Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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.

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.

Anyone who has ever read any of David Leite's food writings must have hoped he had a cookbook of his own doing a slow simmer on his foodie horizon. This man has a way with words, as evidenced at his award winning web site, [...] and now he has revealed he also has a way with "slivers of whisker-thin kale" and
"slices of sausage" as well. It was just a matter of time before he served up The New Portuguese Table", and that he has now done!

Born of Portuguese immigrants and raised in the US, it wasn't until he lost his Grandmother that he begun to pay attention to the food being cooked in his Mother's home. He was concerned that when she passed on as well, so would all the Portuguese recipes he grew up enjoying. He knew he did not want that to happen so went on a quest
to watch her cook and documented her recipes.

To get in touch with his ancestral culinary heritage, he visited Portugal on vacation several times through the years before deciding to live there for a year to experience the food and the country. While becoming friends with local chefs and learning their secrets of improving old, traditional flavors with exciting new ones, he translated these techniques into how he could take his own recipes to culinary heights achievable by all cooks.

It was during that year in Portugal that his cookbook began to come together and he found that even though his mother's recipes had the same names as those he experienced in Portugal, they didn't taste quite the same. There was a food revolution going on and he was in the middle of it -- in the right place, at the right time and Leite
had the finesse to convey it to all of us in The New Portuguese Table.

The recipes he captured and preserved are excellent! We've tried several of them and I know they will become family favorites that we will make over and over again. Dishes such as his Lemon-Mint Chicken Soup, the Pumpkin Soup with Spicy Seeds, Smoked Paprika Oil, and my favorite - - Eggs Simmered in Tomato Sauce. It is a simple dish, but so full of flavor that there is a risk of it replacing some old Southern favorites as my new comfort food. The Azorean Kale, Sausage, and Bean Soup (sopa de couve) he included in the cookbook was his Mother's recipe and that alone made me want to try it. Like his Dad, we also tried it for breakfast one morning and found it to be just as flavorful, comforting and sustaining as it was at dinner the evening before.

The "to try" recipes waiting for me are Sweet Lemon and Black Olive Wafers and the Green Olive Dip. The combination of those flavors in the wafers has to be as delicious as they sound and the photo alone is enough to whet the appetite. The dip is made with milk and that intrigues me enough to try it with green olives.

Regarding the photos, The New Portuguese Table is full of engaging photos, a feature that is sure to appeal to those who like to see how the food looks when prepared. The plus here is that there are many photos of the Portuguese countryside also - an open invitation to experience the Portuguese food heritage.

Beautiful food, charming countryside, delectable recipes, great cookbook! What could be better? Volume 2? The New Portuguese Table will be as important to your cookbook collection as it is to mine!

Reviewed by Monita Olive for CookbooksEtCetera on September 3, 2009

The gorgeous pictures are going to make you want to cook everything in David Leite's new cookbook. But start with the Little Bites. The olive dip presents an intriguing new technique. A variation of the milk mayonnaise detailed in another chapter, it goes together in a flash. Creamy in texture and pungent in flavor it is sure to get the dinner and the conversation off to a beguiling beginning.

Although we didn't have the olive dip while in Portugal a year ago, we did sample seafood everywhere. The selections here respect the traditional while bringing the recipes into the new century. The New Portuguese Table is exactly what this is. The grilled version of Lulas Recheadas combines all the classic components, squid, garlic, olive oil, presunto, that we encountered over and over in our travels, but updates it all with a quick and easy grilling. More important, the dish is absolutely delicious.

It's hard to choose just one dessert; the Portuguese do love their sweets. Having a fondness for toasted poundcake for breakfast I was easily talked into trying the Orange Cake by a sweet-toothed neighbor. Made with olive oil, plus both orange juice and zest it is moist with intense orange flavor. The hardest part is waiting the recommended day to eat it. Confession- I didn't and it was still yummy (though it really does improve the second day.)

I have never written a review before but just had to on this cookbook. Last night I made Cheese-Stuffed Pork Tenderloin and my son - who is very difficult to please said "Mom can I have some more". It was so delicious and easy to make. I am so glad I made extra red pepper paste as I am sure I will be using it alot. I love to cook and I'm always looking for a dish to make that not only my family will enjoy but that is great for entertaining.

If this is Mr. Leites first cookbook, I can't wait for the next one.

This book is more than just a great source for a new spin on Portuguese cooking. Including a culinary overview of the regions in Portugal, basic larder requirements (a Portuguese Pantry), and a brief prolog to each recipe, it is just as informative on how to cook things Portuguese as it is a colourful and comprehensive guide on what to cook.

With attractive photographs and delectable recipes, this book definitely has a lot to offer. For someone who "cooks the basics" to advanced cooks, there is something in here for pretty much anyone who wants to try something special. A shining example is the clear amber Milk Liqueur - Liqor de Leite... exquisite!

My husband and I love to travel and Portugal is one of our favorite places to visit.
We often dream about the wonderful food of this country and finally we are able to enjoy many of the dishes we love.

Last night I made the most amazing Roasted Chicken with Potatoes from David Leite's cookbook. It makes my mouth water just thinking about it today. What I love about this book is that it is easy to follow and it wants you to stay home all day and just cook.

Finally a cookbook that would make any Portuguese person proud.

What a beautiful book and filled with new interesting recipes-ingredients I've never tried before and from a country I know little about. What a treat. The fish recipes are fabulous. I think anyone will want to include this in their cookbook collection. I love the photography as well.

Pasteis de Nata were my main aim and well accommodated by this elegantly presented volume. However, despite the unavailability of bacalhau in its required (or any) form, in New Zealand, I was also able to make Pasteis de Bacalhau, that were well received, from tinned smoked fish of no discernible variety. The mixture froze well and was easy to use three weeks later. The book has been well worth its price for these two recipes and many others remain to be explored.