Secrets of the Southern Table by Virginia Willis

Secrets of the Southern Table: A Food Lover’s Tour of the Global South by Virginia Willis takes the reader on a tour of today’s South with not only classic Southern recipes but dishes that draw from the area’s many global influences, like Catfish tacos with avocado crema and Mississippi-Style Char Siu pork tenderloin.


In addition to the recipes, Virginia profiles some of the diverse chefs, farmers, and other culinary influencers who are shaping contemporary Southern cuisine. Together, these stories and the delicious recipes that accompany them celebrate the rich and ever-evolving heritage of Southern cooking.Her essays include topics such as Vietnamese shrimpers in Texas and a profile of Anson Mills which produces grains that many chefs – Southern or otherwise – turn to. Of all Virginia’s books, this is my favorite – it is as much a great read as a collection of recipes to draw inspiration and cook from. Today, I made peach preserves – tomorrow I’m baking with the rest of my peaches and plan on making the Peach upside-down cake (among other peach desserts) and will come back and update this post (post updated – this recipe is so easy and so delicious!) There are so many recipes in this book that I want to make and thankfully I will be able to make them as Secrets of the Southern Table is one of our selections for next month’s Eat Your Books Coobook Club. For those on the fence about this book, it is on sale right now for 2.99 for a Kindle copy. 

Virginia’s events are always shared on our Calendar.

 

Our   features the following dishes highlighted in  :

Special thanks to the publisher HMH for supplying the materials needed for our preview as well as for providing three copies of this stunner of a book in our giveaway below. 

 

The publisher is offering three copies of this book to EYB Members in the US and CA. One of the entry options is to answer the following question in the comments section of this blog post.

Which recipe in the index would you try first?

Please note that you must be logged into the Rafflecopter contest before posting or your entry won’t be counted. For more information on this process, please see our step-by-step help post. Be sure to check your spam filters to receive our email notifications. Prizes can take up to 6 weeks to arrive from the publishers. If you are not already a Member, you can join at no cost. The contest ends at midnight on October 9th, 2018.

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69 Comments

  • ebs  on  August 28, 2018

    Baked farro and mushrooms!

  • Kristjudy  on  August 28, 2018

    Pimento cheese tomatoes herb pie

  • jmay42066  on  August 28, 2018

    Roasted tomatoes stuffed with summer vegetables

  • JRumi  on  August 29, 2018

    Roasted tomatoes stuffed with summer vegetables

  • vickster  on  August 29, 2018

    Pimiento Cheese Tomato Herb Pie sounds incredible!

  • Siegal  on  August 29, 2018

    I would love to make spicy macaroni and cheese

  • Lmocooks  on  August 29, 2018

    Summer hoecakes

  • Karen.2018  on  August 29, 2018

    I would love to try the Spicy Macaroni & Cheese!

  • PanNan  on  August 29, 2018

    Greek Crispy Lemon-Herb Potatoes for me!

  • kmn4  on  August 29, 2018

    Lemon icebox tart with saltine cracker crust

  • infotrop  on  August 29, 2018

    Latin fried chicken chopped salad

  • lkgrover  on  August 29, 2018

    Shrimp and roasted corn chowder sounds delicious. Or Catfish tacos with avocado crema if fresh corn is not in season.

  • MiMi60  on  August 29, 2018

    Cheesy broccoli and rice bake

  • Lynnd219  on  August 29, 2018

    Lemon icebox tart with saltine crust

  • sarahawker  on  August 29, 2018

    Redneck nachos

  • riley  on  August 29, 2018

    Pear mostarda

  • davisesq212  on  August 29, 2018

    Shrimp and roasted corn chowder

  • DJCross  on  August 30, 2018

    Shrimp and roasted corn chowder

  • matag  on  August 30, 2018

    Spicy Asian Cajun BBQ shrimp with grilled baguette

  • demomcook  on  August 30, 2018

    Pear Mostada

  • tennyogirl  on  August 30, 2018

    Summer hoecakes

  • rchesser  on  August 30, 2018

    Cheesy broccoli and rice bake .

  • BMeyer  on  August 31, 2018

    pear mostada

  • linded  on  August 31, 2018

    Steamed mussels with apple cider broth sounds amazing, with hard cider, cider vinegar and tarragon! Not your old school Southern cooking!

  • fluffies  on  August 31, 2018

    spicy macaroni and cheese

  • ravensfan  on  August 31, 2018

    Cheesy broccoli and rice bake

  • EmRo  on  August 31, 2018

    The pimento cheese tomato herb pie sounds great!

  • t.t  on  September 1, 2018

    Nashville hot grilled chicken

  • Steben  on  September 1, 2018

    Spicy macaroni and cheese

  • LarissaPrusak  on  September 1, 2018

    The spicy chicken and Mac& cheese would be my pick.

  • MadMom  on  September 1, 2018

    Anything with peaches!

  • Shelley.b  on  September 1, 2018

    Spicy mac and cheese

  • mpdeb98  on  September 1, 2018

    Latin fried chicken chopped salad

  • debbiehb  on  September 2, 2018

    Tomato-ginger green beans

  • kennethjohngilmour  on  September 4, 2018

    would like to try the spicy macaroni and cheese found on page 54 from "Secrets of the Southern Table: A Food Lover's Tour of the Global South" by Virginia Willis

  • ktwalla  on  September 4, 2018

    Shrimp Burgers with Jalapeno Comeback Sauce

  • thecharlah  on  September 4, 2018

    Shrimp burgers with jalapeño comeback sauce

  • heyjude  on  September 6, 2018

    Redneck Nachos

  • LaurenE  on  September 6, 2018

    Siegal on 8/29/2018 at 8:19 AM
    I would love to make

  • RSW  on  September 8, 2018

    Brussels sprout and benne seed coleslaw

  • choppergirl  on  September 8, 2018

    Cheesy broccoli and rice bake

  • EmilyR  on  September 11, 2018

    Apple cheddar pancakes

  • ket06e  on  September 12, 2018

    sweet potatoes with soy citrus glaze or the brussels sprout and benne seed coleslaw!

  • hillsboroks  on  September 12, 2018

    I would try the Cuban-style pork chops with mojo sauce.

  • KarenGlad  on  September 13, 2018

    Shrimp burgers with jalapeño comeback sauce

  • NaomiH  on  September 13, 2018

    Weeknight chicken and andouille jambalaya

  • jennymnyc  on  September 14, 2018

    Cuban-style pork chops with mojo sauce – I love cuban food!

  • auntietina  on  September 15, 2018

    Redneck nachos

  • LSanders  on  September 16, 2018

    Latin fried chicken chopped salad

  • lindaeatsherbooks  on  September 18, 2018

    I want to make the Slow-roasted snapper with olives and tomato vierge.

  • jezpurr  on  September 18, 2018

    The Peach Upside-Down Cake!!!^_^

  • jigglesfrog  on  September 20, 2018

    Pimento cheese tomato-herb pie

  • lauriesk  on  September 20, 2018

    Roast beets with arugula and feta-buttermilk dressing

  • Dannausc  on  September 21, 2018

    Spicy macaroni and cheese

  • shines5  on  September 21, 2018

    I chose the same as the last two 🙂 Roast beets with arugula and feta-buttermilk dressing or Spicy Macaroni and cheese. The okra recipes looked great, too. Hard to choose

  • sequoia55  on  September 22, 2018

    Pear mostarda

  • PeavineBlues  on  September 22, 2018

    Corn chowder

  • tararr  on  September 22, 2018

    Shrimp and roasted corn chowder

  • antpantsii  on  September 24, 2018

    Redneck Nachos.

  • banba1  on  September 24, 2018

    I've never heard of benne seeds! Would love to try the Brussels sprout and benne seed coleslaw

  • eatysmith  on  September 27, 2018

    Pear mostada!

  • mcrimmins  on  September 27, 2018

    Spicy Mac and Cheese.

  • circ2000  on  September 29, 2018

    Spicy Macaroni & Cheese

  • love2chow  on  September 29, 2018

    Smashed fried okra with spicy yogurt dipping sauce and Whole-grain Parmesan cheese grits with spinach and shrimp

  • ejsimpson  on  October 1, 2018

    Spicy North Carolina pork shoulder. Or the Chicken Larb with Georgia peanuts..

  • sgump  on  October 2, 2018

    I'd try Meme’s cornbread and oyster dressing!

  • orchidlady01  on  October 3, 2018

    Yukon Gold and butternut squash colcannon

  • jim.windle  on  October 8, 2018

    Lemon icebox tart with saltine cracker crust

  • lgroom  on  October 10, 2018

    shrimp and roasted corn chowder

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