After a yearlong hiatus, I finally found the time and energy to return to my food blog. Over the last twelve months, I graduated from NYU, got married, enjoyed a summer off with my wife, and started a new job in Midtown Manhattan. Oh, and we moved into a new place in northern New Jersey. The beautiful part of NJ, not the concrete jungle depicted in the Sopranos, nor the sadly portrayed version in the Jersey Shore. While I continued to make time for cooking (and eating), and I didn’t do the same for maintaining this blog.
As a way to kick things off, I am sharing our pantry with you.
For most of us, life no longer resembles the 1950s. Dual-career households are now the norm. And we are all simply too busy in life. By creating and maintaining a well-stocked pantry, you will have significantly more flexibility in what you can cook without needing to buy countless items every time you run to the grocery store. It also allows for more creativity. For example, if you just finished eating a beef roast and have a pound of leftover meat, you could add canned tomatoes and beans, along with a few spices, to make a delicious chili. Or with those same tomatoes, add quartered potatoes, carrots, celery, and/or mushrooms, a couple cups of stock, and transform leftovers into a beef stew. My favorite option is to shred the beef, sauté it with garlic, onions, tomato paste, lots of flavorful spices, and serve it in corn tortillas with fresh guacamole and salsa.
Here are my top items, which not surprisingly, are very common & inexpensive:
1. Olive Oil: Nothing is more important in your panty than high-quality olive oil. From peppery to fruity, to the herb and spice infused varieties, olive oil comes in many forms. While the “right” olive oil depends on its intended use, I recommended buying Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or as Rachael Ray calls it, EVVO). Also look on the label for "cold-pressed." The more interesting olive oils usually identify their source, of which Tuscany is my favorite. Australia, Spain, and California also make delicious olive oil. I use it in nearly all forms of cooking, except Indian and Thai cuisines. It’s supposed to be healthier than other fats, and adds an additional layer of complexity to dishes.
2. Canned Tomatoes: Whole, diced, crushed, and paste - tomatoes are my favorite raw ingredient. I usually buy Whole Foods 365 organic brand, which retails for $1.99 per 28oz. can. They’re organic, delicious, and well-priced for this level of quality. Tomatoes are the base ingredient for any Italian red sauce, several Indian dishes, and chili. They’re also great for stews, braises, soups, homemade BBQ sauce, and homemade Bloody Mary’s.
3. Onions: Savory, pungently flavored, the onion is an incredibly versatile ingredient. Plus they last for weeks in a cool, dry spot in your cupboard/closet. I usually keep a variety of onions on-hand. My preferred onion is the Vidalia Sweet Onion, perfect for sautéing and caramelizing, as well as on top of a burger. Red onions are also wonderful, as they are not as pungent as yellow or white onions, nice for salads and other raw onion dishes. Shallots are awesome too. Green onions/scallions and leeks are other onion-like options, but I do not buy them as routinely because they tend to have poor "shelf" lives.
4. Garlic: If onions are #3, then garlic has to be #4. All my favorite cuisines – Italian, Indian, Thai, American BBQ, Mexican – appreciate the strong flavor of garlic. In addition to the fresh heads of garlic that sit next to my onions, I always have garlic powder and dried garlic on-hand in my cupboard. It’s also really tasty in olive oil; look out for garlic-infused stuff.
5. Eggs: The incredible, edible egg. Eggs are a marvelous ingredient. While delicious on their own, scrambled, hard-boiled, or over-easy, eggs are essential emulsifiers and binders in food. Mayonnaise wouldn’t be possible without an egg, nor would Caesar dressing. Angel Food cake and macaroons rely on the magic of egg whites. Meatballs, as well as many baking recipes, require an egg or two. I try to always keep a dozen eggs in the fridge. Like my other “top” ingredients, eggs last quite a while.
6. Butter: My second favorite fat is butter. I feel bad for vegans missing out on this delicious dairy product. While I use it much frequently than olive oil, it’s essential for baking. I also love butter for fresh bread, popcorn, and cooking eggs (see eggs!). Italian dishes are great when you mix butter and olive oil together when you are sautéing onions and garlic.
Other items I frequently have on-hand include lemons, peanut oil, canola oil, duck fat, celery, carrots, pinto beans, vegetable stock, Jasmine rice, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, leftover white wine, buttermilk, and anchovy paste (for Caesar salad). And of course baking ingredients, such as flour, sugar, baking powder/soda, yeast, and rolled oats.
Did I miss any of your favorite staples? Comment below. Maybe I'll have to add yours to my weekly shopping list.
Jeff
