5 Comforting Dishes to Make Using Only Pantry Staples

By Jenny Rosenstrach and Andy Ward 

Photo: Alex Lau

Most nights our family dinners rely on a philosophy followed by chefs the world over: Use fresh ingredients and mess with them as little as possible. This is easy to live by early in the week, when our fridge runneth over from our big Sunday shop. By Wednesday or Thursday, however, the hyenas (read: children) have thrashed through the fresh stuff, and we have to look elsewhere for inspiration. So we keep the shelves (and fridge and freezer) full of flavor boosters like homemade pickles, good-quality bacon, and those mini-containers of tamarind sauce left over from Indian takeout. Here’s how we put our secret weapons to work.

Split Pea Soup

• Homemade Stock, Split Peas, Bacon
  

If you’ve got great homemade stock, you’ve got great soup. Sauté a little chopped carrot and onion in butter and olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Add dried split peas, stock, and a chunk of smoky bacon (the hunk you’ve dutifully stored in the freezer). Simmer about 45 minutes until peas are tender, whirl with an immersion blender, and serve with croutons.

Related: This Split Pea Soup uses ham instead of bacon—both are great. 

Photo: Danny Kim

Simple and Speedy Pasta

• Pasta, Capers, Breadcrumbs
  

Sauté minced shallots, garlic, red pepper flakes, and capers in olive oil. Add a half cup of breadcrumbs and cook until breadcrumbs are toasty. Toss with pasta and grated Parm. And when the kids inevitably ask, explain that capers are “tiny explosions of salty goodness.”

Fried Chickpeas

• Chickpeas, Tamarind Sauce, Cayenne
  

Drain and dry canned chickpeas, then fry in neutral oil until crisp, about 15 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne, and serve with yogurt, tamarind sauce, cilantro, and some flatbread. We’re starving just typing that.

Related: Add yogurt, tamarind sauce, and flatbread to these Fried Chickpeas and you’ve got dinner.

Photo: Levi Brown

Smoked Trout with Pickled Cabbage

Finn Crisp Crackers, Smoked Trout, Mayo, Homemade Pickled Cabbage
We like to call this one of the world’s best open-face dinners.

Carbonara

• Spaghetti, Bacon, Eggs, Parmesan
  

This is why we keep all that Benton’s bacon in the freezer. If there is a better way to end a long week than a big bowl of carbonara, we do not know what it is.

Photo: Peden + Munk

Raid your own pantry, then make our favorite carbonara:

Recipe by Barbara Lynch

Serves 4-6.

1/4 pound guanciale (salt-cured pork jowl) or pancetta, cut into 1/3-inch cubes
7 large egg yolks
1 large egg
1 pound rigatoni
Kosher salt
1/2 cup finely grated Pecorino or Parmesan plus more for garnish
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground green peppercorns
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pink pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
Freshly ground black pepper

Put guanciale in a large skillet and place over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until fat renders but guanciale is not browned, about 5 minutes. Pour into a fine-mesh sieve set over a small bowl; reserve drippings. Transfer guanciale to a large bowl and let cool slightly. Add egg yolks and egg to bowl; whisk to blend.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid.

To egg mixture, immediately add rigatoni, 2 Tbsp. pasta cooking liquid, and 1 tsp. guanciale drippings; toss to coat. Working in 3 batches, gradually add Pecorino, stirring and tossing to melt between batches. Add green, pink, and white pepper (or 1 1/2–2 tsp. black pepper); toss until sauce thickens, adding more pasta water by tablespoonfuls if needed. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Divide among bowls. Garnish with Pecorino.

For more Jenny and Andy, check out their blog, Dinner: A Love Story.

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