La Excusa Perfecta: El Calendario De Encuentros Argentinos (in Spanish With Eng

This attractive small cookbook offers a window on Argentine home cooking through menus and recipes for a year's worth of celebrations, 17 to be exact. From New Year's and Carneval gatherings to a Seder, a football party, and Christmas Eve dinner, it presents a range of casual and formal dishes that include empanadas, a white corn salad, hearty stews, and an array of breads and desserts. There are even Argentine versions of gefilte fish and pastrami. Although the majority of the text is in Spanish, all recipes have been very competently translated into English at the back of the book.

This is an import from Argentina, offering an insider's perspective on the cuisine rather than the visitor's viewpoint so often presented in the rare English-language title that addresses the subject.

Color photographs throughout. Paperback.