The New Portuguese Table: Exciting Flavors from Europe's Western Coast [Hardcover]

David Leite (Author), Nuno Correia (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 18, 2009

Winner of the IACP 2010 Julia Child Award for First Book

Nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and Spain, Portugal is today’s hot-spot vacation destination, and world travelers are enthralled by the unique yet familiar cuisine of this country. The New Portuguese Table takes you on a culinary journey into the soul of this fascinating nation and looks at its 11 surprisingly different historical regions, as well as the island of Madeira and the Azores, and their food culture, typical dishes, and wines. This book also showcases Portugal's pantry of go-to ingredients, such as smoked sausages, peppers, cilantro, seafood, olive oil, garlic, beans, tomatoes, and bay leaves—all beloved by Americans and now combined in innovative ways.

In The New Portuguese Table, David Leite provides a contemporary look at the flavorful food of this gastronomic region, sharing both the beloved classics he remembers from cooking at his grandmother’s side, such as Slowly Simmered White Beans and Sausage, as well as modern dishes defining the country today, like Olive Oil–Poached Fresh Cod with Roasted Tomato Sauce. With full-color photographs throughout and a contemporary perspective, The New Portuguese Table is the handbook to the exciting cuisine of Portugal.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. This is the perfect cookbook for lovers of salt cod, and it just might be the perfect cookbook for those who dislike the mild, Atlantic fish. Leite, a three-time James Beard–award winner and proprietor of the Web site LeitesCulinaria.com, offers a wealth of recipes for the brackish dried fish, including a traditional version of pastéis de bacalhau (salt cod fritters). But cod is but one of the amaazing dishes offered here. By highlighting the eclectic ingredients and modern techniques that define the country today, Leite brings the often-overlooked foods of Portugal center stage. This fully illustrated book begins with an extensive glossary of Portuguese staples, plus a port primer and an introduction to Madeira, and ends with a chapter devoted to workhorse sundries such as fiery piri-piri paste and smoked paprika oil. Along the way home cooks are introduced to a delectable jumble of dishes that range from classic to contemporary. A comforting adaptation of the fabled stone soup is enlivened with spicy chouriço sausage; simple-yet-elegant duck breasts are sauced with white port and black olives; and a dip made with anchovies, green olives, cilantro, and whole milk is surprisingly harmonious. The desserts are comparatively docile—molasses cookies, baked custard tarts—but the recipe variation for fatias douradas (Portuguese sweet bread French toast) is truly over-the-top. (Aug.)
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Review

"A modern classic cookbook."
—BlackBook.com

"Three-time James Beard Award winner Leite has written a foodie love letter to a European nation. The culinary profile of the 13 historic provinces, along with a shopping guide to the Portuguese pantry, are great, but the real payoff is the 130-plus recipes that range from the veggie-rich caldo verde to such new classics as scrambled eggs with asparagus and fresh cod."
—Dana Dickey, Bon Appétit

"Iberian gem. The New Portuguese Table by David Leite, a prolific food journalist who founded the website LeitesCulinaria.com, is the best book on the subject of Portuguese cooking in years. Leite, whose parents emigrated to the U.S. from Portugal, is captivated by the way cooks there have pointed their under appreciated cuisine in new directions. He dutifully catalogs Portugal's iconic wines and traditional foods--we learn how to make clams and chouriço in a copper cataplana--but we also get decidedly new-school preparations like cheese-stuffed pork tenderloins and Filet-o-Fish-inspired salt cod sandwiches. Trad or mod, this is some winning home cooking."

—Saveur

"Beautifully illustrated, The New Portuguese Table is a smart, delicious and highly personal travelogue through both memory and terrain."
—Maricel E. Presilla, MiamiHerald.com

"In Leite's The New Portuguese Table, the author performs a multitude  of feats: first, he provides [a] culinary travel guide to the country of his ancestors...introduces, with great  specificity, a multitude of regional delicacies...and finally presents recipes  ranging from the most remarkably parsimonious...to the more extravagant and modern. Leite's book is a stunning passport to a food and a people virtually unknown to most Americans, even though they are only five hours away from our mainland."
—Elissa Altman, The Huffington Post

"This is the perfect cookbook for lovers of salt cod, and it just might be the perfect cookbook for those who dislike the mild, Atlantic fish. Leite, a three-time James Beard award winner and proprietor of the Web site LeitesCulinaria.com, offers a wealth of recipes for the brackish dried fish, including a traditional version of pastéis de bacalhau (salt cod fritters) and a newfangled mini salt cod sandwich that is the Portuguese equivalent of McDonald's Filet-O-Fish. By highlighting the eclectic ingredients and modern techniques that define the country today, Leite brings the often-overlooked foods of Portugal center stage. This fully illustrated book begins with an extensive glossary of Portuguese staples, plus a port primer and an introduction to Madeira, and ends with a chapter devoted to workhorse sundries such as fiery piri-piri paste and smoked paprika oil. Along the way home cooks are introduced to a delectable jumble of dishes that range from classic to contemporary. A comforting adaptation of the fabled stone soup is enlivened with spicy chouriço sausage; simple-yet-elegant duck breasts are sauced with white port and black olives; and a dip made with anchovies, green olives, cilantro, and whole milk is surprisingly harmonious. The desserts are comparatively docile–molasses cookies, baked custard tarts–but the recipe variation for fatias douradas (Portuguese sweet bread French toast) is truly over-the-top. (Aug.)"
—Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)


"If your finances don't permit a trip abroad this year, perhaps this cookbook will provide some comfort–though it might just reinforce your urge to hit the sunny beaches of the Algarve. Leite, a noted Portuguese American food writer and publisher of the James Beard Award-winning web site Leite's Culinaria (www.leitesculinaria.com), begins by outlining Portugal's diverse regional cuisines and then describes traditional ingredients. From there it is a straightforward listing of appetizers, soups, fish, meat, poultry, vegetable/egg/rice dishes, breads, sweets, liqueurs, and condiments, with approximately 150 recipes overall. Each recipe begins with a paragraph relating its background, which adds to the book's homey feel. The recipes, many inspired by Leite's memories of his grandmother's cooking, are designed for the home cook and generally don't require exotic ingredients, although a supplier for salt cod may be necessary. A list of sources is provided for the few hard-to-find items, and color photos add to the presentation. Full of delicious-sounding recipes, this title is sure to appeal to adventurous cooks wanting to try a new ethnic cuisine and will also be popular with Portuguese American communities."
—Susan Hurst, Miami Univ. Libs., Oxford, OH (Library Review)


"David Leite's The New Portuguese Table is in fact three superb books in one volume: a thrilling travelogue, a thorough guide to Portuguese regional dishes and ingredients, and a transporting kitchen companion. The recipes in it will not only spirit you to an exotic, alluring place, they'll change the way you cook. We'll wager that after making Potato Skin Curls with Herbs, you will never look at potato peelings the same way again!"
—Matt Lee and Ted Lee, authors of The Lee Bros. Simple, Fresh, Southern

"David Leite takes you right to the heart of the good stuff, scrupulously (and appetizingly) exploring and explaining an egregiously overlooked and unappreciated range of flavors and ingredients. Portugal once ruled the known world, and the recipes in this book are–in many ways–the history of the world–on your plate."
—Anthony Bourdain

"This book begs the question why, in heaven's name, have we ignored Portugal for so long? David Leite's Portuguese dishes practically stand up and salute with flavor. And he is smart about the Portugal he portrays. The temptation is to look only to the past and the traditional, but David knows cuisines are restless, ever shifting beings. He gifts us with the land of his family as it was and as it is now. We'll be cooking from this book for a long time."
—Lynne Rosetto Kasper and Sally Swift, authors of The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper

"I am very impressed with The New Portuguese Table. It is a welcoming, wonderful, satisfying, and passionate cookbook, an enticing view of Portugal through the lens of its food. David Leite is a terrific writer and he has a lot to teach us about one of Europe's most extraordinary and diverse cuisines. Bravo!"
 —Paula Wolfert

"Long overlooked in our culinary literature, Portugal's rich, historic cuisine finally has a passionate and knowledgeable ambassador in David Leite. Keenly aware of what modern American cooks want these days, Leite has compiled an incomparable collection in which every recipe is as rewarding to eat as it is simple to make. Bravo David!"
 —Anya von Bremzen, author of The New Spanish Table

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Clarkson Potter (August 18, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307394417
• ISBN-13: 978-0307394415
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 0.8 x 10.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #59,230 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International > European > Portuguese
  • #34 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International > International

More About the Author

David Leite is a food writer, blog publisher, and cookbook author. His first book, The New Portuguese Table: Exciting Flavors from Europe's Western Coast, won the 2010 IACP Julia Child Award, as well as garnering other distinctions. When not planning his second book, he writes about everything from champagne to Welsh food to high tea to being a super taster for publications including the New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, Saveur, Bon Appétit, Gourmet, Food & Wine, Pastry Art & Design, Food Arts, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Sun-Times, The Washington Post, Charlotte Observer, andepicurious.com. David is a frequent guest on WTHN's TV program "Connecticut Style," as well as "The Today Show." He is a favorite guest of the Martha Stewart Living Radio program "Living Today," hosted by Mario Bosquez, often reads his work on public radio's food program The Splendid Table hosted by Lynne Rossetto Kasper, and has been featured on WTNH-TV and Radical Sabbatical on Fine Living Network. He also teaches at Boston University.

David won the 2008 James Beard Award for his article, "In a '64 T-Bird, Chasing a Date with a Clam" and was nominated in 2009 for his article "Perfection? Hint: It's Warm and Has a Secret," both from the New York Times. He's also a four-time nominee for the Bert Green Award for Food Journalism, which he won in 2006. In addition, he was a 2007 and 2006 winner of an Association of Food Journalists Award. His essays have been included in the Best Food Writing series from 2001 to 2010. Leite's Culinaria (http://leitesculinaria.com), which David created in 1999, won the 2007 and 2006 James Beard Award for Best Food Web Site, a 2006 Food Blog Award, the 2005 World Food Media Award for Best Food and/or Drink Web Site, and was named Best Writer's Web Site for 2002 by Writer's Digest.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Because there is so much more to Portuguese food than caldo verde., August 27, 2009

By 

Reader - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New Portuguese Table: Exciting Flavors from Europe's Western Coast (Hardcover)

I can tell you that this is a beautifully photographed cookbook replete with fabulous information about Portuguese food - which is absolutely true.

Allow me to give you my reasons for recommending this cookbook above others you may be pondering.

1. There are several good solid Portuguese cookbooks that focus on traditional mainland recipes. (I have most of them.) This is the only one I know of that a) focuses on the lighter, brighter, modern flavors of Portugal, and b) addresses and gives equal weight to trends in both mainland and Azorean cuisines.

2. The recipes work. I made four recipes from the book, and all were delicious. The instructions are simple, clear, and solid. The photographs are accurate.
(The recipes for lemon-mint chicken soup, lamb meatballs, and fried cornbread alone are worth the price of the book. Don't be scared by the lemon and black olive cookies, either; they are wonderful with tea.)

3. You will not be hunting down obscure or expensive ingredients. There are some ingredients particular to Portuguese cooking which can be hard to obtain unless you live in New Bedford or the CA Central Valley. This book has something I haven not seen in any other Portuguese cookbook: an entire chapter explaining the main ingredients of Portuguese cuisine AND what commonly-available substitutes will work in the recipes. If you want the most authentic ingredients possible, a source list is included also. I live in a small town, and for the four recipes I've made so far, all ingredients were available in my local grocery.

David Leite not only knows food and Portugal, but also is a talented writer. Each recipe has a brief story that entices the cook's imagination. He also understands that food is an integral part of our identity, and - like fashion, art and music - cuisine evolves. Grandmother's kale soup may sustain and comfort us in times of duress, but each generation adds its own signature to tradition. The New Portuguese Table adds a brilliant signature.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Portuguese Cookbook for the 21st Century, August 18, 2009

By 

Culinary Muse "Culinary Muse" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New Portuguese Table: Exciting Flavors from Europe's Western Coast (Hardcover)

When I first saw this new cookbook it was open to a picture of fried cornmeal with kale (milho frito, p.192-193). My Grandmother made this for us every Sunday morning with poached eggs. I never knew the history of the recipe and that it is a traditional dish from her island of Madeira. I tried out the recipe this past weekend for my family and it was a hit. Easy and delicious. What I liked best about it was the addition of the ricotta cheese. Not something she would have done but it added just the right 21st Century touch. Thanks to David for bringing back such great memories and for the great information he gives with each recipe.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Come for the photos, stay for the food, August 27, 2009

By 

cysusie (Ankeny, Iowa USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New Portuguese Table: Exciting Flavors from Europe's Western Coast (Hardcover)

After I bring them home, most cookbooks take up permanent residence in the bookcase in the living room. Not this one. Once I was through savoring every word and admiring every photograph, the book landed on the kitchen counter. I've devoured the Sweet Red Pepper Jam, Portuguese Pizza and Chocolate Mousse. A fringe of sticky notes mark the recipes I can't wait to try.

I took a chance on this book since I knew almost nothing about Portugal and even less about the cuisine. The writing and the photos drew me to the book and the recipes keep me coming back for more.