What to Buy, How to Store It, What to Freeze
The first rule for preparing no-fuss meals is to have everything you need on hand before you start. All the essential ingredients should be properly stored in your pantry, refrigerator, or freezer. Let’s tackle the pantry first.
I know it seems silly to mention salt since it is a common staple used on or in almost everything we eat. I also know that consumer markets and magazines have been bombarded recently with salts of every description and color, harvested from almost every region in the world. For me, kosher salt is and has always been a particular favorite. It has a flakelike texture that allows it to dissolve more easily, has no additives, and with a slightly more pungent taste than ordinary table salt, a pinch goes a long way. Also, if you enjoy a little crunch in your salad that will awaken the taste buds, this is the salt to use.
I’m sure you’ve been told this many times, but a high-quality imported cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil with a deep, fruity body is a must. Safflower, peanut, walnut, canola, and toasted sesame oils should be on your shelves, as well as a bottle of soy sauce. Place a really good aged balsamic vinegar at the top of your list: use it in salad dressings, drizzled on fish, poultry, and in sauces that need a bit of vigor. Rice vinegar, white vinegar, red wine vinegar, and sherry vinegar are all essential to summer cooking and fortunately have very long shelf lives. Preground pepper loses its potency within three to four months, whereas whole peppercorns, stored in a cool, dry place, can last up to a year—the difference between freshly ground and preground pepper is enormous. Other pantry essentials are capers, sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, and mustards—Dijon, in particular. Here’s a recipe for a most wonderful and resourceful piquant mustard sauce that you’ll find yourself using over and over again.
1/2 cup grainy mustard
1/2 cup Crème Fraîche (page 30)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Whisk all the ingredients in a bowl until smooth. Serve at room temperature.
Yields about 1 cup
For chicken, add finely chopped fresh basil
For lamb, add minced mint leaves
For beef, add minced curly parsley or cilantro
Then there are brandy, framboise, and, of course, wines that need to be considered. The wines and alcohol I use in my cooking are ones that I could and would serve to my guests. Don’t skimp on any of these items; the better the ingredient, the better your food.
Many recipes call for fresh herbs which, as a rule, are plentiful in the summer, yet I suggest you buy a small supply of dried herbs such as bay leaves, thyme, tarragon, rosemary, mint, dill, oregano, chives, and basil, in case the herbs you want are simply not available. Keep in mind that dried herbs shouldn’t be kept for more than six months. Almost every herb can be preserved in oil, and infused oils flavored with individual herbs are an excellent addition to salad dressings, pasta sauces, etc. It’s remarkable how quickly the oil absorbs each herb’s unique flavor—when you open the bottle the scent is so wonderfully intense.
A tablespoon or two of rosemary oil is great in stews and soups. If you’re making fish, try adding a splash of dill or thyme oil. Chive-infused oil is good on about anything raw or cooked. Basil and oregano oils add a gorgeous scent to pasta sauces, sautéed vegetables, and omelets. Depending on your individual tastes, the possibilities are enormous.
4 loosely packed cups fresh herbs, leaves only, washed and dried
2 cups best-quality olive oil
Using a food processor, combine the ingredients and process until the herb is finely minced. Pour the infused oil into a plastic container with a lid. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 months. Make sure each container is correctly labeled and dated.
Yields about 21/2 cups
Fresh basil patches release the most magnificent aromas in summer. When the leaves are puréed with garlic and oil, its concentrated flavor allows a little of it to do its job well. We use our pesto, which is made without cheese, on pastas, in salads, to enrich the flavor of sauces, with fish, chicken—you name it. Here’s an easy-as-pie pesto recipe we’ve been using for years, sometimes substituting walnuts for the pine nuts.
1/4 cup pine nuts
11/2 tablespoons minced garlic
21/2 cups tightly packed basil leaves
3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Process the pine nuts and garlic in a food processor for 30 seconds, until well combined. Add the basil, oil, salt, and pepper and purée until smooth.
Yields 11/4 cups
Double or triple the ingredients and freeze in ice cube trays. When set, remove the pesto cubes from the trays and store in a resealable plastic bag. Use the individual cubes as additions to sauces, dips, or dressings. Or freeze in 1-cup plastic containers for larger needs. Frozen, it lasts forever. Covered and refrigerated, it lasts up to 3 months.
Buy the best quality spices: cinnamon, allspice, cloves, ground white pepper, cayenne pepper, sage, saffron, and curry powder. Really good curry is a creation of many spices, such as coriander, turmeric, fenugreek, cumin, cayenne pepper, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg. We mustn’t forget the unique and costly saffron that is a requisite for many European and Middle Eastern dishes. Don’t get powdered saffron—you never know if or how it’s been adulterated. Best to buy a few threads of saffron that, when stored in an airtight container and kept in a cool dark place, will last up to six months. It’s a colorful, pungent, aromatic spice that brightens all sorts of rice dishes, risottos, and, of course, bouillabaisse.
If you bake, almond extract is a good idea—and of course vanilla extract. Get the real thing; it may be more expensive but it’s worth it. If you’re making custards, chantilly cream, pie fillings, cakes, cookies, or almost any kind of pudding, the recipe will most likely require a teaspoon or so of vanilla. Here’s a wonderful recipe that is so easy and lasts forever.
12 whole vanilla beans (I use Madagascar beans)
3 cups vodka
Stand the vanilla beans in a tall jar with a tight-fitting lid. Pour in enough vodka to entirely cover the beans. Put the lid in place and store at room temperature for three weeks, allowing the beans to soften. Use the liquid as you would any commercial extract; simply make sure the vanilla beans are always fully immersed in vodka.
For a special flavor, remove a bean from the vodka, cut off the tip, and squeeze some essence into your recipe—your guests will notice the taste instantly. Return the same bean to the vodka and it will continue flavoring the extract.
Yields 3 cups
Keeping a step ahead can be as simple as adding mint leaves or slivers of lemon or lime to each compartment of your ice cube trays. After the ice is frozen, seal the cubes in plastic bags. It’s a delightful way to dress up tall glasses of iced tea, seltzer water, or just about any mixed cocktail.
Toss some walnuts, pecans, almonds, pine nuts, and hazelnuts into your shopping cart; when you get home, seal them in plastic bags and freeze them. Nuts will last much longer when stored this way. Bread crumbs, too, ought to be sealed and stored in the freezer.
You will need raisins, shredded coconut, and dried cherries, all to be kept inside airtight containers. Don’t forget that unbleached all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, panko bread crumbs, cornmeal, wild rice, couscous, wheat berries, and plain rice should also be stored inside airtight jars.
The use of salt in commercial butter is to preserve its shelf life. To control the amounts in our recipes, we only use unsalted butter. I love its taste and freshness. If you wish to use unsalted butter (and I do recommend it) and your intent is not to use it all within one week, then store it in your freezer, which is what I do.
Many recipes call for sautéing with clarified butter. Because it has no milk residue, clarified butter won’t burn when cooked over high temperatures. Here’s what you do:
Melt 16 tablespoons (8 ounces) unsalted butter over low heat. Do not allow it to boil. Skim the foam off the top. Pour the clear butter into a crock or clean jar, leaving any milky residue at the bottom of the pan to be discarded. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.
Yields 3/4 cup (12 tablespoons), but can easily be doubled
I suggest you make and freeze uncooked pie shells. When ready to use, unwrap the shell, fill it, and bake it. Once you’ve accomplished this easy task and reaped the benefits, you’ll be making these pie shells throughout the year. This amazingly simple recipe can be used for dessert pies or savory tarts.
4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
12 tablespoons (6 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
12 tablespoons (6 ounces) cold margarine, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cold water
Place the flour, butter, and margarine in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse 5 or 6 times until the mixture becomes crumbly. With the motor running, add the water all at once and process until the dough starts to cling together. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, gather it into a ball, flatten the ball into a disk, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
Unwrap the dough and cut the disk into four equal pieces. Working on a lightly floured surface, roll out each piece into 1/8-inch-thick rounds. Fit each round into its own 9-inch pie dish or tart pan. Carefully wrap each shell in foil, label, and freeze.
When ready to use, discard the foil and assemble the tart or pie with your favorite filling. The crust will be much crisper when baked this way.