PHOENIX-March 21, 2008 -- In this "entertain me" world, the venerable cookbook demands to be upgraded, and chile pepper aficionado, Dave DeWitt, does so with ease, to bring more than recipes to the table. Cuisines of the Southwest: An Illustrated Food History with More Than 160 Regional Recipes is much more than a cup of this and a teaspoon of that (Golden West Publishers, $16.95).
DeWitt, affectionately known as "The Pope of Peppers," is prominent in the Southwest as co-producer of the National Fiery Foods & Barbecue Show, a 20-year Albuquerque tradition. Fresh from the 2008 event, Cuisines of the Southwest debuted to the public with acclaimed success, and appeared in Publisher's Weekly. A listing of food festivals joins DeWitt's Glossary of Southwestern Food Terms and Ingredients, and complements the Pepper Primer that spices up his latest recipe book.
"No one knows more about fiery foods than Dave DeWitt," says Steven Raichlen, author of The Barbecue Bible. But it is no longer enough for a cookbook to simply list ingredients and explain the dry nuances of stove to table preparation. Battling the popularity of virtual recipes, DeWitt's Cuisines of the Southwest offers more, as it entertains with down-home prose and provides recipes fit for exquisite dinners, Cinco de Mayo backyard barbecues, and weekday family meals. He celebrates Tex-Mex, New Mexican and Sonoran cooking with unique specialties, such as Julio's Salpicón (a shredded beef brisket salad) and Piņon Flan with Caramel Sauce, and quintessential recipes of enchiladas, chili con carne, and other standards of Southwest cooking.
For those seeking to escape kitchen duty, DeWitt, author or co-author of 33 books typically devoted to spicy delights, serves up lively Southwestern restaurant recommendations for the major cities of the region. Austin, San Antonio, El Paso, Las Cruces, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Tucson and Phoenix are a road map of delectable Southwest dining.
Cuisines of the Southwest is just in time for summer picnics and zesty pool parties. It feeds the mind as well as the stomach, with history, trivia, homilies and images that invoke the spirit and flavors of the American Southwest. Historical photos selected from museum and university archives reach beyond savory dishes and honor the Southwest's vivid ancestry.
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Since 1974 Golden West Publishers has produced adventure books of the West and Southwest, and regional cookbooks. Article may be reprinted in its entirety, with notification to the publisher. Contact us for more information, printable images, recipes, and to request a review copy.
