Metro Bis Recipe

Chris Prosperi, chef at Metro Bis, emailed his recipe that was demonstrated at our Chefs and Books program last night, Jun 26, 2007.

Here it is...we will keep it up thoughout the summer. Our next event is Chef Patty Queen on July 23rd. Email us to register.

I love to start off a party with a “cocktail” combining an appetizer and a kick of tequila. This dish loosens up a crowd and gets the conversation going. I like to use an aged or Anejo tequila for this recipe because of its complex toasty flavor. The sauce can be made days in advance at your convenience. You can make tortilla chips or just buy your favorite brand and just the party going.

Southwestern Shrimp, Tomato, and Avocado “Cocktail”

1 cup tomato juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon chili powder
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon good quality tequila
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup cooked rock shrimp or chopped large cooked shrimp
2 tablespoons minced red onion
2 fresh plum tomatoes - small dice
1 ripe avocado - small dice
¼ cup chopped cilantro stems and leaves
6 large cilantro sprigs for garnish
Tortilla chips for garnish
1 tablespoon quality tequila for garnish

In a large mixing bowl combine the tomato juice, ground cumin, chili powder, lime juice, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon of tequila, sugar, and kosher salt. Mix well. Toss in the cooked shrimp, minced red onion, diced plum tomatoes, diced avocado, and chopped cilantro. Marinate and chill for 5 minutes in the refrigerator. Divide the mixture evenly into 6 martini glasses. Garnish with cilantro leaves and stick a couple of tortilla chips in each glass. Drizzle a ½ teaspoon of tequila over the top of each glass then serve.

Makes 6 appetizer servings.

New Releases for week of July 2

The Judas Strain by James Rollins.

The Quickie by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge.

Sammy's house by Kristin Gore.

Slummy Mummy by Fiona Neill.

Shadow of the Silk Road by Colin Thubron.

Place a hold by clicking in the title and selecting "Place Hold" from the left menu. when requesting a purchase, write the title and your library card number.

Great Summer Reads Article in Courant

The Book Section of the Hartford Courant put out a list of great summer reads. We own the top books, we will acquire the bottom titles in July. Email us to put a hold on any of the following books.

Life's a Beach by Claire Cook.	New England White by Stephen Carter.	Summer Reading by Hilma Wolitzer.	The Manny by Holly Peterson.
What Matters Most by Luanne Rice.	Barefoot by Elin Hilderbrand.	The Last Summer of You and Me by Ann Brashares.	The Next Thing On My List by Jill Smolinski.
Hungry Hill by Carole O'Malley Gaunt. Everything I Needed To Know About… by Jennifer O'Connell. Damage Control: Women on the People Who Navigate Their Bodies by Emma Forrest. (Request library purchase) Not a Happy Camper by Mindy Schneider. Cabin Pressure: One Man's Desperate Attempt to Recapture His Youth as a Camp Counselor by Josh Wolk. The Extra Large Medium by Helen Slavin. Death By Chick Lit by Lynn Harris.

Out Next Week

These books are out next week (6/25-6/29). Click on the title to connect to the catalog, then place a hold by clicking on the Place Hold option on the left...


Bungalow 2 by Danielle Steel.

The Double Agents by W.E.B. Griffin.

Drop Dead Beautiful by Jackie Collins.

New England White by Stephen Carter.

Peony in Love by Lisa See.

Dog Days by Jon Katz.

Book Group Suggestions

The IMPAC Dublin Literary Award was given to Norweigian writer, Per Petterson, for his book, Out Stealing Horses, which has been a surprise best seller in Norway and Germany. The prize and short listed books are administered by the Dublin City Public Libraries in Ireland.	Out Stealing Horses by Per Patterson.	Out Stealing Horses is the "the story of Trond, a man who has settled into a rustic cabin in an isolated part of eastern Norway to live the rest of his life with quiet deliberation. A meeting with his only neighbor, however, forces him to reflect on a fateful childhood summer." Shelf Awareness, 2007.
Other Short Listed Books Slow Man by J.M. Coetzee.	Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Foer.	No Country For Old Men by Cormac McCarthy.
Shalimar the Clown by Salaman Rushdie.	Arthur & George by Julian Barnes.	The Short Day Dying by Peter Hobbs.

First Chefs and Books Event

Ann Howard, famous for her work at Apricot's Restaurant and her catering business will be visiting the library as our initial Chefs and Books speaker on 20 June 2007 at 7:00 pm. She will discuss Jacques Pepin's latest book. To register, please call the Reference Department of the library at 860-673-6791 or email us. Program Flyer

Oprah's pick, Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

The library owns several editions of the latest Oprah pick. Here are links to the catalog...Large Print, Trade Paperback, Book on CD, & Hardcover.

New materials lists

The library catalog has two new features which some people will like a lot. There are two new lists that contain all the acquired items in the previous months. So, the New DVD list has only items purchased in May. The New Adult Fiction list contains a list of similar items. The list is static and only changes near the end of each month. To access the list, go to the catalog search screen and choose More information in the top right of the screen. You can place a hold on any itme on the list right from the catalog record under "Place a Hold".

The lists are linked temporarily on the front page of the web site. These links will be moved to one of the Adult section web pages in the future.