The Boston Globe - 11.03.2020

G6 The Boston Globe WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2020

ideas. The notion of peasant food —
simple food with few ingredients,
which rural folks have cooked for cen-
turies, was the overarching theme. If
you have children at home, don’t for-
get treats, sweet stuff, and snacks that
have the potential for involving partic-
ipation in the process. (Activities!)
Make it an adventure, and try not
to push the panic button.

THEPANTRY
Start by surveying your shelves to
see where the gaps are. Then add a
couple of new items just for fun. Here’s
what to do with some pantry items you
already know.
Spaghetti:A jar of tomato sauce
tossed with spaghetti is going to wear
thin quickly. Try tossing spaghetti with
toasted breadcrumbs, Parmesan, olive
oil, salt, and pepper; it’s easy, tasty, and
surprisingly satisfying. (See recipe.)
Brownorwhiterice:Sure, you
could make fried rice, but what about a
filling frittata made with frozen spin-
ach or peas. Saute 1 cup defrosted and
drained frozen spinach with 1 clove of
chopped garlic in a little butter. Add 1
cup cooked rice, 1 cup grated Parme-
san, 6 eggs (for an 8-inch ovenproof
skillet) whisked with ¼ cup whole
milk, sour cream, or full-fat yogurt.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 min-
utes. Don’t forget salt and pepper.
Cannedorcookeddriedchickpeas
(garbanzos):Make a curried dish to
serve over rice. Sauté a small chopped
onion, 1 chopped fresh or canned jala-
peno, some chopped fresh or dried
ground ginger, and 1 to 2 tablespoons
garam masala or curry powder in 2 ta-
blespoons of butter. Add a 15-ounce
can of drained chickpeas, a 15-ounce
can of diced tomatoes, water, and salt.
Stir in lemon juice or a splash of vine-
gar.
Small,greenlentils:Soup has to be
on the menu, but make it tasty and
skip the cans. Sauté more chopped car-
rots and onions than you think you
need in olive oil with ground coriander
and cumin. Add water or stock and
lentils and simmer until they are ten-
der. Then stir in frozen spinach or oth-
er chopped greens, if you have them,
and a hefty squeeze of lemon juice.
Diced canned tomatoes would be an-
other good addition.
Chickenstockandbouilloncubes:
You’ll need them for soups and stews.
A simple, satisfying bowl of broth with
an egg and a sprinkle of Parmesan
could be your go-to comfort meal. For
one person, bring 2 cups of chicken
stock to a boil. Add about ‚ cup
cooked rice or thin noodles, or cook a
little pasta in the broth. If you have
fresh or reconstituted dried mush-
rooms, or leftover greens, add a few of
them, but don’t overcrowd the soup, it
should be brothy. Crack an egg into a
cup and slide it into the simmering
broth. Cook until the egg is set, ladle
into a bowl and sprinkle with Parme-
san.
Whole,rawalmonds:Sprinkle the
nuts with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a
little chili powder. Roast in a 350-de-
gree oven for 10 minutes. Cocktails,
anyone?
Peanutbutter:Your kids might be
happy to live on PB&J sandwiches for-
ever, but treat them to Chocolate Pea-
nut Butter Banana Nice Cream (see
recipe). You could make something
similar with frozen berries and al-
mond butter.
Goldenraisins:A handful thrown
into rice, quinoa, or another cooked
grain along with a few chopped nuts
gives your rice a fancy makeover. Stir
in a little turmeric if you want some
color.
Tunainacanorjar:Tuna sand-
wiches for days? Probably not. Drain
some canned cannellini beans and sea-
son them generously with olive oil,
vinegar, or lemon juice, salt, and pep-
per. Stir in some parsley if you have it,
and add chunks of tuna. Add capers or
chopped red onion, too, if you like.
Crushedtomatoes:Crushed toma-
toes have a little more texture than
plain old sauce or puree, which make
them ideal for shakshuka, a popular
North African and Middle Eastern
dish of eggs and tomatoes. In a wide
skillet, sauté some chopped onions
and garlic in olive oil with spices like
cumin, coriander, or harissa for some
heat. If you have some peppers from a
jar or chickpeas, add them along with
a can of crushed tomatoes. Thin with
stock or water to make it saucy, and
bring to a simmer. One at a time, crack
eggs into a cup, and slide each on top
of the sauce. Cover the pan and cook
for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the eggs
are just set.
Chocolatechips:Make one giant
skillet cookie. Press your favorite choc-
olate chip cookie dough into a buttered
10-inch ovenproof skillet. Bake at 350
degrees for 35 to 40 minutes, or until
the top is golden. Cool for 15 to 20
minutes and cut into wedges.
Instantyeast:Instant yeast, also
known as rapid rise, has smaller gran-
ules than active dry yeast, and does
not need to be mixed with water to hy-
drate before using. When your bread

uCORONAVIRUS
Continued from Page G1

supply runs low, or if you just want to

have a little baking fun, make No-

Knead Sandwich Loaf (see recipe). The

dough is good for several days in the

fridge, and can be used to make pizza,

too. The bread’s moist and chewy tex-

ture makes fantastic toast.

Panko:The dried breadcrumbs

made from bread without crusts that

are used in Japanese cooking, are

lighter, crunchier and flakier than reg-

ular breadcrumbs. Toss them with ol-

ive oil and salt, toast them it in a skil-

let, add chopped almonds, garlic,

dried herbs, or Parmesan and sprinkle

them on vegetables, pasta, or rice.

Tortillas:Avoid the obvious — que-

sadillas and tacos — and make little

pizzas. Tortillas, pita, and naan loaves

are also candidates. Brush them with

olive oil and bake in a 450-degree oven

for 5 minutes. Remove and go to town

with toppings: thin slices of potatoes, a

smear of tomato sauce, dried herbs, fe-

ta, cheddar, mozzarella, thin slices of

onion, peppers from a jar, olives, pep-

peroni, whatever else is on hand. Re-

turn to the oven for another 5 minutes,

or until the cheese melts and the edges

are brown and crispy.

Miso,balsamicvinegar,anchovy

paste:These are the triumvirate of fla-

vor enhancers. Use them to perk up

soups, salad dressings, and roasted

root vegetables.

Wine:Stock up so you can pour

yourself a glass to accompany binge

watching after a long day in the con-

fines of your castle.

THEFREEZER

Your freezer doesn’t provide much

real estate, so stock it wisely. Don’t for-

get, you can freeze butter, grated

cheese, milk, and eggs, too.

Frozenpeas:Peas add some green

to your world when you stir them into

pasta or rice. A quick, fresh pea soup is

easy to put together. Sauté chopped

onions in butter, add a package of fro-

zen peas and stock to cover. Simmer

briefly and puree in a blender until

smooth. Top each bowl with a spoonful

of yogurt or sour cream and a drizzle of

diluted harissa paste if you like it spicy.

Frozenspinach:You can’t beat fro-

zen spinach to add to omelets or to stir

into just about any soup or broth. Or

make a spinach pesto to toss with pas-

ta: In a food processor, puree about 1

cup defrosted spinach, ¼ cup toasted

walnuts, pine nuts, or almonds, ½ cup

grated Parmesan, 1 small clove

chopped garlic, ¼ cup olive oil, salt,

and pepper. Add enough water to ob-

tain a smooth consistency.

Frozenstrawberries:A smoothie

for breakfast goes down a lot easier

than just about anything else for those

who aren’t early morning breakfast

enthusiasts. In a blender, puree ¼ cup

rolled or quick cooking oats, ½ cup al-

mond or other milk, ½ cup yogurt,

and 1 cup frozen strawberries. The

oats provide enough fiber to keep you

going straight through until lunch.

Frozenbananas:Never throw out a

banana again! Peel end-of-the road ba-

nanas and wrap them individually in

plastic wrap. They’ll keep in the freez-

er for at least 2 months. Use them in

smoothies, banana bread, or in Choco-

late Peanut Butter Nice Cream (see

recipe).

THEFRIDGE

Stock up on the things you use on a

regular basis. Check your condiments

and replenish your favorites or must-

haves, such as mustard, jam, ketchup,

tahini, mayonnaise, hot sauce, srira-

cha, horseradish, harissa, sesame oil,

vinegar, jalapeno peppers in brine,

jars of red peppers, and soy sauce.

For more information about food

storage and safety: Foodsafety.gov/

keep-food-safe

Eggs:A carton of eggs in the shell

will keep at least 3 weeks in the fridge

so it’s safe to stock up and have them

on hand for baking or omelets. Eggs

can also be frozen for up to about a

year. For vanilla pudding in the micro-

wave: In a bowl, whisk until smooth ¼

cup sugar, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, a

pinch of salt, 2 cups milk, and 2 eggs.

Strain into a microwave-safe bowl. Mi-

crowave on high for 2 minutes. Re-

move and whisk. The whisk should

leave a trail. If it doesn’t, microwave at

10 second intervals until it does.

Whisk in 1 tablespoon butter and 1

teaspoon vanilla. Pour into 3 or 4

bowls and sprinkle with nutmeg. Re-

frigerate until cold.

Parmesan:A chunk of Parmesan

will keep 4 to 6 weeks in the refrigera-

tor. Once it is shredded, it is suscepti-

ble to mold. Both chunks and shred-

ded cheese can be frozen for 3 months.

Make your own Parmesan crisps to

serve with soup or as a snack: Line a

baking sheet with parchment. With-

out crowding them, drop tablespoon-

size spoonfuls of grated Parmesan on-

to the sheet. Flatten them so they are

about 3 inches across. Bake in a 350-

degree oven for about 5 minutes, or

until golden. Cool on the baking sheet.

Feta:Buy feta in a block, rather

than already crumbled, then crumble

it over rice, lentils, or make a spicy ap-

petizer: Cut ½-inch-thick slabs from a

block of feta. Place the slices in an

oiled baking dish, drizzle with more

olive oil, plenty of dried oregano, and

black pepper. Add some olives to the

dish and top with slices of jalapeno.

Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes, or

until feta turns golden at the edges.

Serve with crusty bread.

Carrots:If you’re nearing the end of

your fresh vegetable supply, a salad of

grated carrots will perk up your taste

buds. Peel and grate about a pound of

carrots on the large holes of a box grat-

er. Make a dressing with 2 tablespoons

each of olive oil and lemon juice. Add

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, a few drops

of honey, salt, and pepper and mix it

with the carrots. Add chopped parsley,

capers, chickpeas, or raisins if you like.

Lemons:Lemons perk up just

about everything, and they will keep

for 3 to 4 weeks if stored in a plastic

bag. If they start to look tired, extract

the juice and store it in a jar in the

fridge to keep for a few more days, or

freeze in ice cube trays for 3 months or

longer. For a quick lemon and arti-

choke pasta, cook fettuccine, spaghet-

ti, or linguine. Reserve about ½ cup

pasta cooking water, and drain. Re-

turn the pasta to the pot, add olive oil,

salt, pepper, plenty of lemon juice,

enough pasta water to make it saucy,

and a can of drained quartered arti-

choke hearts. Sprinkle with toasted

breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and chopped

almonds.

Yogurt:Make overnight oats (a.k.a.

muesli): Place a scant ¼ cup rolled or

quick oats in an 8-ounce jar. Cover

with almond milk, and top with plain

yogurt. Mix in a spoonful of raisins or

cranberries, and a little honey if you

have a sweet tooth. Refrigerate for at

least 8 hours, or for up to 5 days. The

oats will soften in the yogurt mixture

by the next day and you can assemble

multiple jars ahead. Sprinkle with

chopped nuts or frozen blueberries for

a quick breakfast treat.

Butter:For a treat, mix 1 stick of

softened unsalted butter with 2 table-

spoons honey, 1 tablespoon confec-

tioners’ sugar, a little cinnamon or

five-spice powder, and a generous

pinch of salt. Spread on toast or make

waffles for supper and spread them

with the butter.

Sally Pasley Vargas can be reached at

[email protected]

Look to your pantry, freezer, and fridge, for meal ideas

Serves 4

This version of the Sicilian-style pasta with breadcrumbs is

bare bones. It invites improvisation. Mash anchovies with the

oil in a skillet or add anchovy paste or fish sauce. Other addi-

tions could include olives, capers, golden raisins, or tuna.

While the pasta cooks, toast the breadcrumbs. It adds up to a

quick and satisfying meal.

Salt, to taste

1 pound spaghetti

2 cloves garlic, peeled and halved

‚ cup olive oil, or more as needed

1 cup panko

Large pinch of red pepper flakes or Aleppo pepper

½ cup chopped parsley

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Lemon wedges (for serving)

1.Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghet-

ti for 10 minutes, or according to package directions. Scoop

out ½ cup of the pasta water and drain the pasta. Return it to

the pot.

2.In a skillet over medium heat, cook the garlic cloves in ¼

cup of the oil, turning with tongs, until the garlic is golden.

Remove and discard the garlic and add the panko and red pep-

per to the pan. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes, or

until the breadcrumbs are golden. Remove from the heat.

3.Add the remaining olive oil and a little of the pasta water to

the spaghetti until it coats the pasta. Stir in half the toasted

crumbs, half the parsley, salt, and pepper and toss. Divide

among 4 shallow bowls and sprinkle with more black or red

pepper and the remaining parsley and breadcrumbs. Serve

with lemon wedges. Sally Pasley Vargas

Serves 2 generously

3 frozen bananas, thickly sliced

2 tablespoons peanut butter

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

3 tablespoons whole milk, almond milk, or milk of

choice

Pinch of salt

½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1.In a food processor, combine the bananas, peanut butter, co-

coa powder, milk, salt, and vanilla.

2.Process until smooth and creamy. Transfer to a freezer con-

tainer and chill for 2 to 3 hours, or until firm.

Sally Pasley Vargas

Makes one 9-by-5-inch loaf or four 10-inch pizzas

A young, aspiring baker could make this loaf, and so can you.

Mix the dough in a bowl with a spoon (you can double or triple

the recipe if you like), and let it rise in the refrigerator over-

night. The refrigerated dough can be used after 8 hours, or for

up to 3 days. That means you can bake a loaf every morning

and have sandwich bread by lunchtime. But wait, there's

more. The dough is great for pizza, too. Let each family mem-

ber flatten their piece of dough and add their own toppings.

Bake pizzas on a baking sheet at 450 degrees for 10 to 12 min-

utes, or until browned and crispy.

4¼ cups all-purpose flour

1½ teaspoons teaspoons instant (“rapid rise”) yeast

2 teaspoons salt

1„ cups water

1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water (optional, for

glaze)

1.In a large bowl, whisk the flour, yeast, and salt until com-

bined. Add the water and stir together until combined. Cover

with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough overnight.

2.Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let rest for

about 2 hours to come to room temperature.

3.Spray a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with vegetable oil spray or

brush it with oil.

4.On a generously floured work surface, turn out the dough.

Sprinkle it lightly with flour and pat the dough into an 8-by-

12-inch rectangle. Position the short side of the rectangle so

that it is parallel to the edge of the counter. Fold the dough in-

to thirds as you would fold a business letter: bring the bottom

third up and fold the top third down to meet it. Rotate the en-

velope of dough one quarter turn. Stretch it into a rectangle

again and fold it as before. Rotate the envelope so the seam is

on top and pinch it firmly together to secure the dough into a

log. Flip it over so that the seam is on the bottom. If necessary,

roll the dough back and forth, moving from the center out-

ward, until you have a log that is the same length as your

bread pan.

5.Place the dough in the pan with the seam side down. Cover

loosely with an oiled piece of plastic wrap and let rise for 1 to

1½ hours, longer if the room is cool. The center of the loaf

should dome about one inch above the rim of the pan.

6.About 20 minutes before the loaf is ready to be baked, posi-

tion a rack in the lower third of the oven and set the oven to

400 degrees. When the dough has risen, make three shallow,

diagonal slashes across the top of the loaf with a serrated

knife. Bake the loaf for 10 minutes and decrease the oven tem-

perature to 375 degrees. Bake for an additional 25 to 30 min-

utes, or until the crust browns. (Total baking time is 35 to 40

minutes.)

7.Tip the loaf out of the pan and tap the bottom of the loaf. It

should make a hollow sound and the bottom of the loaf should

have browned. If it still seems squishy, put it back in the oven,

directly on the oven rack without the pan, and bake for anoth-

er 5 minutes or so. If you are still wondering whether or not

it's done, insert an instant read thermometer into the bottom

of the loaf — the bread is done when it registers 190 degrees.

8.Set the loaf on a rack to cool completely. Do not cut into the

bread until it is thoroughly cool; it continues to bake and set

as it cools. Once it is completely cool, store it in a plastic bag

or wrap it in a clean tea towel. Sally Pasley Vargas

Spaghetti with Breadcrumbs

SALLY PASLEY VARGAS FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana

‘Nice’ Cream

No-Knead Sandwich Bread

SALLY PASLEY VARGAS FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE

SALLY PASLEY VARGAS FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE