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.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

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
• Onions

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.

2. Store plenty of pastas, Arborio rice (for risotto), gnocchi and polenta - these are the basis for many a meal.

3. Always, always keep onions and some garlic laying around. Almost every Itailan dish includes these.

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.

5. Lay in a good supply of wine, for both cooking and drinking. Pick dry white wines for cooking, tasty chianti for drinking.

6. Store canned broths, frozen stocks and/or boullion cubes for Italian stews and braises.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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[Ruthie]

on 12/16/2007 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.

on 8/8/2006 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.

on 11/22/2005 If you are stocking your home with Italian ingredients, the one ingredient that you must never forget is espresso. Buy yourself an authentic Italian espresso maker. You can buy espresso freshly ground or in the stores.