Overview
Recipes and stories of the modern South
In Secrets of the Southern Table, award-winning chef and cookbook author Virginia Willis takes you on a tour of today's South--a region rich in history and cultural diversity. With her signature charm and wit, Virginia shares many well-known Southern recipes like Pimento Cheese Tomato Herb Pie and "Cathead" Biscuits, but also some surprising revelations drawn from the area's many global influences, like Catfish Tacos with Avocado Crema, Mississippi-Style Char Siu Pork Tenderloin, and Greek Okra and Tomatoes. 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.Customers Also Bought
Details
- ISBN-13: 9780544932548
- ISBN-10: 0544932544
- Publisher: Harvest Publications
- Publish Date: May 2018
- Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.1 x 0.9 inches
- Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
- Page Count: 336
Related Categories
Cooking: A heaping helping
Asking if we need another Southern cookbook is like asking if we need another Italian cookbook. The answer is always a resounding yes. And Virginia Willis’ Secrets of the Southern Table: A Food Lover’s Tour of the Global South offers exemplary proof. A highly respected authority on Southern cooking and the tangled past that underlies this complex cuisine’s legendary recipes, Willis is also super savvy about the many international cuisines that can be found in the South and how immigration has impacted the evolution of Southern food. Willis writes, “The food of the South is biscuits and burritos, catfish and chapattis, and hoecakes and hummus.” She’s gathered 80 inviting recipes, including some from the Southern canon—like Pimento Cheese Tomato Herb Pie, Cat Head Biscuits and her grandmother’s Cornbread and Oyster Dressing— and others that showcase the diversity of the South’s broad culinary landscape, like Catfish Tacos with Avocado Crema and Chicken Larb with Georgia Peanuts. It’s all seasoned with intimate, informative profiles of the farmers, chefs and “influencers” who energize the current food scene.
BEYOND BURGERS
When Food52 adds a new title to its list, you know that you’re getting a cookbook by a passionate home cook who follows the Food52 motto: “Eat thoughtfully, live joyfully.” Food52 Any Night Grilling: 60 Ways to Fire Up Dinner (and More), Paula Disbrowe’s wonderfully enthusiastic guide to everyday grilling, makes the delicious world of cooking over an open fire accessible to everyone. Starting with all the basic info you need—plus tips on how to up your grilling game—Disbrowe introduces readers to the pleasures of Crackly Rosemary Flatbread crisped on the grill; the tender, toothsome texture of a charred cabbage wedge; crunchy wings with six craveable sauces; and the smoky charm of grilled desserts. With summer close at hand, the lure of cooking alfresco will soon be irresistible. So light that fire, pick a Paula-perfect recipe, and savor the glories of the grill.
TOP PICK IN COOKING
For Stephanie Izard, the first woman to win Bravo’s “Top Chef,” the answer to all our “hungry prayers” is in hitting those “sweet, salty, savory, tangy, saucy” spots and “fusing homey comfort food with high-impact ingredients.” Think of it as packing an umami wallop into everyday dishes. In Gather & Graze: 120 Favorite Recipes for Tasty Good Times, Izard offers 120 recipes for cult favorites from her three award-winning Chicago restaurants. Her sure-footed instructions include tips, tricks and techniques, plus notes on some of the pantry staples that amp up her repertoire, like malt vinegar, miso and fish sauce. Try her Duck Breast with Brown-Butter Kimchi and Miso-Marcona Butter, brunch on Crumpets with soy-spiked Chorizo Maple Syrup, and bring on the Chocolate Peanut Butter-Covered Cheez-It S’Mores for a Fourth of July celebration. The usual has now become unusual.
This article was originally published in the May 2018 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.
Cooking: A heaping helping
Asking if we need another Southern cookbook is like asking if we need another Italian cookbook. The answer is always a resounding yes. And Virginia Willis’ Secrets of the Southern Table: A Food Lover’s Tour of the Global South offers exemplary proof. A highly respected authority on Southern cooking and the tangled past that underlies this complex cuisine’s legendary recipes, Willis is also super savvy about the many international cuisines that can be found in the South and how immigration has impacted the evolution of Southern food. Willis writes, “The food of the South is biscuits and burritos, catfish and chapattis, and hoecakes and hummus.” She’s gathered 80 inviting recipes, including some from the Southern canon—like Pimento Cheese Tomato Herb Pie, Cat Head Biscuits and her grandmother’s Cornbread and Oyster Dressing— and others that showcase the diversity of the South’s broad culinary landscape, like Catfish Tacos with Avocado Crema and Chicken Larb with Georgia Peanuts. It’s all seasoned with intimate, informative profiles of the farmers, chefs and “influencers” who energize the current food scene.
BEYOND BURGERS
When Food52 adds a new title to its list, you know that you’re getting a cookbook by a passionate home cook who follows the Food52 motto: “Eat thoughtfully, live joyfully.” Food52 Any Night Grilling: 60 Ways to Fire Up Dinner (and More), Paula Disbrowe’s wonderfully enthusiastic guide to everyday grilling, makes the delicious world of cooking over an open fire accessible to everyone. Starting with all the basic info you need—plus tips on how to up your grilling game—Disbrowe introduces readers to the pleasures of Crackly Rosemary Flatbread crisped on the grill; the tender, toothsome texture of a charred cabbage wedge; crunchy wings with six craveable sauces; and the smoky charm of grilled desserts. With summer close at hand, the lure of cooking alfresco will soon be irresistible. So light that fire, pick a Paula-perfect recipe, and savor the glories of the grill.
TOP PICK IN COOKING
For Stephanie Izard, the first woman to win Bravo’s “Top Chef,” the answer to all our “hungry prayers” is in hitting those “sweet, salty, savory, tangy, saucy” spots and “fusing homey comfort food with high-impact ingredients.” Think of it as packing an umami wallop into everyday dishes. In Gather & Graze: 120 Favorite Recipes for Tasty Good Times, Izard offers 120 recipes for cult favorites from her three award-winning Chicago restaurants. Her sure-footed instructions include tips, tricks and techniques, plus notes on some of the pantry staples that amp up her repertoire, like malt vinegar, miso and fish sauce. Try her Duck Breast with Brown-Butter Kimchi and Miso-Marcona Butter, brunch on Crumpets with soy-spiked Chorizo Maple Syrup, and bring on the Chocolate Peanut Butter-Covered Cheez-It S’Mores for a Fourth of July celebration. The usual has now become unusual.
This article was originally published in the May 2018 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.