Cookbooks in Food News

From Publisher's Weekly and Publisher's Lunch (with commentary added).

Making the Rounds: On the Today Show this morning, Milton Parker, the owner of one of New York's most famous eatery, dished out recipes and anecdotes from How to Feed Friends and Influence People: The Carnegie Deli . . . A Giant Sandwich, a Little Deli, a Huge Success (Wiley, $21.95). (In New York, the world revolves around New York.)

Reviews in the News: Arthur Swartz's latest book is out, Arthur Schwartz's New York City Food (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, $45), which epicurious.com's Irene Sax describes as a "lively, profusely illustrated, learned-without-being-boring book." The narrative is also peppered with portraits of legendary culinary figures such as Grace Chu, Patricia Murphy and Sherman Billingsely and interesting asides such as "green peppercorns were the sun-dried tomatoes of the 1970s." The book is not just a celebration of Gotham's sumptuous cuisine. It also features 160 recipes of food that either originated in the city or were perfected there, including Lobster Newberg (created at Delmonico's in the mid 1870s), Manhattan Clam Chowder and Lindy's cheesecake. (I'd be more likely to buy this one for some of this history, but I don't need a $45 STC book to tell me green peppercorns were the sundried tomatos of the 70s. What are the sundried tomatos of the '00s?)

I'm Over Mediterranean Already: Jeannette Seaver spins delectable magic using these ingredients in her book, My New Mediterranean Cookbook (Arcade, $28), which includes nearly 200 recipes from southern France, Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Tunisia, Morocco and the Middle East. Family and friends will be wowed by such dishes as Dandelion Salad with New Potatoes, Beggars' Purses Stuffed with Chicken, Almond Tart with Strawberries and Broiled Fresh Figs with Honey. (Blah blah blah, honey, blah, figs, blah blah, lamb. Over it.)

Cookbook deals announced: Bestselling cookbook author, restaurateur, and Food Network star Paula Deen's next two cookbooks, the first on entertaining throughout the year, written with Martha Nesbit, and another Lady & Sons cookbook, with new recipes from her Savannah, GA. (Does the world really need another Lady & Sons cookbook?)

Scorpion Tails?: Food writer and editor Paula Disbrowe's COWGIRL CUISINE: Love, Lassoes, and Scorpion Tails from a Texas Ranch (scorpion tails are stuffed jalepeños), with a foreword by Amanda Hesser, melding simple Mediterranean food with the local ingredients and cooking traditions of South Central Texas. (I know from cowboy food and I've never heard of Scorpion Tails. I'll stick with my favorite Grady Spears' Cowboy Cooking, thankyouverymuch.)