Portuguese Homestyle Cooking [Hardcover]

Ana Patuleia Ortins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2008

Everyone loves Mediterranean food. But how many of us are familiar with genuine Portuguese cooking, a melange of Mediterranean, mountain, and Atlantic coast influences? The abundant use of legumes and leafy greens in its hearty soups and stews. The unusual combinations of meat and shellfish. The wine and garlic marinated casseroles. The simple seafood preparations. Luscious egg-sweet desserts. Fresh herb bread. It's all part of the rich and tasty tapestry that Ana Ortins, a passionate Portuguese cook, dishes up in this opulent volume.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Portuguese cooking is based on commonplace ingredients: tomatoes and beans, garlic and cilantro, sweet peppers, bay leaves and wine. What, then, distinguishes it from a host of other Mediterranean food cultures? This lavishly photographed tribute to the dishes of Portugal answers that question. Ortins, a first-generation Portuguese-American, learned cooking from her father, and charming anecdotes about her Pai are interspersed throughout the book. She is an astute observer of details, carefully describing how her ingredients should feel, smell and look, rather than simply listing their quantities. Many of the recipes show off the spectacular flavors of a frugal cuisine: Fisherman's Stew of Graciosa and Turnip Green Soup with Rice, for example, are cheap, delicious and easily prepared. More elaborate dishes, like the signature Pork with Clams Alentejo-Style or her two-day tripe recipe, are lucidly broken down into straightforward, almost foolproof steps. Thorough in scope as well as technique, Ortins covers every imaginable facet of Portuguese cooking: sausage- and cheese-making, breads and sweets (such as the famous crusty rolls called papo-secos and the delicate pasteis found in Portuguese bakeries) as well as more familiar meat and seafood dishes. Not every home cook will invest in a meat grinder or a dough sheeter, make sausages or pepper paste from scratch or undertake recipes that take two or three days to prepare. Still, anyone who has ever enjoyed Portuguese cooking and longed to make it at home will find this an indispensable guide. Color photos. (Aug.)Forecast: Portuguese food is still relatively new in the U.S., which means this book has little competition.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

Other than Jean Anderson's classic Food of Portugal, Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz's Food of Spain & Portugal (o.p.), and Joyce Goldstein's recent Savoring Spain & Portugal, there are few good books on Portuguese food, making Ortins's new cookbook especially welcome. A first-generation Portuguese American, she presents more than 150 recipes for Portuguese regional cooking from both the mainland and the Azores: hearty soups; lots of seafood, including the classic Clams Cataplana; grilled and roasted meats, such as a mouth-watering Garlic Steak; Batatas Fritas (Portugese Fries) and other vegetables; sausages, of course; and a selection of breads and desserts. There is also a chapter on Portuguese wines, which are becoming more popular in this country. Although the cuisines of Portugal and Spain are often treated together, Portuguese cooking has its own identity, and most libraries will want this work.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Interlink Books; Revised edition edition (August 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566567262
• ISBN-13: 978-1566567268
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 9.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #393,323 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #3 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International > European > Portuguese

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Flavor fans rejoice -- Portuguese food is here!, July 8, 2001

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Portuguese Homestyle Cooking (Hardcover)

Finally a cookbook that not only showcases Portugal without sharing the limelight with Spain, but one that also contains recipes from both the mainland AND the Azores. Ms. Ortins has written a wonderful, useful, and beautiful salute to Portuguese food that will encourage the novice cook and satisfy the advanced cook.

Portuguese are not afraid of flavor, and the author has been true to the flavors that make Portuguese food so fabulous: lots of garlic, onions, peppers, vinegars, etc. My house smells wonderful everytime I cook something from this book.

I've made half a dozen dishes from the book already. All turned out very well. Most recipes are easy enough for a novice cook; however, the recipe that gave me the most satisfaction is one I rate as "advanced". (Not that there was anything difficult about it, it just helps if you have cooked enough not to panic at using yeast or when the recipe becomes a "project".)

My spouse is of Portuguese descent and has fond memories of the foods from his childhood. (Watching him go through this book was like watching a kid in a candy shop!) Unfortunately, none of his relatives' recipes were written, and the great-aunt who made them is deceased. For years I tried to duplicate his aunt's Massa Souvada (Portuguese Sweet Bread). I've made dozens of recipes for this bread. Some were awful, some were good. Not one was IT. So, with great interest I read Ms. Ortins' Sweet Bread recipe. It was very different from the others I had tried. My husband kept saying, "This is it!"

I consider myself a capable cook, but I was daunted by the sheer volume and the time involved of this recipe. It makes 5-6 loaves! Still, you have to remember is that sweet bread -- like tamales are in Mexico -- is usually made only for holidays or Holy Days by several women in the neighborhood. This is NOT a "whip one up for dinner" recipe, nor is it meant to be.

An email to the author (who quickly responded and was very gracious) convinced me NOT to cut the recipe. So, we rolled up our sleeves and literally dove into making bread. Warning: if you have never made this bread, it is the STICKIEST dough you can iimagine. Do not panic, just follow the directions. The end result is sublime. This is THE recipe we have been searching for years. I took two loaves to work where they disappeared immediately. The four people I work with who are of Azorian descent pronounced the bread a unqualifed success. One co-worker, born in Sao Miguel, paid the ultimate compliment with "tastes just like my mom's"

That recipe alone is worth the price of this book -- although the Roast Pork with Sweet Red Pepper Paste (very, very easy) is permanently bookmarked as well. I understand that Ms. Ortins is planning a second volume, and I can hardly wait!

Portuguese recipes are very forgiving and amendable, so I'm puzzled by the negative review by the person from MA. I can't imagine what degree of handholding they want in a recipe that this book disappointed them. Granted, there aren't any cans to open, so you're going to have to use (gasp!) real ingrediants. And there isn't a picture for every step in a recipe, so you're going to have to have confidence in yourself that "coursely chopped" is not a technical term, and your whole recipe doesn't fall apart if your chop is 3/4 inch instead of 1 inch. Message to MA: Trust me -- food tastes better of you don't stress over it, and cooking is more enjoyable if you relax and enjoy the art instead of obsessing over the science. Recipes are roadmaps, not dictates.

In cooking, as with most things, a certain amount of common sense is the best tool for the job. Relax, enjoy the experience of preparing real food from real ingrediants and learning about the flavor of Portugual. Cook something, then throw open the windows and make the neighbors crazy trying to find the source of the wonderful aromas.

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All of the classics well represented..., June 4, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Portuguese Homestyle Cooking (Hardcover)

This is the first Portuguese (non-regional) cookbook I've found that was actually written by a Portuguese person! While most people use Jean Anderson's book as a benchmark, I found that the anecdotes and stories surrounding the recipes really hit home for me, a fellow Portuguese-American. What's great about this book is that it includes mostly the essentials, without a lot of unimportant recipes you don't need. If you are just starting to explore the uniqueness of Portuguese cooking, this is a great first step. Especially if you do not live in California or New England where many of these foods can be ordered in Portuguese restaurants or purchased from Portuguese bakeries. It might also be helpful to understand that Portuguese food is mainly "peasant" food (explains all the salt cod), and should not be confused with other trendy Southern European cuisines such as Spanish, French and Italian. It can definitely be an acquired taste!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great cookbook for reading and cooking!, March 20, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Portuguese Homestyle Cooking (Hardcover)

This book is on my wish list. I borrowed it from the library and I love the recipes and other information found in this book. Whether you are Portuguese or not, the recipes are mostly comfort food and are very easy to make except maybe the bread and dessert recipes. They aren't difficult either for people who do bake. One word of caution, there are lots of salt cod recipes in this book and some people may not appreciate that as much as I do. That was the selling point for me. There are also many recipes that use linguica and other Portuguese sausages and that's a bit of a problem for me because I can't buy that where I live. However, I am looking into either making my own or ordering online.