dear cooks,

Take a culinary adventure to western Europe's coastal gem—Portugal—with a citizen of the country. David Leite, the American-born son of a Portuguese immigrant, learned to cook at his grandmother's side. Since then, he has traveled back as an adult to mine the local pantries, kitchens, and restaurants of his country. What he discovered was a vibrant, new cuisine: faithful to the ingredients he grew up with—fresh seafood, deeply smoked sausages, peppers, olive oil, beans, tomatoes, fragrant bay leaves, cilantro—but reimagined in fresh modern dishes. Including recipes from Portugal's eleven historical provinces, plus the islands of Madeira and the Azores, The New Portuguese Table includes updated family favorites as well as never-before-published contemporary dishes.

about the book

Perhaps more responsible than anyone for the revolution in the way we eat, cook, and think about food, Alice Waters has "single-handedly chang[ed] the American palate," according to the New York Times. Her simple but inventive dishes focus on a passion for flavor and a reverence for locally produced, seasonal foods. With an essential repertoire of timeless, approachable recipes chosen to enhance and showcase great ingredients, The Art of Simple Food is an indispensable resource for home cooks.

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Green Olive Dip

Makes about 1½ cups

When I visited A Bolota, a lovely restaurant perched on the sweeping plains of the eastern Alentejo, this dip was brought to our table. As I nattered away with friends, I dipped, spread, and nibbled, until I realized I alone had eaten all of it. Later, when I became friendly with the cook, Ilda Vinagre, I watched her make it and was flummoxed when she whipped up its silky base: Milk "Mayonnaise"—whole milk whirred into a smooth consistency with the addition of vegetable oil. I serve this as a dip with a platter of crudités, alongside crackers or bread, or, sometimes, as a topping for grilled fish.

ATENÇÃO: Don't make this in a food processor. The bowls of most processors are too large to allow the scant amount of ingredients to whip up to the right consistency. A small narrow blender, or a mini chop or handheld blender, works best.

• 1 cup whole milk
• 6 oil-packed anchovy fillets
• 1 small garlic clove, smashed
• leaves and tender stems of 6 fresh cilantro sprigs
• pinch of freshly ground white pepper
• ¾ cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup pitted green olives such as manzanilla, rinsed quickly if particularly salty, roughly chopped

1. Add the milk, anchovies, garlic, two thirds of the cilantro, and the pepper to a blender and pulse to combine. With the motor running, pour the oil in what the Portuguese call a fio, or fine thread. Keep whirring until the oil is incorporated and the mixture thickens, 30 to 40 seconds, or longer if needed.

2. Scrape the dip into a serving bowl and stir in the olives. If the dip is too thick, thin it with a tablespoon or two of milk. Mince the remaining cilantro, sprinkle on top, and serve.

happy cooking!