the next place and do the exact same thing: a new bite, a cortado, more people watching. I fell in love with fresh seafood, prepared simply, and with croquetas filled with creamy bechamel and jamón.” Button became devoted, not just to the food but to the lifestyle. “The people of Spain gather around a meal for hours together, having one more bite, one more coffee, one more drink to linger. They understand that connection is the best way to spend time in life.”
Button’s newest venture, a cookbook called Spanish Accent: American Home Recipes with a Spanish Touch (Penguin Random House, October 2026, 304 pages, $40), encourages American home cooks to engage in exactly that kind of community-based, collaborative dining around their own tables. “This book is a combination of quick dinners and longer simmers, bringing the flavors and ingredients I’ve learned in Spain to the American home.” She kicks up kale salad with a bright mojo verde vinaigrette, while her braised chicken with rosemary and red wine delivers a hearty and comforting flavor that “feels like winter in the Mediterranean,” she writes.
“As the American mother of two half-Spanish children [whom she shares with Meana], our home is decidedly Spanglish,” says Button, whose home kitchen has seen pimentón folded into classic mac ’n’ cheese and Spanish-inspired parfaits made with Jello. And she pleases even the pickiest of eaters with a creamy and sweet rice pudding.
The chef hopes this cookbook inspires other American kitchens to become Spanglish, too. “I desperately want to teach people that anchovies are not to be feared!” laughs Button, who uses them in her spin on a Caesar salad in the new book. “They can change the architecture of a dish so much by adding just a little bit.”
Recipes courtesy of Katie Button
Kale Salad with Mojo Verde Vinaigrette & Halloumi
(Serves 2-4)
Mojo Verde Vinaigrette
1/2 cup packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/2 cup packed cilantro leaves
1 small garlic clove, peeled but whole
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbs. sherry vinegar
Diamond Crystal kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
In a food processor, combine the parsley, cilantro, garlic, cumin, lemon zest, lemon juice, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. Process on high speed while slowly drizzling in the olive oil until thoroughly blended.
Kale Salad
1/2 cup pine nuts
2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
8 oz. Halloumi cheese, cut into 1-inch cubes
6 oz. chopped kale
Diamond Crystal kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Toast the pine nuts on a small baking sheet until golden brown, about seven minutes. Let cool.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the Halloumi in one layer, being careful not to overcrowd the pan, and sear on each side for about 45 seconds, until golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside.
In a large bowl, toss the kale with a half-cup of the vinaigrette. Using your hands, massage the vinaigrette into the kale, working it well until the kale reduces in volume and softens. Season with salt and pepper, if necessary. Top with the Halloumi and pine nuts, toss, and serve.
Chef’s Note: The vinaigrette can be refrigerated for up to five days. (The leftovers make a great marinade for grilled chicken or pork.)
Boneless Chicken Thighs with Red Wine & Rosemary
(Serves 4)
2 lbs. boneless, skin-on chicken thighs
2 tsp. Diamond Crystal kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 large yellow onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 sprigs rosemary
1 cup dry red wine
1 (14-oz.) can crushed tomatoes
Season the chicken with the salt and black pepper on all sides. In a large, wide pan, like a braiser or rondeau, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, if necessary, to avoid overcrowding, add the chicken and sear on both sides until nicely browned, one to two minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and rosemary to the pan, and cook until tender and beginning to brown, about five minutes.
Add the red wine, stirring to dissolve any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Bring the wine to a simmer over medium-high heat and nestle the chicken in the pan, skin-side up. Cook until the wine is reduced by half, about three minutes.
Add the crushed tomatoes, stirring gently. Reduce the heat to medium and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for eight minutes. Uncover and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, another eight minutes, gently stirring now and then so the sauce doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Discard the rosemary sprigs and serve hot.
Cinnamon & Orange Rice Pudding
(Serves 8 to 10)
1 cup uncooked medium- or short-grain rice
6 cups whole milk
2/3 cup sugar
3 long, wide strips of navel orange zest (use a vegetable peeler)
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp. Diamond Crystal kosher salt
4 Tbs. (2 oz.) unsalted butter
Freshly grated nutmeg or Amarena,
Maraschino, or brandied cherries, for garnish (optional)
In a medium pot, bring eight cups water to a boil. Add the rice and boil until tender, about 15 minutes; the time may vary depending on the type of rice. Drain the rice and shake off as much water as possible. Wipe the pot dry.
In the dried pot, combine the drained cooked rice, the milk, sugar, orange zest strips, cinnamon stick, and salt, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook, stirring every minute or so to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot, until the liquid has thickened, reduced, and coats the back of a spoon, 35 to 40 minutes. Be careful not to let it boil over as it simmers.
Add the butter, remove from the heat, and stir until the butter is melted. Discard the orange zest and cinnamon stick.
Pour into a four- to five-quart shallow dish. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap directly on top of the pudding so it doesn’t form a skin as it cools, then refrigerate for at least four hours.
Stir well before serving. If the rice pudding seems too thick, add a very small splash of milk and stir to loosen it. Garnish with nutmeg or cherries, if desired.
Chef’s Note: The rice pudding can be refrigerated for one week.
Recipes from Spanish Accent © 2026 by Katie Button with Kate Heddings. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Dining and Cooking