Basic Pantry Essentials
Cooking delicious dishes and meals is made easier and more enjoyable when you have some basic staples on hand. Here is a list of some of the items to keep in the pantry (or fridge really) that will help you get the most out of your vegetables with or without a recipe.
- Fine sea salt (and a flaky salt too!)
- Dried chilies (grow your own and let them dry on the counter! Try Rosetta’s Calabrian)
- Soy Sauce
- Ginger
- Spices
- Dried herbs (grow some of your own and hang them to dry! Try German Winter Thyme)
- Extra-virgin olive oil and neutral tasting oil
- Canned tomatoes (grow your own and can them at home! Try Napoli Paste)
- Red wine, white wine, rice wine and balsamic vinegars
- Black pepper
- BUTTER
- Garlic and onions (grow your own! Try New York Early & Rossa di Milano)
- Parmesan cheese
Unless food sensitivities prevent you from capitalizing on the flavorful powers of the staples above, we highly recommend incorporating them into your cooking. Onions, garlic, and ginger, together with carrots, celery, leeks, spices and herbs are known as aromatics, or ingredients used to build the flavor base of dishes. They are the reason people say, "What are you cooking? That smells so good!"
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