Turnip Greens & Tortillas by Eddie Hernandez

Eddie Hernandez is the chef and partner of Taqueria del Sol, a chain of counter-service Mexican restaurants in Tennessee and Georgia. In life and in his debut cookbook, Turnip Greens & Tortillas: A Mexican Chef Spices Up the Southern Kitchen, the musician turned chef, makes no apologies about his style of cooking where the word authentic doesn’t factor in. What is most important to him is that he serves good food with great flavor. 

Recently, Chef Hernandez  was featured in The New York Times. There he stated that too much emphasis is placed on culinary authenticity today, he continued. “In Mexico, we eat what we like and don’t worry about what is authentic to this cuisine or that,” he said. “You make do, and you make it taste good.” He won me over with that statement (well he had me when I opened Turnip Greens). 

These are recipes my family loves and when I say family I specifically mean my husband. My son and I love all kinds of food – my husband not so much. I save our vegetable, seafood-centric dishes for times when my husband has a working dinner or he is out of town. 

So the fact that these recipes are hubby-approved is a plus for me. Oven-baked Memphis-style ribs and the Fried chicken tacos were huge hits. I could live on those tacos which I made using the spicy Russian dressing. The vibrant colors and flavors in Turnip Greens coupled with the approachable recipes make this book an exciting keeper. 

Chef Hernandez isn’t fussy or pretentious, he’s talented and knows what works. Special thanks to the publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for sharing materials for the EYB Book Preview that shares recipes you can try now. Word of advice make those Fried chicken tacos – they are amazing. Check out the author’s book tour to see if he is in your area. 

Be sure to scroll down and enter our giveaway open to US and Canadian members.

 



Our EYB Book Preview will give you a closer look inside of this title and our EYB Recipe Preview shares the following recipes: 

The publisher is offering three copies of this book to EYB Members in the US and Canada. 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 May 31st, 2018.

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84 Comments

  • Kristjudy  on  April 15, 2018

    Smoked salmon chipotle pizza

  • hedder14  on  April 15, 2018

    Have to try his Shrimp and grits.

  • MirandaAK  on  April 15, 2018

    The Poblano and Corn Chowder with Shrimp sounds delicious, though I would be tempted by the Smoked Salmon Chipotle Pizza too!

  • vickster  on  April 15, 2018

    Famous Fish Tacos. I really want this book!

  • laureljean  on  April 15, 2018

    Cajun Hash

  • lauriesk  on  April 15, 2018

    The first recipe I would try is Green chile stew

  • catmommy9  on  April 15, 2018

    The crispy beef tacos sound really good

  • allthatsleftarethecrumbs  on  April 15, 2018

    The Mexican bread pudding.

  • Lorihahn  on  April 15, 2018

    Def the fish tacos!

  • jluvs2bake  on  April 15, 2018

    Pan-fried pork chops with ranchero brown gravy

  • LaurenE  on  April 15, 2018

    crispy beef tacos

  • rachael_mc  on  April 15, 2018

    Crispy Carnitas

  • Karla123  on  April 15, 2018

    Spicy bread and butter pickles…one of my favorite pickles to make.

  • janv  on  April 15, 2018

    You had me at Foil-roasted beets and Vidalia onions with butter, lime, and sea salt

  • rchesser  on  April 15, 2018

    Shrimp fried rice topped with bronzed scallops with Tabasco oil .

  • kmn4  on  April 15, 2018

    Cheese enchiladas with morita pepper sauce

  • thecharlah  on  April 15, 2018

    Taqueria del Sol jalapeño-cheese dip

  • Angryyew  on  April 16, 2018

    sopapillas

  • lean1  on  April 16, 2018

    Deviled eggs with Mexican Flavors!

  • sarahawker  on  April 16, 2018

    Cubano tacos

  • NaomiH  on  April 16, 2018

    Corn, poblano, and cheese tamales

  • antpantsii  on  April 16, 2018

    Sweet and tangy ceviche tostadas

  • kgmom  on  April 16, 2018

    Fried chicken tacos! Sounds delicious.

  • Carolyn99  on  April 16, 2018

    For me, tostadas would have to be the first recipe to try. Love the sound of the tomato and pickled pork skin ones!

  • bologna  on  April 16, 2018

    Everything sounds sooo good! I'd start with the Green Posole. Then I'd let the book guide me 🙂

  • ktwalla  on  April 16, 2018

    My Breakfast Muffins

  • jmay42066  on  April 16, 2018

    Cajun hash

  • nesshawk  on  April 16, 2018

    soooo hard to decide… but prob the Mexican "Sushi" Roll Ups

  • RNJessicaK  on  April 17, 2018

    Nashville Hot Chicken Tacos

  • heyjude  on  April 17, 2018

    Waco Tacos

  • ravensfan  on  April 17, 2018

    Three-chile homemade chorizo

  • matag  on  April 17, 2018

    Cajun hash

  • Julia  on  April 17, 2018

    Cuba our tacos

  • hungryinhouston  on  April 17, 2018

    I'd love to try the Deviled Eggs with Mexican Flavors!

  • robynsanyal  on  April 18, 2018

    Deviled eggs with Mexican Flavors

  • southerncooker  on  April 19, 2018

    I love the title of this book. I saw many things I'd be willing to try. The version of pimento cheese sounds delicious as does many of the tacos and other items. So maybe I'd start with the pimento cheese.

  • munki  on  April 19, 2018

    I would make Chorizo with Eggs first. I eat eggs every day and am always looking for new egg recipes!

  • mpdeb98  on  April 20, 2018

    Cajun hash

  • Mariarosa  on  April 20, 2018

    I'm thinking the Spiced pork tenderloin with sweet potatoes, chile glaze, and shiitakes. Mmmmm….

  • t.t  on  April 20, 2018

    Crispy carnitas

  • lindaeatsherbooks  on  April 21, 2018

    I want to make Stone-ground grits with chiles.

  • finnsmom64  on  April 21, 2018

    Deviled eggs with Mexican Flavors

  • Steben  on  April 21, 2018

    Chocolate chimichangas with tequila cream sauce

  • RSW  on  April 21, 2018

    Three-chile homemade chorizo

  • Karen.2018  on  April 21, 2018

    This sounds delicious! Cubano tacos

  • lgroom  on  April 21, 2018

    Cubano tacos

  • nadiam1000  on  April 22, 2018

    Mac and cheese with feta and jalapeño

  • sgump  on  April 23, 2018

    The black bean and corn salad with cilantro-mint dressing sounds refreshing–possibly ideal for summer picnics.

  • lebarron2001  on  April 23, 2018

    Spiced pork tenderloin with sweet potatoes, chile glaze, and shiitakes

  • EmilyR  on  April 24, 2018

    Chicken enchilada casserole with lemon-cream sauce

  • rivergait  on  April 25, 2018

    Mexican sushi roll-ups. Besides having lots of recipes for the products of my California garden, I appreciate the sassy attitude of "non-authentic".

  • Whyvette  on  April 25, 2018

    I bought this book so that I can make enough Poblano and Corn Chowder with Shrimp to bathe in. It is that good!

  • Terrill  on  April 26, 2018

    Tomato and pickled pork skin tostadas f

  • lpatterson412  on  April 26, 2018

    Sopapillas!!

  • trudys_person  on  April 27, 2018

    Tropical flan with rum caramel – sounds delicious! I always start with dessert!

  • Cornfed23  on  April 27, 2018

    Fried green tomatilios with peach-habanero sauce

  • juazella  on  April 27, 2018

    Cajun boiled peanuts

  • Dannausc  on  April 28, 2018

    Fritos chilaquiles

  • hibeez  on  April 28, 2018

    Eddie's breakfast sausage

  • Laura1  on  April 28, 2018

    Mac and cheese with feta and jalapeño

  • MiMi60  on  April 28, 2018

    Mexican bread pudding.

  • kroshey  on  April 29, 2018

    Cajun Hash!

  • ccav  on  May 1, 2018

    So many good things in this book! I would try Okra and ham, ranchero style first

  • Teruska  on  May 2, 2018

    A Mexican Mint Julep to celebrate the Kentucky Derby on Cinco de Mayo. Seems perfect this year to cook from this book on Saturday.

  • kennethjohngilmour  on  May 2, 2018

    start with something simple like the chorizo with eggs found on page 31

  • jenmacgregor18  on  May 2, 2018

    sloppy jose tacos

  • TrishaCP  on  May 6, 2018

    Probably the Taqueria Del Sol dip. This book looks amazing!

  • miggsy  on  May 6, 2018

    Green chile stew

  • Katiefayhutson  on  May 8, 2018

    Cajun hash

  • topdawg11  on  May 8, 2018

    Fried chicken tacos.

  • AnnaZed  on  May 9, 2018

    Toasting and grinding dried chiles

  • Veestar14  on  May 10, 2018

    Chicken verde tacos!

  • mrscahughes  on  May 11, 2018

    fried chicken tacos

  • ktpotat  on  May 11, 2018

    Fritos Chilaquiles

  • sequoia55  on  May 13, 2018

    Cubano tacos

  • Sfgordon  on  May 14, 2018

    I would try the melted cabbage and carrots.

  • thewoobdog  on  May 15, 2018

    Green Chile Stew!

  • littleminxgirl  on  May 18, 2018

    The crispy beef tacos sound yummy

  • Siegal  on  May 19, 2018

    I want to try Cubano taco

  • orchidlady01  on  May 20, 2018

    Orange-almond salad with sweet serrano-lime dressing

  • marsmomma  on  May 20, 2018

    I would love to try the Mexican “sushi” roll-ups.

  • SarahGelle  on  May 21, 2018

    Definitely the jalapeno cheese dip!

  • eatysmith  on  May 23, 2018

    "Which recipe in the index would you try first?" Fried chicken tacos!

  • madelainelc  on  May 29, 2018

    Sweet and tangy ceviche tostadas

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