How to Stock Your Pantry for Italian Cooking
Have the joy of Italian kitchen cooking at your fingertips - stock your pantry now, reap the benefits later. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Arborio Rice
- Italian Herbs
- Anchovies
- Balsamic Vinegars
- Canned Plum Tomatoes
- Capers
- Cheeses
- Extra-virgin Olive Oil
- Garlic
- Onions
- Pasta
- Pine Nuts
- Polenta
- Prepared Pizzas Crusts And Dough
- Sardines
- Stocks And/or Canned Broths Or Bouillon Cubes
- Tomato Paste
- Wines
Instructions
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1
Have a melange of Italian herbs handy. Include basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Invest in a nice pepper mill and whole peppercorns.
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2
Store plenty of pastas, Arborio rice (for risotto), gnocchi and polenta - these are the basis for many a meal.
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3
Always, always keep onions and some garlic laying around. Almost every Itailan dish includes these.
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4
Buy canned tomato paste, Roma (plum) tomatoes and, for a pinch, premade sauces. But with some garlic, onions, and canned tomatoes, you can make your own sauce easily.
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5
Lay in a good supply of wine, for both cooking and drinking. Pick dry white wines for cooking, tasty chianti for drinking.
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6
Store canned broths, frozen stocks and/or boullion cubes for Italian stews and braises.
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7
Keep at least one grating cheese on hand for pastas. Parmesan, pecorino and romano are good choices for grating. You might also stock mozzerella for melting and ricotta for baking.
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8
Buy prepared pizza crusts and doughs. The wonton wrappers sold in most supermarkets are an great shortcut to quick and easy (while not entirely authentic) ravioli.
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9
Use extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar for marinades, sautés and bread. Combine the olive oil, pine nuts and fresh basil for homemade pesto.
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10
Store canned sardines and anchovies. They're perfect in pastas and salads and on top of pizza. Some salty capers and good black olives never hurt either.
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1
Tips & Warnings
A simple sauce of sauteed onions and garlic simmered with canned tomatoes for 15 minutes or so is a great meal in a pinch. You can augment the sauce with red pepper flakes, some salty capers or olives, or sardines or anchovies. A can of good-quality tunafish, sauteed with the onions, works well too.
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Comments
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Ruthie
Dec 16, 2007
And lets not forget to have a couple of frozen rolls of " pasta briseé or pasta sfoglia ", ( rolls of dough ), on hand to make lots of " torte salate ", or salty pies ( quiches ).The most popular are the spinach,egg and parmigiano cheese, zucchini and prosciutto, green peas and prosciutto and many more. -
Ruthie
Dec 16, 2007
And lets not forget to have a couple of frozen rolls of " pasta briseé or pasta sfoglia ", ( rolls of dough ), on hand to make lots of " torte salate ", or salty pies ( quiches ).The most popular are the spinach,egg and parmigiano cheese, zucchini and prosciutto, green peas and prosciutto and many more.
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Aug 08, 2006
It sounds obvious, but if you use fresh ingredients, the flavor will be so much better. It's definitely worth having a few garlic cloves, and if you want to do one better, why not grow your own basil in a small plant pot on the kitchen windowsill? Fresh coffee is also best - ideally as beans. You should shop around for good coffee and a good coffee machine - you'd be amazed by the difference. Once you've found something you like, it can be worth looking for it online, where it would usually be much cheaper.
-
Aug 08, 2006
It sounds obvious, but if you use fresh ingredients, the flavor will be so much better. It's definitely worth having a few garlic cloves, and if you want to do one better, why not grow your own basil in a small plant pot on the kitchen windowsill? Fresh coffee is also best - ideally as beans. You should shop around for good coffee and a good coffee machine - you'd be amazed by the difference. Once you've found something you like, it can be worth looking for it online, where it would usually be much cheaper.
