useful
goodies flavorings…
ground cumin:
Cumin is the spice that gives Mexican food it’s distinctive flavor chili powder
cayenne pepper
curry powder: Curry dishes are one of my favorite comfort foods –
spicy, hearty, and ever-so-easy to make. chili bean paste: Readily available at any Asian grocery store,
and some supermarkets, I use this mostly for dressing up
stir-fries. honey
red + white wines: Buy the cheapest red and white
"drinking" wines you can find … they’ll taste better than
the kind that is expressly labeled as "cooking" wine
carbs…
large flour tortillas:
If you live somewhere where good, authentic tortillas are readily
available, keep these in your kitchen [I refrigerate mine, to keep them
from going moldy too quickly]. Use them for the obvious stuff, like
burritos, enchiladas, + quesadillas, of course, but these also work well
for making sandwich roll-ups.
canned goods…
pinto/kidney beans:
For making chili, minestrone soup, burrito/enchilada filling, beans
+rice etc. pitted black olives: Some insist that the only acceptable
olives are those pricey deli-style Kalamatas. Perhaps my tastes are
unsophisticated, but I actually prefer these … the flavor isn’t so
overpowering. I use them with pasta sauces, on top of pizza, with
salads, etc.
perishables…
peppers
scallions: Also known as green
onions. An important ingredient in many Asian dishes, but scallions also
lend a mild but delectable onion-y flavor to salads, soups, omelettes,
and more. frozen green peas
other…
sun-dried tomatoes
dried shiitake mushrooms: Buy a
big bag at any Asian grocery store. Use in stir-fries, soups, +
with pasta. pine nuts
So what are your waiting for? Print out this list, mosey on over to
your nearest supermarket, then hurry home with your newly acquired
foodstuffs and try out some of our recipes.
