August 2011 COTM Run -Off. - ends Sunday 24th at 5 pm

[bayoucook]

The books with the most votes are listed below. Please vote for your choice ALL IN CAPS. If you wish to vote for a combo of two, please do so ALL IN CAPS.

Paletas
The New Spanish Table
World Vegetarian
The Food of Portugal

Deadline is this Sunday the 24th at 5 pm CDST. For more info on these books, please revisit the August 2011 COTM Nominations thread. -bayou cook

[Breadcrumbs]

bayoucook has posted a new thread for World Vegetarian here:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/797696

[dkennedy]

My copy of Latin Grilling came in today's mail. It is an advance copy so the photos are all black and white, and I am not sure if it contains the final draft in terms of the pagination, etc. In fact, no index whatsoever! For those of us who plan on working our way through LG in addition to World Vegetarian, maybe we should start a thread. Has one already been posted? If not, let me know and I'll start one and post a link. Meanwhile, now that I am back from San Diego, must get back to Mario!

[JoanN]

You may know this already, but that advance copy you have is, in the trade, called "bound galleys," a throwback to pre-electronic publishing. These are the first proofs of the book, before it has been proofread, that are sent to book club editors and reviewers. You need to be aware that not only might it not be the final pagination, it may well contain serious typos. Some bound galleys contain more typos than others and some authors do more rewriting at this stage than others; it depends on a lot of factors. But if I were you I would read the recipes unusually carefully before proceeding. It wouldn't be at all uncommon, for instance, to find 1 tablespoon printed when 1 teaspoon was meant

I used to cook from bound galleys all the time and, except for no index or cross references (even more of a pain), usually had good results. You just need to be aware of what you have and adjust your way of reading a recipe accordingly.

[Breadcrumbs]

Totally agree w Joan, my MIL was in the publishing business. As an editor she worked on a number of cookbooks and I asked if I could have them when she was finished (since she didn't cook!!) but quickly learned they were not to be relied upon.

If you purchased the book online from a bookseller you should write to them and let them know (if they hadn't disclosed this info in the book's description). Those books are not made for re-sale and the seller should refund your money or, send you a replacement. Once I rec'd an "Advance Reading Copy" of a cookbook I'd ordered from a bookseller on Abes. They immediately refunded my money as soon as I alerted them to the issue.

[dkennedy]

Thanks BC and Joan,

They did disclose the it was a bound galley in the description, but I didn't pick up on it. I am going to buy a copy from Barnes and Nobles today and compare the two, it if is too fraught with errors, I will attempt to return it and keep the B and N copy.

[The Dairy Queen]

HA! I completely forgot I'd ordered this book until I just received my notice that it's in. So, maybe I'll be cooking along with that as well as WV (and Paletas). I'll just have to see what I think once I get my hands on it.

Have you identified any recipes you already want to try from it yet?

P.S. I hope you don't have to re-buy the book... It would be a bummer if the galley copy turns out to be an unusable version.

~TDQ

[dkennedy]

I contacted Abe's books about the issue and they gave me a full refund and told me to keep the book. Right now I am trying to decide if I can use it or if I have to reorder another one. I am comparing the text to a friends copy, and I am on page 111, so far no glaring errors in ingredients, just missing page numbers and font changes, text moved from one part of the page to another, etc. It is quite an education really.

My copy of the COTM is on hold at the library so I am all set for August.

Now that I have my copies of LATIN GRILLING and PLANET BARBECUE I am ready to put my money where my mouth is and start grilling. As discussed during the July 2011 COTM's nomination process, I started a spin off thread for those of us interested in continuing to cook out of ITALIAN GRILL and any other grilling books during August and beyond.....

L. Nightshade, TDQ, and everyone else, I hope you will join me.

Here is the link:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/798256

[dkennedy]

I think I mentioned before that I would be reading along this month but not joining in, my cooking kind of went the other way than the votes. In that vain, I have been checking out all three contenders (I took all three out of the library in anticipation) and today I made a Catalan Rabbit Stew from The New Spanish Table by Anya von Bremzen. I can not say enough good things about this recipe. Make it!!!! Here is a link to the recipe if you don't have the book (pg. 300-301). My house smells divine and my hand, which smell like the marinade, even better. I marinaded the meat for 2 days (instead of 4 hours) and I will be serving it tonight with Dorie Greenspan's pan sauteed endive, apple and grapes out of AMFT, pg. 338 and a warm brie salad off the Barefoot Contessa site.

http://books.google.com/books?id=jXLz...

[dkennedy]

LInk for Barefoot salad:

http://www.barefootcontessa.com/recip...

[dkennedy]

Update on rabbit stew: so the cinnamon kind of overpowers the dish. Next time, I think I would skip it entirely, follow the rest of the recipe as is. If you want to make it as a soup, double veggies and prep through as written up to adding the herb bundle. Omit chocolate, zest and cinnamon. Laddle into soup bowls once heated through. Would taste really good over polenta.

[bayoucook]

And the winner is World Vegetarian! Will post info on August 1. I counted 9 votes for the winner and 5 each for the other two. I expect one of you will do the Paletas thread - any volunteers?

[The Dairy Queen]

WV it is! Maybe it has some Spanish and Portuguese recipes and we can have it all?

I'll do the Paletas thread, as promised!

Thank you!

~TDQ

[JoanN]

More and more I find I'm voting not so much for what might appeal to me, but for what's available to me. Unfortunately, it will be the end of August at the earliest before I'll get one of the two copies of World Vegetarian in the NYPL system. But's that's okay. Really. I never mind being *forced* to go back and revisit former COTMs. Such a wealth of recipes still to be reported on.

[Caitlin McGrath]

Joan, I can identify completely. Not that I'd bother voting for a book that does not appeal to me, but it can be frustrating when one knows one can't get hold of some books they're unless they're bought. This month, WV is the only one my library has, so if one of the others had won, I'd have been out of luck.

[L.Nightshade]

I'm not sure how helpful this will be, but google has a function dedicated to finding recipes. Here is the search for recipes from this book. Some may be adapted, or modified by the user, I think.
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid...

Also, if you look in EYB and find something that you are dying to make, I could paraphrase the recipe for you with a little advance notice. I've got my library copy in hand already.

[JoanN]

That's very kind of you L.Nightshade, and I do appreciate it.

[Breadcrumbs]

Also, as COTM's have been chosen, EYB has been adding links to any official on-line versions of recipes in the relevant book(s) we select. So by the time August arrives, I'm imagining they'll have this done for WV. You do not need to be a member of EYB to search the recipes.

[JoanN]

Not a member of EYB? Heavens forfend! How would I know what to cook if I weren't a member of EYB?

[The Dairy Queen]

Such a bummer. Well, it's indexed on EYB, so if there's any recipe that jumps out at you as one you want to try, let us know and we'll paraphrase for you. (I'm hoping my library copy comes soon.) In the meantime, joins us for Paletas! There are a lot of recipes online, even if you can't get the book.

~TDQ

[LulusMom]

Lulu is going to be *thrilled* at the Paletas thread. And even if I wanted the Portugal book to win, I love to cook vegetarian, so i will try to get that book at the library tomorrow, and hope that we do Portugal sometime soon. I am looking forward to cooking from it myself!

[twilight goddess]

WORLD VEGETARIAN

[beetlebug]

WORLD VEGETARIAN

[Goblin]

THE NEW SPANISH TABLE

[Caitlin McGrath]

WORLD VEGETARIAN

[Allegra_K]

THE NEW SPANISH TABLE

[cletts]

WORLD VEGETARIAN

[L.Nightshade]

Just an FYI for people that don't yet have, but plan on using, Paletas. I was about to click to order on Amazon, and noticed that estimated delivery is one to three months. (In my experience that usually means at least three months, and I don't know if it will have the same appeal in November!) Similar delay expected from my local bookstore. There are some pricey used copies out there. So, just a warning, some creative shopping might be required if you want the book for August.

[The Dairy Queen]

So weird. I didn't see that when I looked at it. Maybe I should have ordered it when I had the change. I'm getting it from my library.

We may need to paraphrase recipes or post links. There is a recipe for Yogurt Ice Pops with Berries on the Amazon page.

Lime Pie Ice Pops http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/book-reviews/fany-gersons-lime-pie-ice-pops-cookbook-review-recipe-from-paletas--150381 or http://www.tastingtable.com/entry_detail/chefs_recipes/4117/Ice_pops_invade_pie_territory.htm

Avocado Ice Pops http://www.autumnmakesanddoes.com/2011/06/25/paletas-by-fany-gerson/

Watermelon Ice Pops, Quick Coconut Ice Pops, Limeade with Chia Seeds
http://www.scribd.com/doc/58478634/Recipes-from-Paletas-by-Fany-Gerson

Intro, Table of Contents, and Recipe for Strawberry Ice Pops
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/paletas-fany-gerson/1102912686 or http://www.theparsleythief.com/2011/07/strawberry-paletas.html

Sour Cream Cherry & Tequila Ice Pops
http://www.lottieanddoof.com/2011/06/sour-cream-cherry-tequila-ice-pops/

Author interview plus Spice Mango Ice, Raspberry-Hibiscus Ice Pops, Avocado Ice Pops
http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/lifestyle/2011/06/16/pastry-chef-fany-gersons-paletas-and-ices/

Numerous pages through Google Books, including povillo cacao-corn drink

Hibiscus-Rasberry Ice Pops plus Paletas of Yogurt and Berries
http://www.mysanantonio.com/life/food/article/Paletas-Bliss-on-a-stick-1466560.php#ixzz1SxkBXLmB

Spicy Pineapple Ice Pops
http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/voracious/2011/06/spicy_ice_pops_from_the_paleta.php or http://www.oregonlive.com/mix/index.ssf/dessert-recipes/paletas-mexican-style-popsicles-you-can-make-yours.html

Mango and Chili Paletas plus General Tips (and a few other repeat recipes
)http://o.seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/foodwine/2015552766_icepops10.html

Blueberry-Raspberry-Mint Popsicles
http://gluttonforlife.com/2011/07/08/pop-culture/#more-7913

Strawberry Horchata Raspados (can't tell if this is actually in the book--will need to look it up
)http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/18/recipe-strawberry-horchata-raspados-shaved-ice/#more-30175

Author interview http://blogs.villagevoice.com/forkint...

~TDQ

[LulusMom]

Yeah, I did notice that. But with a popsicle loving kid around the house, they'll be worthwhile ANY time of the year.

[JoanN]

Could be Ten Speed Press sold out of the first printing and is going back to press. In the meantime, AbeBooks is listing 16 copies for $11.15.

[L.Nightshade]

You do OK buying from Abe? I'm abstaining as I got hit with whopping credit card charges for foreign currency exchange, even though all the companies I purchased from were in the USA. Didn't see anything bout Abe being Canadian in the purchase process. Maybe just the policy of my particular card.

[JoanN]

I buy from AbeBooks rarely, mainly because I usually buy used books on Amazon for less than the price I see on AbeBooks. But when I have had occasion to buy from AbeBooks, I've never had a problem with overcharges and certainly not with currency exchange fees.

[buttertart]

As far as I know they're not Canadian. Nor have I had any such issues, but I've never bought from a Canadian (or UK, I think) seller through them, only US. Perhaps that's what happened?

[Allegra_K]

It looks like their headquarters are based out of Victoria, BC.

http://www.abebooks.com/books/Company...

[buttertart]

Son of a gun! I knew I liked that company. If you buy from US sellers and are in the States, there aren't any issues. I like to buy from Goodwill and Better World Books.

[L.Nightshade]

Actually, not so. I bought all books from US sellers, but the money goes through Abe, a Canadian business. I wrote them an email asking about it. They said all payments are converted to Canadian dollars, even if books are in the US. The conversion fees are charged by the credit card companies, not Abe or the booksellers, and each one will be different. Mine has a hefty toll, so I'm sticking to Better World.

[Breadcrumbs]

Very interesting LN. Not sure if this helps but I've been using those "disposable" Visa cards for all my on-line shopping of late. That way, if there's ever a security breach, my exposure is capped at whatever amount I have left on the card and, they are treated like cash transactions w retailers so there are no fees.

[L.Nightshade]

Never heard of disposables, probably a good idea in any case. Thanks.

[herby]

I have not even heard about "disposal" credit cards! Where do you get them BC? How do they work?

[Breadcrumbs]

You can buy them anywhere they sell gift cards but instead of being issued by a store, they're issued by Visa, MasterCard or American Express. You have a choice of denominations as well.

They can be used anywhere that accepts those credit cards. Most financial institutions offer them as well and you can usually re-fill them online if you purchase them from a bank or credit union.

They're ideal for online shopping because your risk is limited as I mentioned above and, they're also great to give to kids to pay for their gas, school items or as an emergency fund as you can set a limit on their spending without having to share your credit card info and running the risk of a nasty surprise at the end of the month!!

[herby]

Many thanks, Breadcrumbs! I'll check with CIBC and will get one for online shopping. Will be very useful if it can be refilled on line.

[JoanN]

You need to be cautious with those cards and be sure you've read the fine print before making a decision about which one may be right for you. The international exchange fees can be much higher than on regular credit cards, so if AbeBooks, for example, is charging an exchange fee, it could be even higher for a "disposable" card than for a regular credit or debit card. I'm not saying that's necessarily true for every card, but it is something you need to be aware of

[herby]

Thank you for this advice, Joan! I'll read the fine print before signing onto one of these:)

[buttertart]

JoanN, have you ever seen charges out of line with the expected on books ordered through them? I have not.

[L.Nightshade]

Perhaps I wasn't clear in my post. The charges do not come from AbeBooks. The bill from Abe was just as expected. Nearly a month later I got a bunch of charges from my credit card company for foreign exchange transactions. I called the CC company and they said they were from AbeBook purchases. A few dollars per each transaction (which meant per each book as I bought them all in separate transactions), plus an additional percentage charge for each purchase.

ETA: Not every card has the high fees that this particular card has. But some minimal fees are charged by all MC and Visa for any out-of-USA purchase. The seller has no control over this.

[buttertart]

Hmm! Definitely better to go through Betterworld then.

[L.Nightshade]

I haven't checked to see if you can use paypal on AbeBooks, that might be a way to avoid foreign transaction fees that the cards add on.

[Caitlin McGrath]

I think it's up to each AbeBooks seller whether to accept PayPal, but some do.

ETA: I've never been charged foreign exchange or transaction fees when buying through Abe, so this is all news to me.

[JoanN]

Do you mean books ordered with the cards or through AbeBooks? I've never used one of those cards. I have friends who have run into problems with them and don't feel a need for one.

[buttertart]

I use one regular ordinary cc on all internet shopping and I, like Caitlin, have never seen unexpected or additional charges for foreign exchange, even on Amazon UK.

[Gio]

This is what I do too and have never had additional charges on anything.

[L.Nightshade]

OK, here is what I know about AbeBooks and credit card charges. This is info gathered from Abe's website and my emails from them, and from (three) credit card companies I have asked. I say this then I'll stop bugging everyone.

From Abe's website:
"As AbeBooks is a Canadian company, some banks apply this fee to purchases made by buyers located outside of Canada or to bookseller monthly fees charged by AbeBooks. Other banks use independent third party credit card processing companies that charge this fee.
Your financial institution could also be applying a similar cross-border assessment fee.
AbeBooks only charges the amount shown during the checkout and in our e-mail notifications."

If you live outside of Canada, and make a purchase from Abe's using a Visa or MC, you will get some sort of foreign transaction fee. It won't show up on your charges from Abe's, but will show up somewhere down the line on your credit card bill as a bank fee. Mine showed up about a month after each purchase (two different credit cards).

If, however, you just use Abe as a search engine and buy your books directly from a seller who has listed books on their site (losing Abe's customer service and guarantee, if that matters) you won't get that charge if you are buying within your own country.

For me, that's the end of this off-topic discussion! I hope the info is helpful to someone. I'm sticking to BWB just to be safe, the same sellers list the same books there.

[MelMM]

Just want to point out for those of you with a Kindle or iPad, the book is available in both Kindle and iBooks. Maybe other e-readers, too, I didn't check. I bought the book from iBooks, so I get all the nice color pics. Just downloaded today. As much as I'm into grilling right now, with this heat, some paletas, ices, and aguas frescas are sounding better than ever.

[JoanN]

Yeah, but the Kindle edition, without the color pics, is $10.99 for a 128 page book. That's 8.5 cents a page. Pretty steep. Especially when you can buy the book for $11.15 plus shipping.

[buttertart]

That's what ticks me off about Kindle! Wish I were steps from the Bklyn main library still.

[sarahcooks]

I bought it for the kindle, but I look at it on my laptop so I can see the color pictures. I wouldn't normally buy a cookbook for the kindle, but I wanted it right away and It's such a small book I won't be reading it in bed or anything anyway so it's fine.

[JoanN]

I had no idea you could do that! I mean, no idea that a document was in color even though on the Kindle you can only see it in black and white. I use my Kindle almost exclusively when I'm traveling, so never even looked at a Kindle download on my computer. Not that I'll ever use it that way, but good to know nonetheless.

[L.Nightshade]

I picked up World Vegetarian and New Spanish Table from the library last night. Although I cast a vote for WV, I found a lot of appealing dishes in NST, and I'd be delighted to cook from either book. No luck finding Food of Portugal, but I'm sure it would be great also!

[BigSal]

FOOD OF PORTUGAL and PALETAS. After leafing through the book, I see many similarities to Spanish food, as far as the ingredients and some of the recipes, so I’m curious to learn to taste the differences in Portuguese cooking. One difference I noticed right away after perusing the recipes in FOP was the use of fresh cilantro and long grain rice. The Vegetables, Rice and Salads and the Fish and Shellfish in FOP hold the most promise for me.

I would still like to cook from World Vegetarian and a Spanish cookbook too.

[ldubois2]

THE NEW SPANISH TABLE! Also if you are on Facebook, Jose Andres is posting recipes....

[The Dairy Queen]

Now, those Andres recipes sound good to me.

P.S., ,you don't even need to be on facebook to see them, I don't think. I mean, I see some and I'm not on FB.

~TDQ

[LulusMom]

That is a lovely and helpful bit of info, TDQ. Thanks. I'm also not on FB.

[rasputina]

PALETAS

I've been meaning to buy it, plus maybe it will motivate me to use the zoku more

[The Dairy Queen]

bayoucook has decided we're going to make paletas an adjunct thread, and choose one of the other three for a "main" book. So, you have another vote to cast, if you wish.

~TDQ

[rasputina]

I'm not interested in the others so that is why I just voted for this one, thanks though.

[qianning]

FOOD OF PORTUGAL.

[jen kalb]

Food of Portugal, much as I love it, will frustrate people looking for Veg recipes - it has almost none. It also has scads of wonderful recipes for breads, etc that I wouldnt cook in summer. So Im going to vote for WORLD VEG and hope that we can get some interest behind FOP again in the future.

[dkennedy]

Where were all you people who are so enthused with Planet BBQ during the nomination process? It only got three nominations, one of which was mine, but it sounds like quite a few of us plan on cooking out of it this month.

My copy has not yet arrived, but my copy of Rhulman's Twenty came in today's mail. Fantastic BTW. I've been reading it cover to cover since I walked in the door around 2 hours ago, and now everything is blurry. I am guessing lots of us bought a copy of Rhulman's during the last TGC sale. I am going to try to get my 13 year old to read this book so he can develop a basic understanding of working in the kitchen alongside me. (We'll see how that goes!) I went to culinary school, teach classes and yet every time I pick up a book of basics like this one, I am surprised by how much I learn.

I also picked up a copy of The New Spanish Table from the library today. The other two books are still in transit. I will take it with me to San Diego this weekend but by the time I have a chance to look it over the voting will have been decided.

MeiMM, I join TDQ in her request to hear what specific dishes out of Planet BBQ you love. I am not sure how i feel about starting a Planet BBQ adjunct thread, it sounds like it could be a contender for September.

[L.Nightshade]

Well, I for one, still plan on cooking out of Planet Barbecue in August. September is going to be a killer month for me, so August will be my chance to get in some time for grilling and some international menus. That is the reason I voted for World Veg. I can get my main dishes from PB and my sides from WV.

Hope you are going to have some fun in San Diego!

[Breadcrumbs]

Oh to be in San Diego for the weekend!! La Jolla has to be one of the most beautiful places I've been. Enjoy dk!!

[dkennedy]

Actually staying in La Jolla. Went to grad school in S.D. many, many moons ago so it feels a little bit like going home when I visit. This is a really brief trip picking up my daughter from sleep away camp at Rawhide Ranch (yeeee-ha) and then staying over one or two nights.

Cracked open The New Spanish Table and I have to say, I am intrigued. I really like the way the book is laid out, and I have tabbed several recipes. I posted about what sounds appealing below:

[dkennedy]

OK, even though I am abstaining from voting, I am intrigued. If chosen, here are the recipes I will focus in on from The New Spanish Table:

Smoked, fried almonds, p. 26 - hopefully like the ones they used to serve at my favorite tapas bar
Catalan guacamole, p. 28 - more of a spread
Sizzling garlic shrimp p. 49 - traditional tapas
Rose raspberry or White wine-pear Sangria p. 54
Blue cheese and date croquettes p. 63
Tomato and bread soup topped with fresh figs p. 78
Chocolate tostada with olive oil and flaky salt p. 167
Seared squid in red green and black p. 220 - uses squid ink and basil oil
Grilled razor clams with white truffle oil p. 221
Poaching fish in olive oil p. 226 - I've been meaning to try this technique for ages
Rabbit stew with a touch of chocolate p. 300 -I've been on a rabbit kick, as of late
Spaghetti and clams in a skillet p. 357 - how good does that sound?
Inma's baked Macaroni p. 358 - laced with wild mushrooms and thin ribbons of pork
Spring artichoke ragout with ham and sherry p. 372
Entire tart section, but especially the rosemary scented tart shell p. 401 and the
Blue cheese and pear tart p. 408
Maricel's 17th century hot chocolate p. 424 - described as the closest thing you'll ever come to the drink as it might have been enjoyed by the Spanish nobility in the Age of Discovery. Spiced with achiote, dried rose buds, vanilla, cinnamon, and chile.
Ice cream section, starting on p. 435 - most made without eggs, and finally
Chocoalte dipped almond stuffed figs p. 452

[buttertart]

I had the book from the library when it first came out and cooked the pork tenderloin with strawberries from it. VERY good.

[The Dairy Queen]

I am curious about Planet BBQ since a few folks seem very captivated by it, but I'm almost always (never say never!) going to prefer cooking from a single cuisine for COTM. One of the things I really like about COTM is that I get to immerse myself in a culture and a cuisine. Like traveling without the expense of a plane ticket or the hassle of jet lag. And stock up on special pantry ingredients that I use use all at once instead of buy for one recipe and don't use again for awhile. Planet BBQ certainly seems like a worthwhile book, but probably not one I'd support for COTM. When I look back over the COTMs my favorites have been focused always on a single cuisine. Flexitarian Table is the lone exception. By the end of the month, I feel like I've really learned something.

~TDQ

[MelMM]

Is anyone having as hard a time with this as I am??? I have all three books under consideration (not counting Paletas, since it will have a thread). I don't want to do the Portuguese book right now. Right now, fresh veggies and grilling are what I am going to do. The New Spanish Table has some grilling recipes, and some more that could be adapted. On the other hand, World Vegetarian has lots of vegetable, bean and grain recipes I could use as accompaniments to things I grill from Planet Barbecue or off the cuff. What to do? I'd like to hear what's going on in some other people's heads.

[The Dairy Queen]

I'd go to EYB and type in the produce you typically see in August (I went to my CSA newsletters from last August) and see if you like the recipes you see. You can also type in "grilled." All three book have grill recipes, some more than others. Overall, FOP is a smaller book so it has fewer of every kind of recipe. But, you have to decide how many recipes is enough for you.

ETA: whoops, I didn't see that you don't want to do FOP right now. Well, that should be even easier since you only have two books to choose between. In the noms thread I listed out the vegetables that came in my CSA last August if you want to use that as your starting point. Of course, depending on where you live, the produce you have access to could be quite different.

~TDQ

[L.Nightshade]

I went through the exact same thinking. I want to cook from Planet Barbecue during the most summery month. I went with WV because EYB showed it had over 400 recipes for vegetable side dishes, using all types of vegetables. Thought the two would work well together. So I agree with TDQ that EYB might be a way to narrow down your choice. I searched in the books, filtered by "vegetables" as an ingredient, looked at those results, then filtered further by side dish, just out of curiosity.

[MelMM]

I have all the books on my shelf (I mean my physical shelf), so, while I am an EYB member, I think I've gotten more out of just perusing through them. I spent all last evening with the Spanish book. I can see that some recipes that aren't designed to be grilled, could easily be adapted, especially in my case, with a shiny new Big Green Egg. Any roast meat dish could go in the egg. The Portuguese book, on the other hand, well, I just think it will work better later in the year. And then I've also had the same thinking Nightshade has about World Vegetarian. That is the way I'm leaning. I can grill out of Planet Barbecue and The Japanese Grill, and make sides from WV. I'm going to think just a little longer. I've had Planet Barbecue for a while, but it has really grabbed my attention in the last month, and I want to cook from it.

[Goblin]

I'm having the same hard time as MelMM deciding, in this case between The New Spanish Table and The Food of Portugal. So I just went ahead and ordered them both so I could look at them up close and personal. This is why my bookcases have cookbooks lying on their sides atop the vertically-placed books!
They should arrive by Saturday so I can vote by Sunday!

[The Dairy Queen]

There's really no substitute for having the actual books in hand!

~TDQ

[L.Nightshade]

You have a big advantage, having all the books. I don't know if that will make your decision easier or harder. And I forgot you have the Big Green Egg. I can see you'd want to find dishes you can do in your egg. You lucky thing you!

[Gio]

Here's where I am at this point: I voted for FOP because I'm interested in the cuisine. After all, Portugal has a summertime too. We have 2 grilling focused books already and I've ordered the Planet BBQ to supplement, plus there are chapters about grilling in several other cookbooks. Also, any book I have in my home library can be used to fill in the gaps veggie-wise. I think I'm good for August.

Here's another thing to consider. When the weather is blazing hot, as it's been in the Boston area all week, I for one just don't to eat very much. Last night for instance it was a tossed salad with a variety of vegetables and a plunk of tinned tuna on top. G had a slice of fresh Italian bread, I didn't. That was perfect for us.

[The Dairy Queen]

"When the weather is blazing hot, as it's been in the Boston area all week, I for one just don't to eat very much. "

Maybe that's why the Portuguese eat so much salad!

Also, I wanted to point at that several of the "soups" in FOP are intended to be eaten cold, so don't just assume a soup is a winter dish. For instance, Fresh Coriander Soup. Maybe having a soup is a way of staying hydrated?

According to this link, the Portuguese eat hot meals, even in summer. (And that's the way I remember it, too.) http://www.howtobooks.co.uk/abroad/portugal/food.asp

"...even in the heat of the summer, the Portuguese eat hot meals in a cafe. Dinner (jantar) is not eaten as late as in Spain - about 8 pm is the norm - and again is a cooked meal. "

And according to this link, we should all avail ourselves of sardines or Portuguese stew. " If you visit Lisbon sometime between June and November, then your lunch should include sardines or Cozido à Portuguesa (Porteguese stew)." http://www.world66.com/europe/portuga...

As for me, I've been browing the recipes on the Harper Collins site until my copy of the book arrives and I'm practically drooling. Maybe that means it's time for a lunch break.

But, it's also fascinating. She talks about how there are women in the markets who pile of stacks of cabbage leaves and shred them into strips with a razor. In the bigger cities, apparently they have machines that do this. Now I know how they can prepare their Portuguese Kale Soup so easily!

Anyway, I'm looking forward to this book, whenever it is that we dive in. Since I've ordered it, I might just dive in to at least a couple of recipes anyway. (How can I not try a piri piri?!)

I've traveled both Spain and Portugal in August. I don't remember starving in either country.

~TDQ

[LulusMom]

I went ahead and ordered it too - it just sounds so good.

And cold soups sound fabulous right about now, but so do the clam type dishes.

[buttertart]

The Seabras supermarkets in the Ironbound (Newark, NJ's mainly Portuguese section, and a great place to shop and eat) have greens cut that way ready-packaged. I think they're collards, though.

[The Dairy Queen]

Alas I use kale, and I cut it myself. Though, I got collards in my CSA this week, so maybe I'll try that instead this time. Anderson says the kind of cabbage they use in Portugal isn't available here.

I wish I could find a source for Portuguese sausage here in the Twin Cities.

In the meantime, heads up Twin Cities gals, I just found Spanish chorizo --the real deal, imported de Espana-- at Seward co-op over lunch today. It blew my mind. It was in the refrigerated aisle on the west side of the building, amid the vegan sausages. I was so astonished to find it that I didn't notice I was buying the "caliente." I think they had two rows of it, so presumably the other row was mild. I looked all over to see if they had Portuguese sausage and couldn't find any. Bizarre and delightful, all at the same time. ETA: I guess it's all over the Twin Cities: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/791231

ETA: I just called Taste of Brazil in Hopkins and he tells they normallycarry Portuguese linguica in their market. So, if you're up for a drive to Hopkins... Do call first. He told me the same thing when I called and asked if he carries passionfruit puree. Does he really stock this stuff? Samba Taste of Brazil has it in their grocery (though he's out of it at this exact moment.)

http://www.sambatasteofbrazil.com/CON...

~TDQ

[BigSal]

Thanks for the tip on the linguica. I could just see myself dragging my husband all over the metro in search of it.

[Breadcrumbs]

I agree, it's not easy Mel! I love cooking from the COTM and if the book(s) turn out to work w your tastes and interests it makes a huge difference. I've found this month has been great for us. We love grilling and Italian food so Mario's books are perfect for us. Also, since both books have veggie recipes, I've been making good use of my farmer's market purchases. I've made 40 dishes from the 2 books so far . . . a record for us!

I love it when COTM's focus on a cuisine or, a specific topic or cooking method so all the books would be terrific in that regard. What helped me decide was that NST had a good variety of veggie dishes, grilled items and, dishes that were summer-friendly (small plates, light options, fish/seafood) I don't own FoP and, it's not available in my library or from Amazon (Canada). Based on past experience I wouldn't have it in time if I ordered it from Abes. Also, when I looked at the recipes in EYB, they didn't seem that "summery" to me...there seemed to be more of a focus on stews, soups and the like. I do have World Vegetarian and I think it would make a great COTM, my concern was that it's just so big and has so few photos, I knew it would take me more time to go though it to plan menus and my time is always tighter in the summer. Planet bbq is fabulous but mr bc does all the grilling here so I didn't want to put pressure on him and figured I could supplement w that book.

[MelMM]

WORLD VEGETARIAN

Took another look through this book, and that sealed the deal. There is just a lot of variety in these recipes, and I will be able to find something for whatever produce I have on hand and that will go with all the good stuff I'm grilling from Planet Barbecue. Looking through I was reminded that the best okra recipe is in that book (WV, I mean).

Of course, as hot as it is right now, I'm starting to think someone should have nominated a raw food book.

[LulusMom]

"The Ice Water Table" (with a special chapter on Greenland).

[L.Nightshade]

Oh no, not another "Table" book! Too funny.

[The Dairy Queen]

I think several of the Paletas recipes are raw, and cooling in general. ;-). I realize you can't use your big green egg to cook any of those recipes, but maybe you can enjoy a paleta while using your big green egg?

~TDQ

[The Dairy Queen]

I imagine you are going to have a lot of fun mixing and matching recipes from your pan-cultural vegetable book to your pan-cultural grilling book! Will you try to match cuisines?

~TDQ

[The Dairy Queen]

Also, would you mind sharing a little more about Planet Barbeque, what you've tried and how your results have been? Is this a book I need? We do a lot of grilling Chez TDQ.

~TDQ

[MelMM]

Might try to match cuisines, but not necessarily. I don't mind having multiple cuisines at one meal, as long as they tastes don't clash. Right now what I make is driven so much by what produce I'm getting, that I might not be able to get picky about where a dish comes from.

I would say, yes, you do need Planet Barbecue. It is a really fascinating collection of grilling and barbecue recipes from all corners of the earth. But it isn't just here-is-the-standard-recipe-country-A kind of stuff. There are profiles of chefs and pitmasters throughout. The recipes are very interesting, and mostly doable. One thing I made recently that was a standout was a pork tenderloin wrapped in bacon and stuffed with prunes. It was delicious. Supposedly from Brazil, but I never had anything like that in Brazil. This might be the time to confess that when I made the chicken under a brick from Italian Grill, I also looked at the Planet Barbecue recipe as I cooked. When I made the dish again a couple weeks later, I only looked at the Planet Barbecue recipe. Everything has been a winner so far, and there is some much interesting stuff in here... that's why I am so anxious to cook from it some more.

[The Dairy Queen]

Very interesting, thank you. I have his beer can chicken book and his Miami Spice book and have barely cooked from either even though they book look very interesting. He does know his way around the grill.

Well I might have to have that book, too.

~TDQ

[sarahcooks]

WORLD VEGETARIAN and PALETAS

[honeybea]

WORLD VEGETARIAN

[L.Nightshade]

I'm going with WORLD VEGETARIAN.
Also a yes on PALETAS, adjunct or whatever, it sounds fun and summery.
The library does not have Portugal, and I'd rather hold off on Spain until (and if) there is interest in Roden. But, as always, if one of them wins I'll beg, borrow or buy the book and cook along!

[jen kalb]

sigh. Costco had the Roden book on Saturday. I bought it and am now quite irritated. My shelves do not need another HUGE cookbook with heavy paper, and relatively little recipe content. It probably weighs 10 times as much as her original MIddle Eastern Cooking Paperback, with fewer recipes.The recipes may be fine and the photography is nice but there simply isnt enough here to be the definitive spanish book.

[The Dairy Queen]

Oh, interesting. You still think Casas F&W of Spain is more definitive? Or some other book completely? Maybe you've just spared me from having to own the latest Roden.

~TDQ

[jen kalb]

it simply doesnt have enough recipes in it to be the definitive book, I am not in a position to say that there is such an expert, but Casas has certainly published more Spanish recipes in her writing career. Mainly, I am irritated with the padding and bulk of this book, which feels like it is for a gift market. I will look further and report back..

[The Dairy Queen]

Ah shiny, glossy, color-photo filled form over substance kind of book? That's the disheartening trend in cookbooks these days, isn't it?

~TDQ

[Caitlin McGrath]

"Ah shiny, glossy, color-photo filled form over substance kind of book?"

Absolutely not, IMO. Yes, it has lots of color photos, and it really is a big, fat book (though it's not quite fair to compare it to a paperback, which my other Rodens aren't, though they're nowhere near as big). Most of the pages are on matte paper, even many with photos. There's more white space than in NBOMEF, to be sure, and just one recipe per page, but it seems to me that there is also a real wealth of information. I can see what Jen means about the production values, but it's no more a coffee-table book to me than her others, because it has so much to read.

I'm certainly not suggesting that it's definitive, because it surely isn't, or a must-have for you or anyone else, but I'd certainly suggest taking a look before deciding.

[buttertart]

100% agree, Caitlin. The recipes are well-chosen (by which I mean they appeal to my palate, heh heh) and the historical/local information is very interesting and vaulable.

[jen kalb]

Jsut to be clear, I am not arguing that Roden's book is form over substance simply that it has been produced in a way that would give that impression.

[The Dairy Queen]

Oh, that's a relief. It also has about a hundred more pages than the NBOMEF, so maybe they added those pages so they could have more white space and more photos.

buttertart, that's strikes me as being an excellent definition of well-chosen recipes. :) Have you start cooking from it yet?

~TDQ

[buttertart]

No, but I have a tenderloin of venison that's waiting to be cooked her way. And jen kalb, your point is taken, it's a huge doorstop of a book but a beautiful object in itself.

[The Dairy Queen]

Oh I can't wait to read about it! Where will you be posting about this recipe?

Me? I have black eyed peas soaking for a Jaffrey recipe.

Yours sounds a lot more spectacular!

~TDQ

[buttertart]

Good question! Maybe start a dedicated thread?

The venison is from northeastern Iowa by the way. We got a good bit of it and it has been lovely. (It was a Valentine's present.) http://www.venisonsteaks.com/

I love blackeyed peas too, the recipe in her "Indian Cooking" pb is delicious.

[The Dairy Queen]

As long as you don't think setting up a thread will prevent us from wanting to chose this book as a COTM in the future, I think it's great idea.

I thought they only had pheasant in Iowa. :).

~TDQ

[buttertart]

Deer grow in Fertile. IA, apparently. (Actual social note in local paper: "Normal man marries Fertile woman". Attested to by my nevertellalie BIL from that part of the state.)

[jen kalb]

not to beat a dead horse but based on the amazon info, the Spain book has a ship weight of 5 lbs with 624 pp. , and is larger in every dimension than NBMEF which has has 528 pp and weighs only 2.4 lbs. the 1974 Vintage PB Book of MEF hwas 480 pp and weighs 13.6 oz.

[buttertart]

You could do some serious damage dropping it on your foot, for sure.

[Gio]

THE FOOD OF PORTUGAL

[JoanN]

THE FOOD OF PORTUGAL

[LulusMom]

Irritated that the local library doesn't have The Food of Portugal (although if it wins I will definitely buy it) and has 3 holds on 1 copy of Paletas. Harrumph.

Still a little confused on the voting for 2 thing, but will go with THE FOOD OF PORTUGAL and PALETAS. Thanks so much bayoucook.

[Breadcrumbs]

THE NEW SPANISH TABLE

I am very interested in Portuguese cooking though my preference would be to cook from The New Portuguese Table by David Leite, winner of an ICAP 2010 Julia Child award for first book. The book is beautiful with very appealing recipes and lots of great info about the country and cuisine. David Leite founded the two time James Beard Award winning LeitesCulinaria.com Here's a link to more info on the book:

http://www.randomhouse.ca/catalog/dis...

[The Dairy Queen]

LC was one of our early COTM's. I guess it was a WOTM!

I too would someday love to do The New Portuguese Table, but Jean Anderson's is considered the classic, the authority. She is to Portuguese as Child is to French, Hazan is to Italian, Roden is to Middle Eastern , Kennedy is to Mexican, Casas is to Spanish (though, Roden might overtake her with this new one!) and so on. Still, Leite's book does look gorgeous, and, I'll bet, yields delicious results.

P.S. apropos to nothing: I am developing a strong aversion to any cookbook that has "Name of Region Adjective+Table" in the title. I'm so over this. HA! Haven't all of the proverbial tables been covered by now so we can come up with a new naming gimmick?

~TDQ

[Breadcrumbs]

Very interesting DQ, I knew she was a popular US cookbook author but hadn't heard the Julia Child of Portuguese reference before.

[buttertart]

Definitely. She is probably the most important food authority that a lot of people don't know about (was very prominent in the 70s and 80s). Excellent writer and her recipes always work.
Very nice person too, I met her briefly and told her FoP inspired us to go to Lisbon on holiday (go if you van, the food is brilliant and not expensive) and she was tickled.

[The Dairy Queen]

Oh, what a sweet story, buttertart. Lisbon is such a charming city.

~TDQ

[sarahcooks]

I'm sick of it too, but not as much as fiction books named "The [profession]'s [familiar relationship]".

[JaneEYB]

WORLD VEGETARIAN AND PALETAS
Paletas doesn't feel as good match with this book as the Spanish/Portuguese but I have it and want to do more frozen desserts over the summer. Though I'd also be happy to post on an adjunct thread.

[MelMM]

Yes, thank you Bayoucook for your work over the past six months.

Before I vote, I have a question about how these will be tallied. Almost everyone who nominated "Paletas" intended for it to be paired with another book. I don't think that book has a chance as a stand-alone entry. But here it is, "entered" in the run-off all by its lonesome self. Is there a way, given the listing above, that one can vote for a pair of books? And if so, how with that vote be counted vs. the single-book votes?

[The Dairy Queen]

[ ETA Note: I posted this next comment before I understood bayoucook's point about voting for a combo...]

Why don't we just set up an adjunct thread for Paletas and remove it from consideration for the main race? Is there anyone (most of all bayoucook) who object to that?

~TDQ

[L.Nightshade]

No objection here. I just put it on hold at the library. I'll vote for it if I can pair it, or I'll adjunct post it that's where it is!

[MelMM]

I was thinking perhaps we could agree that people could vote for one of the three main books, then add a "YES" or "NO" to their vote if they want to include "Paletas" along with whatever they voted for. Then the votes for the three "main" books could be tallied up, and for Paletas, the yeses vs the nos.

[bayoucook]

I like that idea! Please do.

[The Dairy Queen]

Consider it done. Your wish is my command, Madame Organizer!

~TDQ

[The Dairy Queen]

Should we email the mods and ask them to adjust your OP to say an adjunct thread will be set up for Paletas and to just vote among the other three choices?

~TDQ

[bayoucook]

Yes, I just put the contenders out there and left the rest up to the voters. I count each combo as a unit just like I would count a single -book vote. I think Paletas will be an adjunct thread and the COTM will likely be a single book. It's up to y'all. bc

[The Dairy Queen]

Thanks for clarifying. See my revised vote above.

~TDQ

[dkennedy]

Thanks to Bayoucook for all your hard work over the last 6 months, which has flown by for me, not having had to lift a finger, but I am guessing has dragged by for you! It seems like quite a daunting task and we certainly appreciate your efforts. Thanks in advance to LuLu's mom for taking over. Just out of curiosity, how does one go about finding out what is involved in taking on this task (assuming I might be up to it, somewhere down the line)? I am a little skittish even asking the question.

Just came back from the book store where I had the chance to look through The Food of Spain. It is a monster of a book, over 600 pages! As I said in the nomination thread, I have all three contenders on order from the library but I really know very little about any of them. The other two titles were not available, so I am only reporting back on Spain. If this was covered in the nomination thread, I apologize in advance. As I said, 600 pages, but the first 123 are pure text, no recipes. The next two chapters cover pantry recipes such as stock and sauces. I think the stand alone recipes start on page 154. This is not meant as a criticism, just a point of information. The book is jammed packed with beautiful photos, and the recipes are typical of what I have eaten in Spain. Intriguing but not enough to sway my vote one way or the other. I think I will just sit back and leave it to all of you.

[dkennedy]

FWIW, while at the book store I got to page through For Cod and Country - oh my, it is spectacular. Just planting a seed, everyone take a look at it next time you are in a book store, it is calling my name. Future COTM, I think so........

I also paged through The Japanese Grill and The Latin Grill, also on my wish list.

[MelMM]

I've been cooking from The Japanese Grill lately and have enjoyed it.

[BigSal]

I'd love to hear more about what you've made from the Japanese Grill. I have the book, just haven't had a chance to make anything yet. I did notice their yakitori recipe includes chicken bones much like Tsuji and Shimbo which I feel helps to make a superior tare sauce. I love the idea of yakitori with chicken oysters too.

I'm also curious about the Latin Grill if anyone has cooked from it.

As for voting, I, too, am struggling with the decision. I have all three books pulled aside and will look through them tomorrow.

[MelMM]

So far I have just made a few steaks from the Japanese Grill, and some mushrooms. Everything has been good so far. I think a lot of the reviews complain about not being able to get the ingredients. In particular, the red yuzu kosho. I ordered it (and the green) online from chefshop.com. It was backordered and took a long time to arrive, but they were good about keeping me informed of the status. Anyway, in the book, they do call for yuzu kosho quite a bit. It's not like you need a million exotic ingredients, just a few things that are used consistently throughout the book. You can actually see them all on the Amazon preview of the book, a picture on p9 shows them.

I also really liked the idea of yakitori with chicken oysters, but then I thought about it, and I guess I'll only be tasting that one in my imagination. I mean, a chicken only has two oysters. How am I supposed to get enough to justify making this? That said, a local farm sells packs of chicken backs for stock. I wonder if they include the oyster on those backs? Maybe I'll order a pack at some point.

[L.Nightshade]

I'd also like to hear more about what you think of Japanese Grill. I looked at it on Amazon, found the reviews rather so-so, and passed. But I feel I have more in common with chowhounds, so would trust an opinion read here.
Hate to crowd up the voting thread, I can see the use of a discussion thread for this type of thing.

[pikawicca]

If we're going to do a Japanese book (which I would love), there are much better options out there.

[bayoucook]

As far as I can tell, you just volunteer and pray. And panic!

[Caitlin McGrath]

dkennedy, I found it was not as daunting as it might seem. When I did it, it took me a couple of hours for each monthly cycle - to post the nomination thread, count up/assess the nominations, post the voting thread, count up the votes, figure out how to organize the month's threads (accessing the book via library or bookstore or getting help from others via email, if I didn't have it), and posting them. The person handing off to me gave me some info/advice via email, and I did the same for the person who followed.

[dkennedy]

Hmm....do you still have a copy of that email in your archives. If so, maybe you could send it to me...my email is on my profile page.

[Caitlin McGrath]

I'll email you about this. ETA: I don't see your email address, but if you email me at the address in my profile, I'll reply.

[dkennedy]

will do!

[bayoucook]

As did Caitlin and many others did for me: you know who you are, God bless you. LulusMom and any after you, the support system is strong and abiding!

[LulusMom]

Happy to hear it! I thought about the work you'd have to do wading through that nominations page and got a sinking feeling! Thanks for all your work over the past months.

[The Dairy Queen]

dkennedy: Roden's The Food of Spain isn't a finalist for August. In fact, I don't think anyone nominated it, though there was much discussion of it.

~TDQ

[dkennedy]

Yes, Dairy Queen, you are right! Luckily, I placed my library hold on the correct title. Oh, well....

[The Dairy Queen]

Well, when FOS time comes, and I'm sure it will, you will be ready!

~TDQ

[The Dairy Queen]

Thank you bayoucook!

THE FOOD OF PORTUGAL and [ETA] PALETAS please.

[ ETA Note: I posted this next comment before I understood bayoucook's point about voting for a combo....my comment that follows is pretty munch irrelevant now.]

And I volunteer to post an adjunct thread for Paletas if it doesn't win. I had intended it to be a "supplemental" book to the main book anyway. Apologies for any confusion.

~TDQ

[L.Nightshade]

I think most people that posted about Paletas suggested it as a companion book. It would work with any of the other choices, I think, but I don't know if one can vote that way.

[Breadcrumbs]

Thanks bayoucook, for working through this busy month and, for the past 6 months of COTMS...you're terrific and much appreciated!

[bayoucook]

Thank you, and thanks to LulusMom for taking over next month! It's been fun and enlightening.

[Karen_Schaffer]

WORLD VEGETARIAN

[bayoucook]

I am away from my computer, doing this on my iPad. Don't know how to attach this to the moms thread. - if anyone wants to do that, please feel free. Otherwise, I'll do it when I get home.

[L.Nightshade]

So done!

[L.Nightshade]

Wow, bayoucook, you are really on the ball here! Thanks, this is an exciting list!