Moosewood Cookbook Recipes Pantry List
September 30, 2008 by Greg
I’ve been talking about using a pantry list, so I thought it would be a good time to share the pantry list I’ve been inspired from. This comes from one of Moosewood Restaurant’s cookbooks, Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home: Fast and Easy Recipes for Any Day. In the back of the book the provide a pantry list to help ready recipes on a whim. This is a great cookbook and restaurant if you happen to be looking for either.
Beans (Dried or Canned)
- butter beans
- black turtle beans
- black-eyed peas
- chick peas
- field peas
- red kidney beans
- cannellini (white kidney beans)
- lentils (red, brown)
- limas
- navy or pea beans
- pigeon peas
- pintos
- split peas (green, yellow)
Grains
- bulghur
- buckwheat groats
- cornmeal
- couscous
- grits
- millet
- quinoa
- rice (Arborio, basmati, brown, white)
Nuts and Seeds
- almonds
- cashews
- hazelnuts
- peanuts
- pine nuts
- walnuts
- sesame seeds
- tahini
Pasta
- Asian-style (rice, soba, and udon noodles)
- Italian-style (long and thing, short and chunky)
- flavored
- whole-grain
Spices and Dried Herbs
- allspice
- annatto
- basil
- bay leaf
- black pepper
- cardamom
- cayenne
- Chesapeake Bay seasoning
- coriander
- cinnamon
- cloves
- cumin
- curry powder
- dill
- fennel
- five-spice powder
- garam masala
- marjoram
- mint
- mustard seed
- nutmeg
- oregano
- paprika
- rosemary
- saffron
- sage
- tarragon
- thyme
- turmeric
Canned Goods
- artichoke hearts
- capers
- coconut milk (unsweetened)
- olives (black, Calamata, Spanish)
- pimientos
- roasted red peppers
- salsa
- tomato juice
- tomato paste
- whole tomatoes
Condiments
- chili paste or chili oil
- Chinese fermented black beans
- curry pate
- fish sauce
- fruit spreads
- hoisin sauce
- soy sauce
- Tabasco or other hot sauce
- vinegars
- wasabi
Miscellaneous
- dried fruits (apricots, dates, raisins)
- dried mushrooms (porcini, shiitake)
- fresh garlic
- seaweeds (hijiki, nori)
- sun-dried tomatoes
- vegetable bouillon (cubes or powder)
Wines and Liqueurs
- Chinese rice wine
- dry red and white wines
- liqueurs (amaretto, Grand Marnier)
- Marsala
- mirin
- sherry
Refrigerated Items
- cheeses
- fresh ginger root
- miso
- seitan
- tofu
- yogurt
Frozen Foods
- black-eyed peas
- lima beans
- pizza crust
- puff pastry
- tortillas
- tempeh
What do you think? What’s it missing? What’s not neccessary?
I’ve got one of the original cookbooks, it’s nearly falling apart I’ve used it that much. Mine doesn’t have a list like this, but I’d say it’s a fairly good starting point. Of course, you won’t buy ANYTHING you wouldn’t normally eat. The same with the herb and spice list, make sure you have the ones you most frequently use. BUT frozen tortillas? Um, they are SO easy to make from scratch, and so much better. Flour tortillas take no time at all to make, and they taste so great. I’d also get masa flour and make my own corn tortillas, of course in AZ I can buy the dough already made, just put it through my tortilla press…(which you don’t need for flour tortillas)…and ‘bake’ over the gas flame. Plain pastas are also easy-peasy to make from scratch. I don’t know if you eat eggs, but if so, egg pastas are better frozen than home-dried. All you really need for the plain pastas is a rolling pin and a good sharp knife or ‘roller’ type cutter. AND…if you have a store like Wild Oats there, then it is much better to buy the ‘bulk’ olives than canned ones. The flavours cannot be beat, and you can try so many different ones, a few ounces of each until you know your favourites. When you put them into the containers provided, top off with as much of the brine as you can get. IF they only have the ’slotted’ spoons to dish up with, then when you get them home, top them with olive oil. You can use the oil in recipes when the olives are gone. They’ll last like that in the fridge for several months, as long as they are covered in brine or oil…or a combination.
I’m sure you already know that, when using canned beans, they must be drained and rinsed before using, right? Anyway, that really IS a great list for customising. It at least outlines all the different ‘groups’ of foods to throw together wonderful meals. OH…one more thing. I keep my fresh ginger root in the freezer. I first peel it with a spoon…you don’t lose much of the ginger that way, and the spoon will peel around all the knobs easily. Then, wrap it well in plastic wrap, put it in the freezer, then either cut off the amount you need or grate it from frozen, re-wrap the remainder and put it back in the freezer. It tastes ‘fresh’, but lasts for a long time. Of course, I use quite a bit, but I like buying it in quantity when I can find the ‘young ginger’, and then keeping it frozen. I LOVE ginger. One more thing…this should have gone back with the ‘tortilla and pasta’ comments, but pizza dough is also very easy to make from scratch, then freeze the raw dough yourself in portion sized amounts. Also…nuts should really go in the ‘frozen’ section, as they will go rancid quickly when kept in a pantry. OK!! I’m done for now…LOL!! You can’t tell that food is my favourite subject, right?