Cooking from the Pantry (merged)

[hillvalley]

Ahhhhh, pantry dining.

These thoughts came to mind:

Take the tomatoes, garlic, basil, parmesan and pasta. Chop tomatoes and sautee with garlic. Chiffonade some basil and throw it in with the tomatoes for a few seconds. Pour all of that over spagetti. Top with cheese.

Pea soup: Dice up a potato and cook in vegetable stock. Throw in the frozen peas. Blend until smooth. Good hot and cold.

Chicken quesadillas

Some sort of stew with the beans and meat

[reesek]

hijacking? sounds like fun to me...

first - i have to ask - what the heck is "mock chicken marbella" and why, if it's mock - does it call for chicken?

ok - i think maybe the best idea is for anyone who wants to play to list the dishes (not necessarily meals) that can be made with the ingredients rsincere has and let her decide what she wants to make

and by the way - i'd kill for your pantry.

1) chili - i'm assuming walmart has kidney beans in their dry selection (in fact - in texas you could do it without the beans - i'm partial to the contrast myself) extra taste points if your pantry includes spicy stuff (chili powder and jarred jalepenos can work here)

2) indian - if your dry spices include cumin and coriander at a minimum - you can make lentils, curried cubed potatoes & peas, &/or sauteed green beans with tomato.

3) enchiladas - either chicken or beef

4) roasted potatoes (red ones) & turnipswith thyme and garlic (could serve these with steak or roasted alongside the chicken thighs)

5) beef stew - this i think would require you to purchase a carrot and it would also rock if you had a couple of bay leaves - but we can do without

6) risotto with shallots, herbs and peas

7) pasta with meat sauce or plain tomato sauce with basil or tarragon

8) tarragon chicken salad (this would be my best rec with the chicken breast strips. they don't really taste like much, but i think they make killer chicken salad.

9) potato and onion gratin (baked casserole of thinly sliced potatoes and onions layered with a creamy sauce/cheese)

10) sauteed tilapia fillets with lemon herb butter

11) cheddar cheese burgers with caramelized onions and french fries :)

12) the steak can be broiled or pan seared simply or can be cut into strips and stirfried quickly with ginger, garlic, a little soy and tomatoes. you can serve with jasmine rice (cook extra rice - and refrigerate overnight)

13) fried rice - it's better to use cold rice from the night before. - garlic, oil, an egg if you have it, onions, a bit of soy if you like and some peas.

14) pork butt roast thing. there's a recipe i can find for you that involves slow cooking big cubes of pork with oranges and onions. it's very simple and very delicious.

i can go on - but i'm going to say "tag" first - let me know what piques your interest!

reese

[laurel]

With garlic, ginger, scallion, soy sace, and tilapia you can make some nice steamed fish. I usually use a bamboo steamer, but I have heard (though never tried it) that steamed fish can be done well in a microwave:

http://articles.findarticles.com/p/article...198/ai_20036729

I would slice thinly one or two garlic cloves and a 1/2 inch of ginger, chop up both of your scallions (white and green parts), and put it on a plate with the fish, some soy sauce, and some sherry.

On the side, make some rice and cook some of your frozen vegetables, and pour some of the sauce from the fish on top.

[Malawry]

Braise the pork butt slowly with red wine, oranges (juice them and then Microplane the rind), onions, tomatoes, garlic, parsley, stock. Serve over rice or with roasted potatoes.

Pasta with caramelized onions, peas, butter, parmesan. You can deglaze the onions with a spot of sherry to add a nice flavor if you like.

Pan-seared tilapia with a ginger-soy beurre blanc, with green beans and basmati rice.

There's a few ideas, anyway.

[mags]

I think these ideas are terrific. I'd throw in Cottage Pie, which is a classic Brit working-person's dinner that will accommodate much. Brown the ground chuck in a bit of oil, using a wooden spoon to break up the clumps. Remove it from the pan (you may want to drain it, to get rid of some of the fat -- chuck can be fatty), and use the fat left in the pan (with or without a little extra olive oil) to brown some chopped onion and garlic -- you can throw in chopped scallion here as well, if you need to use them up. When the onions etc. are brown, deglaze the pan with some of that red wine. (Pour in a slug of the wine, turn the heat up under the pan, and as the liquid comes to a boil, use your wooden spoon to scrape up the tasty brown goo on the bottom of the pan. It will dissolve into the wine and give it great flavor, and this yummy-flavored wine will then be absorbed by the onions.)

Return the meat to the pan, add some canned tomatoes if you like (after squishing them into bits with your fingers -- don't add too much of the juice), and the frozen peas. I'd add a little fresh thyme here as well (because I love it). (Strip the leaves off the stalks and add just the leaves.) Stir it all up, toss in some salt and freshly ground black pepper, cover the pan, turn the heat to medium-low, and let it all simmer together.

WHile the meat is simmering, use the Yukon Golds to make mashed potatoes with butter -- don't make them TOO too rich, but try to get rid of the lumps. (You can peel the spuds or not, as you like.)

Taste the meat. It might need more salt and pepper. If it's watery, take the top off and let it cook down for a few minutes, which will thicken it up -- you want it pretty much the texture of chili. Throw in some chopped parsley.

Very lightly grease a casserole dish or pie pan. Once you like the consistency of the meat mixture, put it into the dish, and cover it all over with mashed potatoes. Sprinkle a good handful of the grated cheddar over the potatoes, and stick the dish into an oven, heated to 350. Check after 10 or 15 minutes -- the cheese should have melted. To brown the cheese and crip the potatoes, stick the dish in the broiler for a few minutes.

This would probably also be good if you substituted fresh basil for the thyme and parsley, and grated parmesan for the cheddar. Also, if you don't want to use tomatoes, you could flavor the meat with some Worcestershire sauce instead -- go easy, that stuff is strong!

These directions are totally off the top of my head, and I'm sure others here can make some helpful modifications. But they should produce something reasonably tasty and recognizable as dinner.

Oh, and to use those turnips? Peel them, slice them into 1/4" slices, toss with a little olive oil and some salt and pepper, and roast them in a 400-degree oven, tossing them fairly frequently (every 10 minutes) until they start to get brown around the edges. They will taste very much like sweet potatoes, and would make a nice, semi-starchy compliment to braised pork, steak, roast chicken thighs, or burgers. You could even chop them up and add them to your fried rice.

[reesek]

mags that sounds delicious!

i've never heard of cottage pie, but what you described sounds a lot like what i thought was shepherd's pie minus peas plus cheese. not a terrible modification actually. is that the difference, or is shepherd's pie traditionally made with lamb?

[Chad]

This could be a lot of fun. I envision a series of challenges like this. Remember the scene from "Apollo 13" where the engineers were given a fixed number of items that could be found aboard the disabled spacecraft and ordered to figure out how to fix the module with only those items?

Like that, only with food. Kind of like the "market basket" challenges in cooking schools. A poster lists a set of ingredients/items they have on hand and we have to figure out what to make from them. Basics like salt, pepper, garlic and olive oil assumed.

Allez cuisine.

Chad

[enrevanche]

mags that sounds delicious!

i've never heard of cottage pie, but what you described sounds a lot like what i thought was shepherd's pie minus peas plus cheese. not a terrible modification actually.  is that the difference, or is shepherd's pie traditionally made with lamb?

Bingo. Cottage pie = beef and veggies covered with mashed potatoes, shepherd's pie is made with lamb.

Note that many US restaurants serve "shepherd's pie" that's actually made with beef. Our local neighborhood Brit expat hangout, Tea and Sympathy. does a mighty tasty version of this.

I have been known to add finely diced carrots to my cottage pie (just saute a minute or two with the onions) or even fresh corn kernels sliced off the cob (ditto.)

It's a great way to use leftovers: I make it all the time whenever I have leftover roast beef or brisket (though ground beef/chuck will work just great.) Making that nice gravy is crucial.

Edited June 28, 2004 by enrevanche (log)

[RSincere]

So many awesome ideas, I could probably eat until two Fridays from now. I forgot to mention I also have bacon and eggs! But I already know how to fry an egg, I was hoping to continue learning to cook the other stuff. So I'm drooling over all your suggestions. Honestly, I want to learn to make all of it so far.

reesek,

first - i have to ask - what the heck is "mock chicken marbella" and why, if it's mock - does it call for chicken?

Apparently it's a tribute to a recipe from the Silver Palate cookbook. It calls for red wine vinaigrette, olive salad (or blend green olives and capers), garlic, oregano, bay leaves, pitted prunes, chicken tenders, brown sugar, and white wine. I dunno. I was trying to force myself to be more adventurous. I grew up eating tater tot hot dish. My mom won't even use an onion or garlic if a recipe calls for it, she substitutes onion flakes and garlic powder. So you see how far I have come already. I've tried capers, asparagus, chard, balsamic vinegar, and homemade salad dressing for the first time, all in the past two weeks!

Chili sounds good, I have several recipes for that. I do have chili powder, cumin, and red pepper flakes. That's a great suggestion! I wouldn't even have to ask for directions.

Indian--VERY interesting idea. I made curried potatoes/peas in my vegetarian days, but it was orange and green and mushy and I just couldn't eat more than a few bites. I'd love to know how to make good curry. I have curry powder, turmeric, cumin, and some saffron still sealed in a pouch that I bought several years ago.

I'd also LOVE to hear your take on how I could make risotto. I have the arborio rice but have been afraid to attempt it. Seems so many things I try to make just don't turn out like I'd hoped, and I get discouraged!

Tarragon chicken salad? Could you tell me what's in that? (Yeah, tarragon and chicken, I know, what else? ) I know chicken strips aren't that great, but I have yet to successfully cook chicken on the bone. Either it's really, really dry, or it's raw in the middle, and I've even had it turn out soggy. I have those legs and thighs--and they're still together, horrors--but have yet to get up the courage to try to cook them again.

It sounds like you and Malawry know the same pork butt recipe. I would be very interested in it because I bought those oranges just to eat, but their membranes are really hard to chew through and they aren't very sweet! I would need a little more direction--Malawry said "braise," I didn't know you could braise something that huge. Do I use a roasting pan in the oven? Or my big Crock-Pot?

mags, the cottage pie sounds yummy and I'm printing it out, but I am very excited about the turnip recipe.

Malawry, I love how you put meals together. That is something I struggle with a lot. I spent years searching out casserole and one-dish meal recipes and that's all I have eaten, with few exceptions, for the past 10 years. Unless I make, say, a flank steak, then that's it. Meat. Dig in! If you're lucky, I'll thaw out some green beans!

laurel, thanks for the article. I checked it out. Your recipe sounds really good.

hillvalley, the pasta sauce sounds good, kind of like one I tried from "How to Cook Everything," and I liked it very much. I am going to try the pea soup, what seasonings would be good?

Anna N, thanks for reading along!

You all have no idea how excited I am about cooking something without getting out my 1/2 teaspoons and following a recipe word-for-word. Thank you so much!

[Behemoth]

I have to complement you on your pantry stocking skills! And the Mark Bittman book is great, I have it and like it so much I've given several as gifts.

Some more possibilities:

chicken-tomatoes-sour cream-onions-chilis (do you have a couple?)tortillas = enchiladas in this household. Also, mark bittman has a variation of the "crispy pork bits(?) recipe that is mexican-style -- I have often made it and served it with tortillas & sour cream. (you could add scallions or make a salsa with the tomatoes.)

You could make a very nice indian-style stew with the stew meat and turnips. (uses ginger garlic cumin, coriander, onions...) Serve with jasmine rice and if you have some sort of lentil or split peas you could make a side with that too.

Do you have a grill? I would grill the tilapa filets & brush with a garlic, lemon & olive oil paste. Would boil the red potatoes ahead of time, then slice and grill, grill the scallions, and make a mustard vinaigrette for them. You could also use the broiler for this.

You can make the yukon gold potatoes into gnocchi & serve with a tomato & butter sauce on the side with one of the roasts.

You can marinate the chicken legs & thighs in lemon, garlic, olive oil and paprika (if you have it) then brush with the sour cream & either grill or broil.

Seriously, in your stead I would search the Bittman book's index by meat product, pick one, then search by vegetable for possible side-dishes.

And bacon and eggs and pasta and cheese?? Best dinner ever, spaghetti carbonara!

(If you have bacon you have no boundaries.)

Good luck!

[SobaAddict70]

So many awesome ideas, I could probably eat until two Fridays from now. I forgot to mention I also have bacon and eggs! But I already know how to fry an egg, I was hoping to continue learning to cook the other stuff. So I'm drooling over all your suggestions. Honestly, I want to learn to make all of it so far.

Chili sounds good, I have several recipes for that. I do have chili powder, cumin, and red pepper flakes. That's a great suggestion! I wouldn't even have to ask for directions.

Indian--VERY interesting idea. I made curried potatoes/peas in my vegetarian days, but it was orange and green and mushy and I just couldn't eat more than a few bites. I'd love to know how to make good curry. I have curry powder, turmeric, cumin, and some saffron still sealed in a pouch that I bought several years ago.

I'd also LOVE to hear your take on how I could make risotto. I have the arborio rice but have been afraid to attempt it. Seems so many things I try to make just don't turn out like I'd hoped, and I get discouraged!

It sounds like you and Malawry know the same pork butt recipe. I would be very interested in it because I bought those oranges just to eat, but their membranes are really hard to chew through and they aren't very sweet! I would need a little more direction--Malawry said "braise," I didn't know you could braise something that huge. Do I use a roasting pan in the oven? Or my big Crock-Pot?

Malawry, I love how you put meals together. That is something I struggle with a lot. I spent years searching out casserole and one-dish meal recipes and that's all I have eaten, with few exceptions, for the past 10 years. Unless I make, say, a flank steak, then that's it. Meat. Dig in! If you're lucky, I'll thaw out some green beans!

hillvalley, the pasta sauce sounds good, kind of like one I tried from "How to Cook Everything," and I liked it very much. I am going to try the pea soup, what seasonings would be good?

Anna N, thanks for reading along!

You all have no idea how excited I am about cooking something without getting out my 1/2 teaspoons and following a recipe word-for-word. Thank you so much!

Some recommendations:

Not sure if those spices are still good. You might want to check for freshness or if the flavor quality has declined. How are the spices stored? In a cool dark place, or with lots of light?

For Indian-style dishes such as "curry", you might want to consider making your own garam masala (if you happen to have any whole spices lying around). Far superior to "curry powder", in my opinion.

With bacon and eggs, we could probably add pasta carbonara to the mix.

Risotto is really easy. Click here for the eGCI course on risotto, taught by Craig Camp. Once you learn how, it'll become an indispensible part of your repertoire.

Click here for an eGCI course on menu planning, taught by JAZ.

I might toss in a few more suggestions later on.

Best,

Soba

[reesek]

well with bacon and eggs i think you might want to try a very simple, but very delicious carbonara - fetuccine or spaghetti would be fine pastas.

carbonara is basically bacon & egg pasta. very easy to make - i liked it with loads of black pepper and chopped parsley.

dice and fry up some bacon in a little butter in a big skillet. i'd do this slowly - you want to try to render (melt) all the fat and get the bacon brown without drying it out. meanwhile boil a ton of water with lots of salt (1-2 Tablespoons). mix an egg yolk (or 2 depending on how much pasta you're making) with some grated parmesan cheese, black pepper and a nice bit of chopped parsley. if the pasta box says it cooks in 10 minutes - start tasting it in 8. when the pasta is still a little too hard, but looks done (if it's spaghetti, it should be droopy, but still have a white line in the middle when you bite into it) take a ladle and scoop 2 ladles of the hot water into a bowl. then drain the pasta and toss it into the bacon pan on very low. add the egg mix and stir with tongs - quickly - you're not going for scrambled eggs, but for a glossy sauce. add a little of the pasta water at a time (you probably won't even need all of it) and stir for another 10-20 seconds. eat. enjoy.

indian potatoes and peas. indian food has lots and lots of spices - my way - not authentic. i'll suggest a lot of spices that you might not have - no worries - use what you do have and see how you like it.

this is another dish you can partially prepare in advance. boil whole scrubbed red potatoes (i don't peel, but you can) in salty water until the tip of a knife goes into them easily, but before they're truly soft. (err on the side of underboiling rather than overboiling). cool overnight - or just cool until soft enough to handle.

get your spices together, i like to put all mine on a plate or in a little bowl in advance - but that's just me.

i use corriander (it's the seed of the cilantro plant - you can buy the seeds whole or powdered - when you can - try some - it's wonderful) for a dinner for one if this is your main course (and enough for lunch the next day - or with fried eggs for breakfast) i'd use the following general guidelines...seriously i never measure though - i'd top these with cilantro - use parsley for color if you don't have cilantro.

8-10 smallish red potatoes

2 cloves garlic chopped

1/2 inch of peeled and well diced ginger

1/2 onion diced

2-3 T butter

1 T corriander powder

1 t cumin powder

1 t chili flakes

1/2 t turmeric

1 tomato chopped with it's liquid

1/2 t brown mustard seeds

1/3 bag of peas

in a nice large skillet on medium high, melt your butter, add the onion and ginger and saute until your mouth waters. add garlic and all the dried spices. stir until the kitchen smells divine. add tomato and stir. add potatoes and maybe a spot of water or broth. you don't want the potatoes to stick, but you want them to get a little crusty. it's a feel thing, but remember - you can always add more water. i'd add it if needed about an inch at a time from a juice glass. (very scientific) add salt. taste them. are they creamy inside? savory? good. add the peas (straight from the freezer - never need to defrost peas) and stir until they're hot. with pre-boiled potatoes the full cooking process won't take longer than 20 minutes max.

risotto - it is not hard at all to make good risotto. there is one tiny "trick" basically risotto is cooked in a little liquid (about 1/2 cup) at a time. you just want to make sure that the liquid is hot. start by making sure you have the right proportions of rice to liquid. heat the liquid in a small pot.

slowly saute chopped shallot in butter until it's translucent. turn heat to med-low add the rice and stir to coat. add the hot liquid - about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until all the liquid is absorbed before adding more. it's pretty to watch. add liquid until it's done - you have to taste it to know - it should not be mushy, but not hard either. it should not stick unpleasantly in your tooth, but rather have a pleasant mouthfeel. add chopped herbs (tarragon & parsley is what i'd use) and a big handful of grated cheese. i'd also add a little lemon zest at the end.

chicken tarragon & the pork recipe tomorrow - thanks for starting this thread - very fun. i have a friend who always plays "iron chef" with me - "i've got an onion, some fennel and a jar of mustard...what can i make?"

[Anna N]

...

hillvalley, the pasta sauce sounds good, kind of like one I tried from "How to Cook Everything," and I liked it very much. I am going to try the pea soup, what seasonings would be good?

I made a fresh pea soup today for the first time and it was excellent - sauteed a bit of chopped onion in some oil along wth some diced potato, added some home made chicken stock and cooked until the potatoes were almost done, added some fresh peas (frozen would work just fine) and some chopped mint and simmered for a few minutes. I then pureed it in the blender popped it back into the pan and added a smidgen of cream and just reheated. Very light and refreshing. (I HATE pea soup made with dried peas!).

[andiesenji]

For the turnips, consider this:

Turnip Salad

I grate medium to large turnips using the medium fine grater and mix with shredded cabbage and thinly sliced onions.

Then follow the directions (*) noted in the cuke and onion salad below. Also add the seeds, dill/caraway/celery. Sometimes I also shred bulb fennel and add to the salad.

Gurkensalat -- Cucumber & Onion Salad

2 cups thinly sliced cukes - I generally cut them in half lengthwise and then slice so they are half-moon shape.

2 cups thinly sliced sweet onions. (If you have a really hot onion slice it, place the slices on some paper towels, sprinkle with Kosher salt and leave for 30 minutes, then place in a colander and rinse with cold water.)

*Place cukes and onions in a bowl that will allow you to toss them add 1 tablespoon celery seed. (you can substitute dill or caraway seed if you prefer it.)

Mix 1/2 cup cider or rice wine vinegar + 1/4 cup water with 1 tablespoon sugar and pour over cukes and onions, toss, cover tightly and place in fridge for about an hour tossing 2 or 3 times during this period.

Drain liquid into a measuring cup, save.

Allow cukes and onions to drain 10 to 15 minutes in a colander.

Use 1/4 cup of the vinegar liquid and add 1/2 cup of sour cream, beat well until creamy.

Add a pinch of Kosher salt and a couple of dashes of Angostura bitters.

Pour over the cukes and onions cover tightly and chill for 30 minutes. Serve.

If you use red or purple onions this will turn out a very pale blue.

YIELD: 4-6 servings

[mags]

i have a friend who always plays "iron chef" with me - "i've got an onion, some fennel and a jar of mustard...what can i make?"

I had a friend who used to call with the same questions. Only he was on one of those weird food-combining diets, so the questions were always along the lines of "For dinner I can have sardines, prunes, a tablespoon of spelt flour, and all the kelp I want. What should I make?" I would typically tell him to throw it all in the blender, throw the blender in a dumpster and call out for Chinese.

This is much more fun.

Rachel, to be honest, I have never -- for whatever reason -- had any luck making spaghetti carbonara. I don't mind the raw eggs, but they always taste horrid when I make it. If you're not into the raw eggs, you can use the exact same ingredients -- bacon, eggs, pasta, plus onion and/or peas, if you like, with some grated parm on top -- and just fry the egg lightly, keeping the yolk liquid. Dump it onto the pasta with the other stuff, and mix it all up, breaking the egg into bits with your fork.

Do be aware that the turnip "chips" won't turn out crisp, they won't be like french fries. However, you can use turnips almost anyplace you'd use potatoes. In fact, they're very nice half-and-half with potatoes, in a gratin like Rees suggested, or mashed, or roasted with olive oil and some fresh herbs.

Oh, and just out of curiosity: How many ingredients are in the recipe for the "faux Chicken Marbella"?

[Malawry]

OK, so back to the pork butt. Here's how I'd do it:

Trim butt of excess fat, without getting too worried about hitting it all (just get the major parts of it off). Cut into large (1.5"-2") chunks of roughly equal size, being sure to cut away any tough parts and "silverskin"/membrane that you encounter. Cover with some red wine and OJ and let sit in the fridge for a few hours.

Remove meat from marinade, reserving marinade, and pat dry. Rub lightly with S&P. Brown over medium-high heat in a stovetop-to-oven casserole dish with a minimal amount of oil. (Make sure the dish is hot before you add the meat, and brown only a little bit of meat at a time.) Transfer the browned meat to a separate bowl.

When all the meat is browned, pour off most of the excess oil. Add some diced onions and carrots, if you have them, and reduce the heat to medium. Cook until they soften. Add garlic (minced) and cook until aromatic. Add the meat, any juices the meat has thrown off, and the reserved marinade. Add stock to cover. Grate in the orange zest. Add cumin, some hot sauce, s, p, tomatoes (the canned ones). Bring to a boil. Cover dish with lid (use foil if you don't have one). Place in a 300 degree oven, stirring occasionally, until meat is fork-tender, which could take as little as an hour and as long as three hours+ depending on cut, how big the cubes are, and the position of the moon.

You can do this in your crock-pot once you've gotten everything up to a boil; just stick it in the pot on low while you're at work or sleeping. You can freeze any leftovers just fine.

As for assembling meals...you're on an exciting path, learning to cook real food, learning all about new ingredients. I envy your openness and the newness of these things to you, and admire your willingness to try new things. Try reading the "suggested menus" in your cookbooks to learn more about foods that go together. When you go to a restaurant, check out what they put together on the plate when you read the menu. And definitely check out JAZ's course, referenced above. Finally, trust your own instincts...and don't sell yourself short. I just ate some gumbo followed by a handful of blueberries for dinner, which is fine sometimes, but you're worth adding in a salad, a cooked grain, a steamed green along with your hunk of meat. Try adding just one additional dish besides the main event when you cook and your repertoire will expand rapidly.

[pyrguy]

Being from south Louisiana how about....

First you make a Roux. Make it dark as you can stand without burning it. Add chopped onions, garlic, celery, bell peppers, etc as wanted or available. (Onions are a must. They keep the roux from burning as it finishes cooking) Cook until the onions are almost translucent. Add stew meat (beef, pork or a mixture) Lightly brown meat. Add water to cover, season with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes... and simmer, skimming foam, until meat is tender and stew has thickened. Correct seasonings and serve over rice.

The first time or three you make this is a learning experience. More roux makes the stew thicker better than a longer cooking time.

Everything must be prepped before you start. Once you start you cannot stop stirring the roux or it will burn. The difference between good dark roux and burned roux is a ridiculously small amount of time. So start with a brown roux and go darker as you gain experience. I'd rather eat a light gravy than a burned one.

[mrbigjas]

mags, the cottage pie sounds yummy and I'm printing it out, but I am very excited about the turnip recipe.

You should be excited about this one. I made this last week (but with butter instead of oil), with some shallots and rosemary roasted with it, and it was insanely good. I've only cooked turnips a few times before, and I just couldn't believe how good it was. It tasted nothing like I expected--almost sweet, but not quite, with this deep flavor that was kind of indescribable. Considering that the shallots were totally browned and crispy but not burned, and the rosemary was crispy.. my god it was good.

I mean, turnips--who knew?

[hillvalley]

hillvalley, the pasta sauce sounds good, kind of like one I tried from "How to Cook Everything," and I liked it very much. I am going to try the pea soup, what seasonings would be good?

First of all, try the chicken marabella the real way. None of this mock junk. If the recipe doesn't come out perfect so what? Very few people do anything right the first time. Let me know if you need the recipe.

If it doesn't come out to your liking, take the chicken, shred it and add to a green salad or make your own chicken salad. The Marabella is not difficult and very impressive. And once you have mastered you can make your own versions using different fruit.

Now, for the pasta. This is a great recipe to learn how to cook without recipes. Try with a little garlic one time and a lot the next. Decide which you like best. It is also a good way to learn how to use different fresh herbs. Try oregano, parsley, rosemary or different varieties of basil. Make extra and then the next day pan fry the leftovers and top with more parmesan.

As for the soup, I made it for the first time this week. As for spices, I just added a lot of pepper. The pea flavor is very delicate and you don't want to over power it.

Finally, check out this EGCI course on Cooking with and for a Disability. Days 1 and 3 might be helpful.

[Carlovski]

This isn't really much of a challenge - that's a lot more food than I ever have in, even right after shopping!

[RSincere]

This isn't really much of a challenge - that's a lot more food than I ever have in, even right after shopping!

Well, it's a challenge to me. Otherwise I wouldn't be asking!

Now I'm having a hard time even deciding what to make today! I might start off easy with the chili for lunch, and try to make something else from the list for dinner, maybe the fish.

[andiesenji]

I do love pantry cooking. At home my pantry is stocked with so many things that I have to keep a "rotation list" on the inside of the door to make sure I use things before they expire from old age.

I even have a small pantry at my office and can turn out a fairly complicated lunch if needed.

We have a combination convection/microwave oven which is good for baking as well as heating and in which I have prepared strata, pizza, all kinds of quick and yeast breads and puddings.

I have an induction range (like a hot plate) which only I use, as everyone else is afraid of it, and a great old toaster, actually a toater oven made by GE more than 30 years ago which is the best toaster I have every used - it pops open automatically when the cycle is finished.

It gets a checkup and rewiring if necessary every ten years from Speedy Appliance Service in Woodland Hills, a place that has renovated most of my antique appliances.

With this array of tools, I can fix a lot of meals with little effort. When we moved into this office in 1985 I told my boss that I wanted a kitchen in which I could do more than heat water for tea and warm up a burrito. He gave me carte blanche to do what I wanted.

Our employees use it also, but I am the only one who actually prepares meals in it. The pantry is the heart of it.

[Sony]

I love everyone's suggestions so far! Hope I'm not repeating anything here...

Sounds like you have the makings for a pesto-like sauce (basil, parmesan- not sure if you have olive oil or any nuts, but I often make this w/o nuts) Adding chicken to pesto pasta makes a filling dish....

You could also go Argentinian and make some chimichurri sauce w/ the parsley, lemon juice, garlic, s&p, touch of sugar to balance...goes great on chicken, tilapia, beef, or roasted vegetables. Sometimes I just eat it plain on rice

Another quick meal are tortilla pizzas. Broil 1 side, flip, top w/ fresh tomato or tomato sauce, cheese, run under the broiler, and finsh w/ fresh herbs after removed from oven.

If you have eggs, you can make a great frittata or herbed scrambled eggs. Or, a soft-yolk egg is divine over pasta w/ fresh parmesan, herbs, and a little minced garlic sauteed in olive oil. The yolk makes a nice sauce for the noodles.

The dark-meat chicken would marinate nicely in thyme, citrus juice, s&p, roasted over potatoes, turnips, and onions. Nice accompaniment would be rice pilaf (w/ the little peas, of course!)

If you have sesame oil, that would combine nicely w/ soy sauce, brown sugar/honey, ginger, sherry, scallion, dried chili flakes and garlic for the round steak before broiling or a quick pan-fry.

If you have chickpeas, you can make a curried chickpea and potato dish (chatputi, chana masala, etc.) Fresh ginger and onion sauteed in veggie oil till soft, then add corriander, cumin, cayenne, bay leaf, salt, and a smidge or turmeric. Cook a little more in the oil till a fragrant paste forms, then throw in cubed potatoes, pre-cooked chickpeas, and enough water so it doesn't burn. Cook till potatoes are soft (you can mash some of the potatoes to create a thicker stew texture). Eat as is or topped w/ diced fresh tomato and chopped hard-boiled egg.

Also a nice simple potato soup (picked it up from a Julia Child cookbook)- just onion sauteed in butter until soft w/ a bay leaf- then, add water, diced potato, and plenty of salt and pepper. Cook until potatoes are done, mashing some if you want to thicken the soup. Finish w/ thyme (I often add some dried in the beginning if I don't have fresh.)

Sounds like you have some tasty options. Good luck!

[RSincere]

First success! (Well, I did screw something up, read on.)

I made chili without a recipe. Don't laugh, it's a big deal. I poured a little olive oil in a pan, chopped an onion and 3 cloves of garlic and cooked them a while. Then threw in my pound of ground chuck. Ooops, it was still frozen in the middle so that took longer than it should have. I did remember to salt it and add pepper from my new toy...I mean, pepper mill. I now use the preground pepper from the generic container to keep my cats out of the garbage.

To drain the meat, I have to pour it through a strainer set on a coffee can because I lose meat down the drain any other way. Then 2 cans diced tomatoes with mild chiles (originally for "Cuban Picadillo"), a can of stewed tomatoes, about 1/2 cup mild salsa that was languishing in my fridge, 1/2 salsa jar of water, and 1/3 cup dry sherry, 1-1/2 tbsp chili powder, 1 tbsp cumin, a few shakes of red pepper flakes. I don't like too much heat.

Here's where I went a little wrong. I have been trying to teach myself how to taste food and figure out what it needs. So I tasted it. Too tomatoey. I add more salt. Still too bland. Add more chili powder. Still too bland. Add more cumin. Too bland. Add a ton of red pepper flakes. Nope. Add a ton of salt. A tiny bit better. Dump in some Louisiana Hot Sauce. Hmmmm, still too bland. And on and on until I finally decided to try it after it had cooked for a while. I did so, added a bunch of salt, and it was just right! Hooray! Then I eat a bowl, and boy, is it hotter than I expected! What happened?

Still edible and, I think, quite good.

I was debating whether to mention this. I have gotten several positive comments about my pantry. That cracks me up because the reason I have such a well-stocked pantry is I have OCD and hoarding food is one of my "things." In Feb-April, I had over 100 lbs of meat in my chest freezer but I was cooking beans every day because "I might need the meat for something." I got over that, but that's why I still have so much meat. I have a hard time passing something in the grocery store if I think I "might" need it. That is why I have coconut milk and canned artichoke hearts, etc. The funny thing is, of course, the way I cook, I wouldn't use it unless I had a recipe calling for it in the first place, in which case it would be in my grocery list anyway. Just wanted to throw that in there, because I think it's funny that the one correct thing I do in the kitchen is a result of being a little wacko!

[Behemoth]

Here's where I went a little wrong. I have been trying to teach myself how to taste food and figure out what it needs. So I tasted it. Too tomatoey. I add more salt. Still too bland. Add more chili powder. Still too bland. Add more cumin. Too bland. Add a ton of red pepper flakes. Nope. Add a ton of salt. A tiny bit better. Dump in some Louisiana Hot Sauce. Hmmmm, still too bland. And on and on until I finally decided to try it after it had cooked for a while. I did so, added a bunch of salt, and it was just right! Hooray! Then I eat a bowl, and boy, is it hotter than I expected! What happened?

Here's a little trick I learned for chili -- if it seems kind of flat, add about a tbsp or so of vinegar towards the end, and see if it doesn't pick things up a little. I find I can get away with a lot less salt that way, and it seems to pull out the spice flavors.