There’s something I find particularly comforting in eating food that is in season and following the natural rhythms and cycles to the year. That said, I live in New England, so I make exceptions for some things I can find in-season elsewhere.

I’m not a moral purist about this stuff: mostly I like the idea of seasonality helping me with decision fatigue!

I’ve been meaning to pick back up the habit of my monthly food list: a list of seasonal foods to eat, favorite recipes to cook (again and again), and new things to try! Given that I’m on a kick this week, and January is always a great place to start, here’s the first iteration!

I also gravitate towards cookbooks that capture the year: Nigel Slater’s Kitchen Diaries (and his many repeat volumes) are some of my personal favorites.

Things in Season in January

Not all the things, just the things I might want to eat! I use cheat sheets from my Farmer’s to You order site, the Red’s Best fresh options, Foodwise (yes, it’s Calfornia!) and a few cookbooks (Stephane Reynaud’s 365) to make this list!

Vegetables and fruits: beets, leeks, rutabaga, parsnips, potatoes, cabbage, carrots, belgian endive, kale, kohlrabi, radicchio, variety greens, mushrooms, sunchokes, all the citrus! (Bag of clementines! Citron! Kumquats! A pomelo! A tangelo! Grapefuit!)

Fish: bass, monkfish, skate, oysters, mussels, cod, whitefish

Butcher: duck, oxtail, pork chops, ham, sausages from the freezer, steak

Cheese: fondue, comté petit reserve, roquefort

Special Things: caviar, foie gras, chopped liver, beet hummus

Things I’d like to eat:

Tis the season for soups and stews for me.

Marcus Samuelsson  Black Eyed Pea Curry (yearly tradition – done!)

Rice Bowls with Fish!

Nigella Lawson’s Chicken in a Pot with Lemon Orzo

Schnitzel with Farfalle and Cabbage (a fave of my mom’s)

Ropa Vieja with Yellow rice, Platanos maduros

Kapuska (cabbage soup; or Sherman’s Sweet and Sour Cabbage Soup)

Duck Legs and Potatoes

Slow Salmon with Citrus and Herb Salad (Alison Roman)

Annie’s with Crab, Tomato Paste, and Sherry

Nabeyaki Udon (a fave of my dad’s)

Steak Au Poivre, Broccoli with Blue Cheese and Balsamic

Fondue and Potatoes and Cornichons

Fennel salad and Pork Chops

Split Pea Soup with Ham

La Jota (Beans and Sauerkraut soup) Marcella Hazan, Essentials of Italian Cooking – ***project soup

French Onion Soup

Kabak tatlısı (stewed pumpkin dessert)

Candied citrus peels

Restaurants to Eat From:

• Grandma’s Kitchen (Chicken Noodle Soup)
• Shan a Punjab Butter Chicken
• Yogurt Parfait from Sofra
• Wegmans California Rolls
• Kava Neo-Taverna (with Kathy!)

What are some of your favorite winter dishes?