pantry clean-out

plus: passover planning

Mar 27, 2023

Monday, March 27, 2023

When was the last time you cleaned out your pantry and checked to see if if rice, dried beans, pasta, and some sort of mystery jar of white powder you felt confident at the time you didn’t need to label, because there’s no way you’d forget what ___ was, and now it could be cornstarch or baking powder and no, the “just taste it!” option doesn’t appeal either… I digress. When was the last time you checked to see if these were still in their prime and don’t smell horrifically musty? Was it March 2020, when we all got really into cooking dried beans and avoiding the grocery store? Guilty as charged. This week, in the spirit of spring cleaning, I say we cook things that use as many of these ingredients we already have as possible. Below, a guide to what I keep in the Smitten Kitchen and several recipes that use it all well. Plus, some Passover planning for those of you getting ready for the holiday next week.

Cheers,

Deb

P.S. Coming shortly to the site: A burrito that uses a whole bunch of pantry ingredients.

P.P.S. Want to watch me avoid deadlines by reorganizing my spice rack? Step right up! [Reel, TikTok]

I’ve written three cookbooks and I’m a tiny bit biased but I think you, or someone you know who likes to cook or wants to start, would love them all.

how i stock the smitten kitchen

A collection of everything I keep -- or try to keep -- in the Smitten Kitchen, from the flours to the butters (yes, plural), to the utter chaos of our freezer most days, and how to make sure your food keeps as long as you need it for. I hope you find this helpful as you plan your next grocery run or order. I promise you that the pristine neatness of the first photo will be offset by all that follow.

PANTRY FAVORITES

cannellini aglio e olio

A 10-minute meal from doctored-up cans of beans and artichokes, treated like pasta. The result is a warm, almost creamy bean salad that you can finish with parmesan and eat with a fork straight out of a bowl, or ladle over slices of toasted baguette.

parmesan oven risotto

A few moderately controversial opinions about risotto led me to this almost stir-free, broth-free, perfectly flavored risotto. The oven does most of the work while you walk away, and delight in your newfound free time. Plus, there's absolutely nothing cozier.

taco torte

Vegetable, bean, and cheese tacos, stacked like a lasagna and sliced like a cake are always a good idea.

pasta puttanesca

No sweet, mellow tomato sauces here: puttanesca is spicy and bright and, best of all, a throw-together, quick-to-make dish from pantry ingredients, absolutely perfect for a weekday night.

three-bean chili

This is my ideal three-bean chili. You can make it on the stove, in a pressure cooker, or a slow-cooker. You can use a little or a lot of heat. Few things taste better on a chilly weekend.

stuck-pot rice with lentils and yogurt

Cooking your rice until it sticks to the pot (something I was already an expert in) is raised here to an art form, because the crunchy bits are the best bits. Lentils, caramelized onions, cumin, yogurt and lemon juice give it a mujadarra vibe that I find hard to share.

potato chip cookies

For crunchy-sweet-salty-buttery dessert junkies and grownups who used to put potato chips inside their sandwiches but claim to have grown out of it. (Uh-huh.)

best cocoa brownies

For the softest-centered brownies with the chewiest candylike lid, no melted chocolate is required.

PASSOVER CLASSICS

matzo ball soup

Put down that box mix! This is the only recipe you'll ever need for perfect-every-time matzo ball soup that your local deli could only dream of. Make your bubbe proud and your belly happy.

tangy spiced brisket

If you’ve been felled by brisket recipes in the past that produced leaden, forgettable roasts, this recipe wants to be your brisket vindication -- tender, perfectly cooked, perfectly flavored every single time. And, it's even better on days two and three, should you want to get a lead on the Seders ahead.

potato kugel

Basically a massive hash brown (or mega-latke) with profoundly crispy edges and steamy-soft insides. It's the show-stealing complement to breakfast eggs, a dinner or Seder roast or even fancy party things, one day soon again, like crème fraîche and caviar.

chicken liver pâté

Today is the day I get to spill all of my chicken liver secrets for all five of you who haven't run screaming from the room at the mention of offal. Everyone who is left is in for a treat -- a thoroughly Seder- (and once, a holiday party) tested version that I think gets everything right. I hope you agree.

wild mushroom pâté

A hunt for vegetarian chopped liver led me to the land of earthy, luxe and flavorful mushroom spreads. But don't get stuck on the word pâté, I find a jar of of this in the fridge useful in a dozen ways: tossed with angel hair pasta and parmesan, as a sandwich spread with greens and sharp cheese, and folded into a crepe or risotto, or as shown, on crackers or matzo with all sorts of bright fixings.

chocolate caramel crackers

Salty, buttery, chocolaty, crunchy, and habit-forming, these are so easy to make, well, I know exactly what I’m doing with the unused box of matzo I just found.

chocolate-hazelnut macaroon torte

This stack of soft hazelnut macaroons coated in dark chocolate and wrapped in whipped cream is one of the best cakes I have ever made -- so good that although it started as a gluten-free or Passover dessert solution, we now make it all the time. It never survives the first day.

shop my favorites

Ever wonder where I get my cutting boards, paring knives, offset spatulas and more than you see when I cook? I've created a page on Smitten Kitchen with links to some of my favorite kitchen items, the ones I'm asked about the most. For each item, I've attempted to provide a range of shopping links so we're not just focusing on one giant retailer.

See you next week!