The Perfect Pantry For 2023
We all love new beginnings–those calendar markers that offer a wide-open gate to new goals, opportunities, hopes, and wishes. Spring has its burst of new growth. Fall has the promise of new friends as the school year begins (do we ever forget that feeling?). And, most importantly, the beginning of January has the special gift of a new year full of resolutions.
Most resolutions focus on diet and exercise. There is a plethora of guidance and an abundance of promotions on this subject. My resolutions this year all seem to focus on organization (Marie Kondo on speed dial!). I have a few projects on deck that require organizing, including my attic, closets, file drawers, and my grossly overstuffed notebook of collected recipes. First up is my pantry. I thought I’d take you on that journey with me.
The pantry is where flavor lives. A mouth-watering, tongue-tingling, delightful meal can be simple and quick to prepare if you have a well-stocked and well-organized pantry.
The goals for preparing a daily meal are quite simple. We want flavor (something we enjoy), nutrition, and as little preparation time as possible. I am a big fan of the one-day-a-week big cook. This can be one-pot or pan meals divided up and frozen, or a roast chicken that becomes two or three different meals (a tender breast with a simple sauce one night, shredded chicken tacos another). Your pantry is your flavor source for the most basic and simple meal base, whether omnivore, vegan, vegetarian, or pescatarian.
If you are addressing a pantry overhaul like I am, take time to look at purchase or best-buy dates. Dried herbs and spices last about a year before they begin to lose flavor. Vinegars and soy sauce will last nearly indefinitely without refrigeration. Olive oil will go rancid after 6-8 months. Throw out the old and never-used, and rebuild with some new and exciting flavors.
Think about your pantry in categories. I find Samin Nosrat’s Salt, Fat, Acid, and Heat (the title of her groundbreaking book and Netflix series) a good guideline for pantry stocking. Follow the guidelines below, and then add onions, potatoes, and a couple of citrus to your larder, and add protein sources to your freezer. You’ll never be without the ingredients for an easy-to-prepare, crowd-pleasing meal.
Salt
Every meal needs some saltiness to bring forth flavor. Frozen vegetables can burst with brightness with the addition of good salt. Please, pour out any table salt you have; it tastes like metal and uses anti-clumping chemicals. You deserve better.
Salt Sources: Sea Salt, Soy Sauce, and Anchovies
Purchasing Resources:
Diamond brand kosher salt for cooking and marinading
Jacobsen salts ,available at Red Barn Mercantile, for finishing.
Maldon, from England, for the unique flake shape and crunchy texture.
Bourbon Barrel Foods produces artisan soy sauce aged in bourbon barrels
Red Boat soy sauce
Flavor Inspiration: My favorite breakfast is an example of using one of your pantry salt sources to bring the flavor profile up a notch. Toast a piece of sourdough bread (homemade, of course), spread with nut or seed butter, add 6-8 drops of Bourbon Barrel aged smoked soy sauce. Delicious! Try it on avocado toast, too (is that still a thing?)
Fat
Healthy fats are necessary for texture and flavor balance.
Fat Sources: Olive Oil, Sesame Oil, Grapeseed Oil (a neutral flavor), and Coconut Oil and Milk
Purchasing Resources:
California Olive Ranch extra-virgin olive oil for cooking
Brightland extra-virgin olive oil for finishing
Skinny brand extra-virgin cold extracted coconut oil
Flavor Inspiration: For a surprising twist, add a light fruity olive oil to oatmeal. This adds needed fat for nutritional balance, a creamy texture, and a delightful fruitiness to the flavor. Add sea salt and you will need very little or no sugar.
Acid
Acidity balances with fat to create a perfect flavor marriage. When you taste something to which you’ve added salt and it tastes bland, try adding acid. A pot of slow cooked beans benefits from a splash of vinegar at the end of cooking. A drizzle of white wine vinegar on fish cooked with butter is perfection.
Acid Sources: Balsamic Vinegar, Red and White Wine Vinegar, Apple Cider Vinegar, Rice Wine Vinegar, and Capers
Purchasing Resources:
Laconiko balsamic and fruit vinegars (locally owned)
Lindera Farms artisan vinegars (locally owned)
Red Barn Mercantile apple cider and rice wine vinegars
Flavor Inspiration: Cut up a bowl of fresh vegetables and greens, scatter over your favorite grain (quinoa is wonderful) and drizzle over a fruity vinegar, soy sauce and a little oil. Voila, an easy, very delicious meal.
Spice
This is where the magic happens. You can take a simple pasta, piece of chicken or fish, or bland vegetable and make it sing with flavor by adding a spice or two to your salt, fat, and acid. Choose spices that match your favorite flavors or world cuisines. Here are a few basic categories for building your spice rack:
Heat: Cayenne Pepper (bright and hot), Black Pepper, Arbol (bold heat, smoky flavor), and Garlic (pungent and a little spicy)
Sweet: Honey, Sorghum, Coconut Sugar, and Pomegranate Molasses
Herb & Floral: Herbs de Provence, Rosemary, Oregano, Rosewater, and Orange Blossom Water
Spice: Sumac, Coriander, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cloves, and Allspice
Nuts (keep a long time in the freezer): Pistachio, Almond, and Walnut
Grains: Rice, Quinoa, Couscous, and Pasta
Purchasing Resources:
Quick Recipes
Here are some of my favorite quick-prep meals using added flavors from my pantry.
Breakfast: Make oatmeal (instant is fine) and add a spoon of coconut oil or milk, a pinch of salt, a teaspoon of rose water, and chopped pistachios. Change it up the next day with bananas, salt, ground cardamom, and a bit of maple syrup.
Lunch: Spread canned tuna mixed with herbs de Provence, raisins, and olive oil (or mayo) on water crackers or a sandwich. Switch it up the next day using arbol pepper, coriander, and a tad of sorghum tossed with lemon juice and cold pasta.
Dinner: Shower pasta with lemon, salt, olive oil, and ground sumac with grated Parmesan and add a chunk of toasted garlic bread. Poach chicken breasts, leeks, and broccoli in coconut milk with garlic, coriander, black pepper, cayenne pepper, sea salt, and a bit of coconut sugar. Serve over rice.
Bon appétit and Happy New Year!
