David Leite - The New Portuguese Table: Exciting Flavors from Europe’s Western Coast

I f it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a country to write a cookbook. Or, in this case, six countries. Ive been blessed to have the help of people in the United States, Canada, Portugal, England, Austria, and Israel, all of whom added so much to the spirit, accuracy, and tenor of the book.

On home turf, Id like to thank my parents, Manuel and Ellie Leite, who tolerated, nay, even enjoyed, the endless interrogations and piles of translations foisted upon them and who supported me, comforted me, and just plain loved me through the whole process. A shout-out to the God Squad, all of whom were fans of this book years before I knew I was going to write it. And thanks to David Lindsey Griffin, who helped me realize that being Portuguese was a good thing.

At Clarkson Potter, much-deserved praise goes to my marvelously precise, astonishingly accommodating editor Rica Allannic, multitalented art director Jane Treuhaft, designer extraordinaire Stephanie Huntwork, the ever-patient, always helpful Ashley Phillips, as well as Kate Tyler, Ava Kavyani, Donna Passannante, Patricia Shaw, Janet McDonald, and Joan Denman. Judith Sutton, my dream copy editor, made sure not a period was out of place. Kudos to my photographer and, now, friend Nuno Correia, who traveled all the way from Lisbon for this book; the insanely creative (and sometimes just plain insane) food stylist Susan Sugarman; prop stylist Barb Fritz; and digital tech Hillary Launey, all of whom made the food look better than I ever imagined possible. Thank you to my literary agent, David Black, as well as to Dave Larabell, Gary Morris, and Antonella Iannarino, for fighting the good fight.

To my incredibly faithful recipe testersI owe you all a huge, calorie-busting meal: Leanne Abe, Janet Boileau, Patton Conner, Duane DeMello, Donna Marie Desfor, Tran Doan, Susan Hillery, Susan Komlo Bingaman, Dan Kraan, Cynthia Kruth, Adrienne Lee, Elie W. Nassar, Maria Peplowski, Vicki Ventura, and, especially, the late Dede Eran, who was always the first in the kitchen and the last to leave the table. Also thank you to Emily Halpern and to my longtime kitchen cohort Alice Thompson.

Theres no better, more talented work wife than Linda Avery, who kept the lights at Leites Culinaria burning bright in my absence. Thank you, my dear friend. And everyone should have an assistant as gifted as Nora Singley. She was always a step ahead of me while cleaning up behind me.

A big obrigado to Flo Braker, Taylor Cocalis of Murrays Cheese, Shirley O. Corriher, Michael Krondl, Harold McGee, and Peter Reinhart for chiming in with their professional opinions.

The folks at AICEP Portugal Global had a big hand in the making of this book: in America, Miguel Carvalho, Maria da Graca Leite Freitas, and Rui Abecassis, and their partner, Jayme Simes; in Portugal, Eduardo Souto Moura, Ana Sofia Correia de Ahumada, and Maria Ins Oliveira; and in Madeira, Isabel Gis. Ditto to Salom Relvas of Regional de Turismo de Madeira. A hearty thanks to Marli Monteiro of Centro de Portugal, Paula Oliveira and Helena Ribeiro of Turimo de Lisboa, Marta S Lemos of Adeturn, and the staff at ViniPortugal, TAP Portugal, and Azores Express.

Thank you to Toni Allegra, Miguel Avila, Elissa Altman, Monica Bhide, Meg Buchsbaum, Lus Caseiro, Tarcsio Costa and Miguel Jernimo of Alfama Restaurant, Terry Costa, Barbara Fairchild, Ellen Fitzgerald, Cherie Furtado, Carlotta Florio Johnson, Ellen Kroner, Bob Pidkameny, Angela Costa Simes, Howard Sklar, Kate Stiassni, and Kristin Zangrilli. And I can never thank Linda Bartoshuk and Miriam Grushka enough for giving me my taste buds back.

In Portugal, Im indebted to my brilliant Portuguese teacher and translator Cristina Vasconcelos; friends and hosts Ana Maria Albuquerque Taveira and Filipe Le Velly de Sousa Lima; Elvira Andr; Paulo Amado and Rita Cupido of Edices do Gosto; Adrian Bridges and Robert Bower of Taylor, Fladgate & Yeatman; Teresa Cota Dias and Diogo Leite de Castro; Duarte Calvo; Eddie Correia; Pedro do Carmo Costa; Jorge Duque and Joo Frere of ecoterra; Maria Emlia Mani Ferreira Pinto and her husband, Pedro; Ceclia Gouveia; Amy Herrick and Lus Vasconcellos e Souza; Carrie Jorgensen of Cortes de Cima; David Lopes Ramos; Angela Moreira; Manuel Murteira Martins; Teresa Paiva; Jos Queimado; Pedro Rodrigues; Pilar Serras; Teresa Torres; Ana Viera Soares; Jos Vilela; Mimi Vasconcelos; and Leonor Xavier.

Then there are all the chefs, cooks, and restaurateurs who let me prattle on in bad Portuguese: Fausto Airoldi, Antonio Miguel Amaral, Jos Avillez, Lus Baena, Miguel Castro e Silva, Olga Cavaleiro, Antonieta Cocheirnha Tarouca, Michel da Costa, Olivier da Costa, Filipe dos Ramos, Joo Encarnao, Nuno Faria, Fernando Fernandes, Augusto Gemelli, Fernando Neves, Miguel Rodrigues, Henrique S Pessoa, Vitor Sobral, Ilda Vinagre, and especially Miguel Jdice.

In England, thanks to the marvelously generous Portuguese radio host, writer, and author Edite Vieira, who always came to my rescue, with a recipe, advice, or insight. In Vienna, I tip my hat to Jos C. Fernandes de Andrade, and, in Israel, to Clementina Garrido.

Last, to my dear Alan Dunkelberger, who is German/Italian by birth but whos now Portuguese by dint of consumption. I thank you for eating your way through every one of these recipes at least thrice, and I will never forgive you for not having gained a pound.