Rooted in the Season
The backyard of my childhood home opened up to an expanse of evergreen forest. My brothers and I used to cut a path, tripping over creeping salal and fallen branches while attempting to avoid the stinging nettles as best we could. All adventures ceased the moment we spotted blushing red berries, with their delicate green leaves and tender branches growing out of trees no longer living but now gifting life to others. Huckleberries were our summer forest snack, a taste we’d wait for all year.
Nearly two decades later, I’m now living in Seattle with my husband and three kids, and through the food community, I find a few folks who also like to go out into the woods and eat things. Rooted Kitchen is a guided seasonal meditation on Earth’s movement, as we pay close attention to, and honor, its ingredients, which become our dear friends who visit us annually. We relish their presence when they arrive and bid them adieu when their time has gone. For when one ingredient is about to make an exit, another is waiting to be warmly welcomed. It’s about celebrating each season for the unique bounty it brings.
The book is organized according to the seasonal year, with recipes and essays that bring the bounty of each season into the kitchen. I believe that by truly understanding where our food comes from, we can develop a caring, more loving relationship with the earth and see our interconnectedness with it all. This book is a love letter to nature.
Reprinted with permission from Rooted Kitchen: Seasonal Recipes, Stories, and Ways to Connect to the Natural World by Ashley Rodriguez © 2024. Photographs by Ashley Rodriguez © 2024. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
This stunning dish is full of flavors that are both hearty and light. The cauliflower is seared and then roasted so you get a bit of char and sweetness. They are served on top of Mushroom Mole and topped with a bright salad of cilantro and radish simply dressed in lime and olive oil.
Several years ago, some dear friends and I spent a week in Oaxaca, Mexico, eating and marveling at the artistry and community of that incredible place. On one of the days during our visit, we took a mole class. The day started at the market, gathering our many ingredients, and then, back at the place where we were staying, we started a fire to toast the chiles and spices on the unfinished terra-cotta comal, a round cooking griddle that can be used directly over a fire. The smoke was filled with spice, and soon the sesame seeds were popping. I’ve taken the essence of what I learned in that class and pared it down just enough so that it can be made in much less time while still maintaining the integrity of the complex flavors mole is known for.
The amount of chocolate here may seem excessive to some, but my ideal hot chocolate is nearly thick enough to eat with a spoon. I will slowly sip on a small quantity of intensely rich hot chocolate, capped with a generous amount of cold, loosely whipped heavy cream, and be at my happiest. With the touch of earthy rosemary mingling with the chocolate—well, I’ve found my new favorite way to get cozy in winter.
I resisted the urge to include a chopped salad recipe in each of the seasons, even though I love them so much. They are both hearty and fresh and are a good use of some pantry staples. This recipe starts with salami cooked until crisp and then sautéed with chickpeas and spices to add a warm, soft crunch.
Vegetable platters are plentiful at our holiday gatherings. This one is gently spiced with chaat masala, a salty and sour spice mix commonly used to season chaat (street food snacks) in and around South Asia. It’s worth seeking out, ordering online, or making yourself. Once you have it in hand, you’ll find you want to add it to popcorn, Chex Mix, potato chips, and other such snacks. In this recipe, it provides a zippy flavor boost for fresh winter vegetables. The chaat masala is both sprinkled on top of the vegetables to add more flavor as well as blended with yogurt to create a dip.
