Posted on 04/01/2020 8:22:57 PM PDT by nickcarraway
A handful of experienced cooks on which pantry staples they turn to again and again, and their favourite isolation meals Pantry staples
Shelf-stable. Even the name is comforting, the antithesis of a viral threat. Contrary to the pillars of contemporary food culture — fresh, seasonal and inherently fleeting — it’s the canned, dried, jarred and otherwise hardy that we can rely on in a pinch. Forming the unsung foundation of so many meals when times are good, social distancing amid the COVID-19 pandemic has given these foods new meaning.
Staples hum in the background during days of plenty. Some of them are so far back in the recesses of our pantries that we’ve forgotten they were there at all. Often reserved for last-resort cooking on sleepy weekends, times of sickness or hectic weeknights, we’re occasionally actively thankful for their existence. But once we have fresh bounty back at our fingertips, they fade into the shadows of the cupboard.
As people avoid going to restaurants and making unnecessary trips to the store, shelf-stable foods have been thrust into the spotlight. Sturdy and reliable, beans, grains, canned vegetables, pickles, pastes and condiments are a practical choice. Beyond the functionality of these foods, though, they embody an innate assurance that’s especially welcome in times of uncertainty.
"It’s just so reassuring to know that they’re always there,” says Raleigh, N.C.-based author and restaurateur Margaret (Mei) Li. “That I always have the capability to make something if I’m tired and haven’t gone grocery shopping. If I’ve just come back from vacation. If I’m scrambling at the last minute because people are coming over. Any situation — in the situation we’re in right now — there’s a comfort in having those staples and having those building blocks that you can then use as a base.”
(Excerpt) Read more at nationalpost.com ...
Been making some Black eyed peas and pork soup, and some pinto bean with beef, and lima bean with ham lately....but we usually do this on occasion anyway...dried beans/rice/flour/pasta can really stretch the comestibles if it becomes necessary...
Please share the recipe? (black eyed peas and pork soup)
Hasn’t everyone always cooked with self stable foods? How is this different other than that article has weird crap no one has ever heard of just to sound fancy dancy and better than thou.
1 lb of the peas, soaked/drained/prepared per instructions on the bag.
I yellow onion chopped/diced to suit.
Ground Thyme and sage to suit your taste.
She used about 1/5 lb of cooked pork loin (leftover from a pork loin meal) cut into about 1/2" chunks.
Brought to medium boil then simmered until consistency of beans was what she wanted - reheats in same pot with good results if you have enough to have the excuse to not wash the pot and put remains in another container after first meal.
Ham would also work fine if you prefer - next pot will be with Lima Beans and Ham...
Cheap and easy and tasty...enjoy.
Since yes, there was rationing during WW II, people did try to stretch what they could get, to serve many; however, ground chuck and cubed chuck were not disparate in price/availability back then. And as a matter of fact, Campbell's beef and barley soup and beef and veggie soup ( both of which contained lots of meat pieces ) were NOT on the ration list and one could buy both easily and NOT use up a ration ticket. So, logically, your guess doesn't appear to be the correct one.
OTOH....during WW I, Americans refused to buy German and their allies' products/sounding products; yes, even those things made bu Americans whose families who had been here for a long time and THAT is when the names of some things were changed, so that people would buy them. One example of that is what Americans call "DANISH PASTRY". It has less than NOTHING at all to do with Denmark, Danes, or pastry made in that nation. It is really an Hungarian treat called delkeral (sp?).
Thank you to your wife. I have the black eyed peas in the freezer that I previously cooked and now want to use.
I was of the belief that the thing you describe was a Northern Midwest Great Lakes regional thing. Do you or the family member that taught you that recipe originate in that area?
I made something similar a couple of days ago but substituted lentils and a hand full of rice for the beans and potatoes and added some garlic. It was a nice change in that it brings the onions and garlic out a bit more creating a slightly sweeter flavor.
“the all famous tuna casserole.”
I still have my recipe for Tuna Casserole from 7th grade Home Ec class, and make it often, using canned chicken breast instead of tuna. Hubby hates tuna.
Thank you.
Here’s a fast one everyone likes. I call it “Jambalaya”, but it probably really isn’t.
Slice some ANDOUILLE SAUSAGE LINKS. (I use Johnsonville.)
Saute sausage slices with CHOPPED ONION, in a little oil, in a frying pan.
Add some cans of BUSH’S BLACK BEAN FIESTA.
Heat through.
Serve over rice.
The two of us like it, but if people drop in unexpectedly at meal time it’s good enough for company.
Leaves and off cuts are still vegetables. These younguns are geniuses.
Theres a farmer that sells at our market that has the best celery. Its really leafy but its not quite a zwolsche krul type cutting celery, the ribs are too big and its not any type of rib celery Ive seen, too bushy with a tall pedestal. He wont tell me what it is, might be his own invention. Hes only willing to share that it only grows on the wet edge of his field along the swamp. So good!
Great - soups are a super way to use items from other meals.
There will still be leftovers so a 28 Oz. can of whole tomatoes will be pulsed in a blender to make coarsely "chopped" tomatoes and added to the pot and half a pound of medium shell pasta will be cooked and mixed in. Finally used up the bean soup.
So, 3 meals just from the pot of bean soup.
The ham for Sunday dinner, split pea soup from some of the leftover ham, ham sandwiches, ham and eggs, then down to the bone and make bean soup
All from one bone in ham. YMMV
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