The culinary do-it-yourself era is in full swing! Many chefs and cooks are seeking a deeper connection with their food through foraging, farming, and hunting, leading many to cast aside the casserole for modern spins on familiar foods.
In Acorns & Cattails, nationally acclaimed chef Rob Connoley offers more than one hundred recipes featuring ingredients that any home cook can forage, grow, or hunt. Each recipe shares modern flavor and texture pairings that will excite professional chef and home cook alike. The comforting mesquite chocolate chip cookie, the indulgent pork belly poppers, and the haute hackberry rabbit paté launch homespun do-it-yourself dishes into modern classics.
In addition to learning to cook foraged and farmed foods, readers will explore the basics of wild plant harvesting (including identification and ethical best practices) while enjoying humorous anecdotes from Connoley's years of remote gathering. Photographer Jay Hemphill also presents stunning images that capture the bounty of North America.
"This book provides a very thoughtful approach in articulating the art of foraging and really moves the concept of farm-to-table to the next level. Rob tells every part of the story, from the Earth to the plate. I grew up in Silver City and always admired the land and it's a beauty in different way, but I never really appreciated its abundance until now; it makes me home sick now, more than ever."
Andres Padilla, culinary director of the Frontera Hospitality Group
"In this timely book by the unique and refreshing voice of Rob Connoley, the author offers one of the most significant guides to foraging for food written to date. The ethics set forth, together with his passionate appeal for food rich with the taste of the place from which it came, nourishing and delicious, are as inspiring to this seasoned chef as it will be to every home cook who picks up Acorn
Paul Fehribach, chef and owner of Big Jones
"Rob brings new light and inspiration to the ancient art of foraging. His insight, paired with chef-driven recipes, creates an informative field guide for the modern forager."
Sarah Kosikowski, pastry chef and James Beard Award nominee
