The Perfect Pantry

Memes in the Pantry

At this very moment, I should be writing about the next item on my spice rack, but instead I'm glued to the television, getting ready to watch the Top Chef finale (aren't you?). Here's a little snack to enjoy while Ilan and Marcel cook their way to the finish.

Tag, I'm it!

When Catherine of Albion Cooks, one of my favorite Canadian food blogs, tagged me for the Five Things Most People Don't Know About Me meme, I realized that many Pantry readers might not know about memes, or what it means to be tagged.

Until I started blogging, I didn't know, either. Here in rural northwest Rhode Island, tagging is something you do to Christmas trees when they're still growing in the field, to reserve your tree early in the season until it's time to cut it down in December.

According to Wikipedia, meme (pronounced "mem", as in "memory"), a term coined by evolutionary scientist Richard Dawkins (author of The Selfish Gene), means a unit of cultural information transferable from one mind to another. Online, memes build a community of people based on shared common information. You answer some questions, and post the answers on your blog; when you tag someone else to participate, you're asking that person to do the same.

One of the best meme ideas originated at The Traveler's Lunchbox, whose Five Things to Eat Before You Die garnered hundreds of responses from all around the world.

So, here goes — five things most people don't know about me:

1. My two very favorite foods are seedless grapes and peanut M&Ms. I can eat either one, and pretend it's the other.

2. In high school, I played varsity tennis. I had a little white tennis dress that I wore in every singles match, for good luck and because I thought I looked darned cute in it.

3. In college, my best friend Joyce and I went on a tuna fish sandwich and Good Humor chocolate eclair diet for two weeks. We ate nothing but tuna and ice cream bars, washed down with original Fresca in the cans with blue labels. We both lost a few pounds, perhaps out of total dietary boredom, and in spite of the crazy diet, I still love tuna.

4. My first professional newspaper job was at The Courier-News in Plainfield, New Jersey, when I was 16 years old. I wrote obituaries on Saturday mornings.

5. I've watched every Doris Day-Rock Hudson film at least fifty times.

And now it's my turn to tag, so I'm tagging all readers of The Perfect Pantry, and specifically:

Kim of Siwgrstorm
Scott of Needs More Garlic
Genie of The Inadvertent Gardener
Karen of Family Style Food
Stefanie of Cumin & Coriander

By the way, the painting of the peanut M&Ms was created by Shawn Kenney, as part of a new project called Will Paint for Food. It's a collaboration with my very own Ninecooks to raise funds for organizations that work to end hunger through education, outreach, and food distribution.

[Oops — an update — Catherine of Albion Cooks blogs from California, not Canada. And me married to a Canadian...you'd think I'd know the difference!]

Dry bread crumbs (Recipe: egg noodle, cheese and cauliflower gratin)

There's a big piece of land for sale up the road from my house.

Costco, are you listening???

I'm an hour away from the nearest location of my favorite warehouse-type store and, while I don't go often, and I don't stockpile huge quantities of things in The Perfect (but kind of small) Pantry, I'd love to have a Costco closer to home.

I love their sides of salmon for $3.99 per pound. I love the soft, puffy bagels (heresy, from a native New Yorker....). I love the oatmeal-raisin cookies, the giant boxes of grape tomatoes, the bags of Empire kosher chicken breasts, the portobello caps and haricot vert at prices I can afford.

Most of all, though, I love the cookbooks.

Incredible bargains, eclectic selection, best sellers, no-sellers — I can't walk past the book aisle without browsing, and there is always something I don't have and, suddenly, cannot live without.

Last week, the brand new Fine Cooking Annual landed in my shopping cart — available at Costco before it's even in the bookstores! Good thing, too, because I was looking for new recipes that call for the dry bread crumbs I found on my pantry shelf.

Dry bread crumbs, made from dry or toasted bread, are a staple in meatloaf and toppings for pasta, which is why most of us have them in the pantry. They're easy to make, but even easier to buy, and they have an incredibly long shelf-life. Generally you find them in the market in two styles: plain, and Italian (with herbs and spices). Both have roughly the same calorie count (110 per 1/4 cup of crumbs), but the Italian ones have twice as much sodium.

In cases where you're using bread crumbs for topping, you can substitute panko. For meatloaf dishes or recipes where the bread crumbs are mixed in, I stick with traditional bread crumbs.

To make your own bread crumbs, cut stale bread (white or whole wheat) into large cubes, and place on a baking sheet in a low-medium oven (300-350°F). Bake until very dry and just barely browned. Place the cubes in a food processor or blender and process to a fairly fine consistency. To create your own special seasoned bread crumbs, add dried herbs (garlic or onion powder, thyme leaf, sage, etc.) with the bread cubes, and process together.

PEPPERY EGG NOODLES, FARMER'S CHEESE & CAULIFLOWER GRATIN
A comment from fellow food blogger Scott on this post got me thinking. Maybe, just maybe, it's time to get over my fear of cauliflower. Could this be the recipe that turns it around for me? Adapted slightly from Fine Cooking Annual (2007). Serves 8.

3/4 lb (about 1-1/2 cups) farmer's cheese
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, plus more for the dish
1/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs
1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
1 small head cauliflower, cut into 1-inch-long florets
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth (I like Swanson's 99%, or homemade), or vegetable broth
9 oz fresh egg fettuccine

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Set a large pot of generously salted water over high heat and bring to a boil. Butter a 9x13 baking dish.

In a food processor, combine the cheese and cream and process until well blended. (You can also mix them in a bowl.)

Melt 1 Tbsp of butter in a 12-inch skillet over high heat. Stir in the bread crumbs, thyme, a pinch of salt, and a few grinds of fresh black pepper. Sauté, stirring, until the crumbs are light golden brown and crisp, 1-2 minutes. Immediately scrape them into a small bowl and set aside. Wipe the skillet clean.

Melt 1 Tbsp butter in the same skillet over high heat, until it begins to bubble and brown. Add half the cauliflower and cook until well browned, 2-3 minutes, stirring only once about halfway through, then transfer to a bowl. Lower the heat to medium high, add the remaining 1 Tbsp butter, and repeat with remaining cauliflower. When it's well browned, return the first batch of cauliflower to the pan, add the broth, and cook until the cauliflower begins to get tender but is still a bit crunchy, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in 1 tsp pepper.

Cut the fettuccine into 3-inch lengths and cook in the boiling water until tender, 2-3 minutes. Drain. Put the cauliflower with its cooking liquid and the cheese mixture in the empty pasta pot. Stir to combine. Return the fettuccine to the pot and stir it all together. Season to taste with 1/2 tsp kosher salt. Spread the mixture in the buttered baking dish. Sprinkle the bread crumbs evenly over the top. Bake until the top is lightly golden brown and the cheese is bubbling, 20-30 minutes. Let cool briefly before serving.

Horseradish sauce (Recipe: horseradish dip)

Every item in my pantry falls into one of two categories: innie, or outie.

Innies — ingredients that don't stand alone, and are fundamental to the creation of a dish — include herbs and spices, grains and legumes, and dry pasta.

Outies can be innies, but they also can stand alone. Often used as garnish, or to enhance the flavor of a finished dish, my standby outies include things like yogurt, ketchup, cheeses, soy sauce, and my brand-new favorite: horseradish sauce.

Horseradish, a perennial cultivated for its large, white root, is a member of the mustard family, like cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and the garden radish we use in salads. Horseradish is quite mild in flavor — until it is ground or grated; when the root cells are crushed, volatile oils known as isothiocyanate are released. Vinegar stops this reaction and stabilizes the flavor; the point at which the vinegar is added determines the potency of the finished product.

Bookbinder's Creamy Horseradish Sauce has been kicking up my cooking for the past few months, ever since it flew off the grocery store shelf (in the condiment aisle) and landed in my shopping cart. This particular brand contains good stuff (water is listed as the first ingredient, followed by soybean oil and actual horseradish, as well as distilled vinegar), and not-so-good-for-you stuff (high fructose corn syrup, which balances the heat of the horseradish root).

Horseradish sauce, traditionally served in England with roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, tastes amazing as a condiment on my grandmother's beef brisket or turkey burgers. Mixed with cocktail sauce, it makes a potent dip for cold poached shrimp.

Best of all, this outie really livens up the boiled chicken stripped from the carcass after making stock. I hate to throw the meat away, but it gives up most of its flavor to the stock. Sassy horseradish sauce (it actually says "sassy" on the label) revives the overcooked meat, and a little bit mixed in with Miracle Whip (I know, I know....) and some diced celery makes a darned good chicken salad.

HORSERADISH DIP
This dip is equally delicious with grilled shrimp, lamb or chicken kabobs, or crudites. Serves 6.

1 cup Hellman's mayonnaise
3 Tbsp creamy horseradish sauce
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
1 tsp sugar or sugar substitute, or more to taste
2 Tbsp chopped fresh herb (dill, for shrimp; rosemary, for lamb; thyme and parsley, for chicken)
Salt and black pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients, and chill for an hour to allow flavors to blend.

Chickpeas (Recipe: lemon onion hummus)

Which came first, the famous Roman orator Cicero, or chickpeas?

According to some sources, chickpeas (Latin name cicer arietum) were named after a rather unattractive wart on Cicero's nose. Other sources say that Cicero, born with a less-than-perfect nose, was named after the oddly curled-up legume. Chickpeas are an ancient food, discovered in mesolithic layers in southern France and carbon-dated to approximately 6790 BC. Cicero's time was around 100 BC. Which came first?

A chickpea by any other name is a garbanzo bean (Spanish), ceci (Italian), grao-di-bico (Portuguese), gram (whole beans, in India), or channa (the Indian name for skinless, split chickpeas). By any name, it's one of the world's healthiest foods, providing hefty doses of dietary fiber that help lower cholesterol and blood sugar, and magnesium and folate that protect against heart disease.

However, health benefits alone do not earn chickpeas a place in The Perfect Pantry. Taste matters, and chickpeas have good taste — though for years I didn't think they tasted very good. I remember being served some kind of baked chickpea dish (something strange, maybe chickpea enchiladas....) at a dinner party years ago; the chickpeas were hard and dry inside. I pushed them around on my plate. Had there been a dog in the house, I surely would have been willing to share!

Keep dried chickpeas in your pantry if you want to make your own chickpea flour, the foundation of socca, those wonderful pancakes from Provence. Because the dried beans take forever to cook (far longer than other pulses), for everything else I recommend canned chickpeas. The difference in nutritional value is negligible, and the increased convenience more than compensates for the loss of a nutrient here and there.

Chickpeas travelled the world with traders from the mideast, and now are staples in the cuisines of Mediterranean countries in Europe and North Africa, the Indian subcontinent, and Latin America. A major source of protein for vegetarians, and a boon to the diabetic diet, chickpeas are inexpensive and provide a lot of bulk for the buck.

Without chickpeas, there would be no hummus, no falafel, no farinata. Try them in soup and stews, in salads, as a side dish or main course, or in candy; just stay away from the enchilada idea.

LEMON-ONION HUMMUS
What could be better than hummus and old-fashioned onion-soup-mix dip, rolled into one? This recipe is inspired by several in Sally Sampson's Party Dips. Serve with carrots and celery, or pita wedges; or use as filling for a sandwich, with tomato slices or roast chicken. Makes 4 cups.

1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 tsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1-2 lemons)
2/3 cup tahini (sesame paste)
2/3 cup water
4 cups canned chickpeas, drained (reserve 1/4 cup liquid), and rinsed
1 Tbsp ground cumin
2 Tbsp sour cream
2 Tbsp light and fruity extra virgin olive oil (optional)
Paprika (optional, for garnish)

In a small sauté pan, heat 2 tsp olive oil, and add the sliced onion. Cook slowly, over low heat, until the onion is lightly caramelized, 10-15 minutes. Set aside to cool. In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, process the garlic, lemon juice and tahini until a smooth paste. Add the water and chickpeas, and continue to process until mixture is almost fluffy. Add some of the reserved chickpea liquid, if necessary. Season with the cumin. Transfer to a bowl. Stir in the onions and sour cream, and mix well. If desired, pour 2 Tbsp light and fruity olive oil over the top and swirl with a knife. Sprinkle with paprika.

Lemons (Recipe: lemon curd)

Oh, I love-love-love the Internet.

As I started thinking about lemons, I got a bit sidetracked (which happens more and more often these days).

Why, I wondered, are irredeemably bad cars called lemons?

Click, click, click. Wikipedia offered not one answer, but four, ranging from plausible to truly ridiculous.

I wanted to know more.

Click, click, click.

Eureka! That's the variety of most of the lemons we see in the markets in the US (except those who live in California, where wonderful Meyer lemons also are available). Lemon trees grow to 20 feet tall; a mature tree can yield up to 2,000 fruits per year.

Unlike oranges, lemons do continue to ripen after they're picked. Store lemons in the refrigerator, in a plastic bag, for up to two weeks; the cold will slow the ripening process.

To get the most juice out of a lemon, roll it back and forth on the counter before cutting, or microwave for 15 seconds. Both of those actions will help break down the fibers in the lemon pulp, releasing more juice. If your recipe calls for both zest (the yellow part of the skin) and juice, remember this handy tip: scrape the zest, then squeeze the rest.

If the lemon were not part of every world cuisine, we wouldn't need so many tools dedicated to extracting its flavor. In the Ninecooks kitchen, I have a five-hole zester, a couple of Microplanes, a lemon squeezer we bought in a Mexican street market, and a wooden reamer. I don't have a lemon trumpet, but I'd love to try one.

So, when life hands you lemons, grab a tool and make lemonade. Or lemon chicken. Or chicken piccata. Or lemon cake, or cupcakes, or cheesecake.

One more thing. Another reason I love the Internet is that it puts me in touch with Pantry readers like Elaine, who last October sent me this note in response to this post: "I am of Scottish descent and my mother makes a wonderful lemon curd from a recipe my grandmother brought to the States. I thought you might like to have it." Elaine, I'm thrilled to have your family recipe; thank you for allowing me to share it.

ELAINE'S LEMON CURD
You'll probably be tempted to eat this right from the container, with a spoon, the way my husband Ted likes it, but you'll want to use it as a filling for cupcakes or little tarts, too.

1/2 cup butter
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
Grated zest of two lemons
6 eggs

Put all ingredients, except eggs, into double boiler over simmering water. When butter has melted and before mixture is too warm, gradually whisk in the beaten eggs. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened to consistency of instant pudding, about 10-15 minues. Remove from heat and cool for a while. Then place in a container, cover, and store in fridge.

Cardamom pods (Recipe: prawn fried rice)

If I had a dollar for every item in The Perfect Pantry that's reputed to be an aphrodisiac, I'd be able to take my husband out for a swanky night on the town.

Add cardamom pods to the list of "love" spices.

Native to south India, cultivated now in Guatemala, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea and Tanzania, cardamom is one of the world's most ancient, and most expensive, spices.

A member of the ginger family, cardamom has been used in India for more than 2,000 years. It reached Constantinople (Istanbul) via the spice trail; to this day, Turkish coffee is often poured over a cardamom pod inserted in the spout of the coffee pot. From there, the Vikings brought cardamom to Scandinavia, where it is still a popular flavoring in baked goods.

Cardamom pods are harvested in the Fall, when they are nearly ripe. They're left to dry in the sun for 3-4 days. Inside each pod are 15-20 tiny, brown or black, sticky seeds; the stickier the seed, the fresher the pod. 

With its somewhat lemony and smoky flavor, cardamom is a key ingredient in many curry powders and masala spice blends. The whole pods, lightly crushed, are used to flavor rice, slow-braised meat dishes, and lentils.

The pods will keep for a year or more in an airtight container, though they'll slowly fade in both color (see photo above — these really are green pods, but I've had them for quite a while) and aroma.

I keep whole pods and Penzeys' ground cardamom in my pantry, because you never know when you'll need an aphrodisiac.

PRAWN FRIED RICE
Years ago I learned this recipe from Nagina Kalam, who was living in Boston for a year while her husband completed post-doctoral work. She met a group of young moms at the local playground, and they enlisted her to teach a series of Indian cooking classes. This main dish recipe serves 6, as part of a traditional Indian meal featuring turdal (yellow lentils) and saag paneer (spinach with cheese).

2 lbs prawns (large shrimp, 26-30 size), peeled and deveined
1 tsp turmeric
1-1/2 tsp paprika
1-1/2 tsp kosher salt
3 tsp GGC (ginger-garlic-cilantro) paste*
7 cups water
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp butter
3 cups basmati rice
6 Tbsp corn oil
2 whole cardamom pods, slit lengthwise
1 stick cinnamon
3 large cloves garlic, chopped
6 bay leaves
1 onion, sliced thin
2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 jalapeño chile, sliced

*To make GGC paste: Combine 4 whole heads garlic, peeled and minced; 1 “hand” (whole piece) ginger, peeled and grated; and 1 bunch cilantro, minced, in a blender, and process until the mixture forms a paste. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer.

Wash the prawns, and mix with your hands in a large bowl with turmeric, 1-1/2 tsp paprika, 1-1/2 tsp salt, and GGC paste. Set aside to marinate. In a large pot, combine 7 cups water with 1 tsp salt and butter. Bring to the boil, and add the rice. When the water returns to the boil, cover the pot and cook for 5 minutes, or until all the water has evaporated. In the meantime, make the masala: in a frying pan, heat 5 Tbsp oil over medium-high heat, and add cardamom, cinnamon and cloves. Stir, and add garlic, bay leaves, onions, garam masala, 1/2 tsp paprika and yogurt. Continue to cook 4-5 minutes, and stir in half of the marinated shrimp. Cook for 2 minutes until shrimp are done, and combine mixture with the rice. Garnish with jalapeño. In a separate frying pan, heat remaining 1 Tbsp oil, and saute remaining shrimp until golden. Serve as a garnish over the rice.

Whole wheat flour (Recipe: easy grilled whole wheat pizza)

I'm an every-other-decade kind of baker.

In the 1960s and again in the 1980s, I baked bread, sometimes every week. I started with a basic recipe for white bread, from the classic Beard on Bread, and slowly I branched out.

My pantry reflected that bread passion, with jars of unbleached all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, rye, semolina, oatmeal, seeds and nuts and grains from the local health food store.

Now that we're nearer to the end of the 00 decade than to the beginning, I'm feeling the urge to bake again. (Actually, I bought Dorie Greenspan's book, after reading all the glowing reports here and here and here. But Ted's run off with it. I'm not complaining; he made glorious lemon madeleines!)

This time around, I don't need to seek out a health food store; my local supermarket offers a whole range of organic and specialty flours from King Arthur Flour, Bob's Red Mill, and Kenyon's Grist Mill right here in Rhode Island.

There are two main types of whole wheat flour available to home bakers, according to another amazing book I've added to my kitchen library, King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking: hard whole wheat flour, labeled "traditional" or "white whole wheat;" and soft whole wheat flour, called whole wheat pastry flour. Wheat flour comes in different grinds; the more coarse the grind, the more bits of bran and germ you'll see in the flour.

A comparison of nutritional values of whole wheat and white all-purpose flours confirms that whole wheat provides a huge bonus in fiber, potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and selenium. While the number of calories is the same, all-purpose flour has no sodium and less fat than whole wheat, though the amount of fat (really oil from the germ of the wheat berry) is insignificant.

That oil does cause whole wheat flour to turn rancid, which gives it a bitter taste. The solution? Store your flour in the freezer from the moment you bring it home from the store. Let the flour come to room temperature before you use it, and return the unused portion to the freezer.

This winter I'll be making whole wheat bread, muffins, scones and pizza. Time to get busy, before the 20-teen decade arrives and my urge to bake goes into hibernation for another ten years!

EASY WHOLE WHEAT PIZZA ON THE GRILL
This recipe makes 6 individual pizzas. You can freeze the dough, in individual plastic bags, and have homemade pizza any time!

1-1/2 cups all-purpose, unbleached flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3 Tbsp cornmeal, coarse ground
1 tsp salt
1 tsp rapid-rise yeast
3/4 cup lukewarm water
2 Tbsp plus 1 tsp olive oil

Toppings of your choice: shredded mozzarella cheese, marinara sauce (homemade or good-quality from a jar), sliced mushrooms and onions, sautéed broccoli florets, leftover roast chicken, etc.

In a food processor, pulse together the flours, cornmeal, salt and yeast. With the motor running, add the water and 2 Tbsp of oil. Continue processing for approximately 30 seconds more, until the dough forms a cohesive ball that is smooth and elastic. If it remains sticky, add another Tbsp or two of flour.

Knead the dough a few times on a floured work surface, forming it into a ball. Pour the remaining oil into a large bowl, and add the dough, turning it over until coated with oil. Cover with a damp cloth, and set in a warm draft-free spot to rise until doubled (approx. 1 hr).

Lightly oil half of a 12-muffin tin (dip a paper towel in a small bowl of olive oil, and rub the inside of each muffin compartment). Punch down the dough, and divide into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, and place each ball in the muffin tin until ready to use. (You can refrigerate at this point for up to 90 minutes before using, but bring back to room temperature before proceeding.)

TO COOK ON THE GRILL: Heat a grill to medium high. Roll each piece of dough to approximately 1/4-inch thick. The dough should be quite oily, but if it is not, brush one side with oil, and place that side down on the grill. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until bottom is lightly browned. Remove the dough from the grill. Brush the uncooked side lightly with olive oil, and turn the dough cooked side up on a plate. Sprinkle selected toppings here and there. Return dough to the grill, and cook 3-5 minutes, until bottom is lightly browned and toppings are heated through.

NOTE: You can make this pizza on the stovetop, on a cast-iron griddle pan. After you flip the dough and add toppings, cover the pan to help cook the toppings, or place the cooked pizza under the broiler for a minute if the dough has cooked but the toppings have not.

Ketchup (Recipe: football season chili)

No matter how old I get (and today is my birthday, so I know I'm getting older), I will never, ever, outgrow ketchup.

In my family, it was always ketchup, Heinz ketchup, that rescued the bad meals (mother's grievously overcooked calf's liver, hard as shoe leather), and enhanced the good ones (dad's perfectly grilled lamb chops). I put it on cheese omelets and mashed potatoes, and everything in between. Sure, ketchup isn't a vegetable, as the USDA now admits, but I could eat five servings a day.

I don't remember ever seeing my mother cook with ketchup, apart from slathering it atop meatloaf or mixing a quick sauce for shrimp cocktail. As my tastebuds, and my own interest in cooking, broadened, I discovered ketchup in recipes for Chinese stir-fry, Malaysian noodles, Indian curries and barbecue sauces.

According to the Food Lover's Companion, ketchup originated in 17th-Century China, where it was a fishy, smelly, pickly condiment (with lots of anchovies, but no tomatoes) called ket-siap. British seamen brought it home, where mushrooms became the dominant flavoring; other ingredients, such as walnuts and vinegar, were added to cater to the European preference for strong sauces. By the 18th Century, ketchup made its way to New England, where tomatoes were added; a century later, Henry Heinz began to bottle and mass-market the product we know today.

Modern-day American ketchup usually has a tomato foundation, though gourmet markets often carry interesting variations (mango ketchup, anyone?). Vinegar gives ketchup its tang, while sugar, salt and spices contribute to the blend.

There is, as it turns out, a correct way to get ketchup out of the bottle. You can invert the bottle and wait, and wait, and wait. You can stick a knife in it, but that can be messy.

Instead, please try this at home: Make a fist with your left hand. With your right hand, invert the bottle on an angle, and rap the lower part of the neck down onto your left fist (on my bottle, above, I hit the 36-ounce label on the neck). This applies the correct G-force to the viscous ketchup, which causes it to flow. No kidding!

Heinz tomato ketchup, approved by NASA for use on the International Space Station, is 130 years old. Makes me feel like a kid again.

FOOTBALL SEASON CHILI
Adapted from a recipe from Arthur Manjourides, chef/owner of Charlie's Sandwich Shoppe in Boston's South End. Serves 10.

2 large onions, chopped
1-1/2 cups celery, chopped
4 bell peppers (a mix of red and green), chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 habanero chile pepper, chopped (or jalapeño, for a milder chili)
4 Tbsps olive oil
2 lbs ground sirloin
2 28-oz cans whole peeled tomatoes
4 oz ketchup
2 oz tomato paste
1 cup water
4 bay leaves
1 Tbsp kosher salt
2 heaping Tbsp black pepper, or more to taste
3 Tbsp ground cumin
2 Tbsp cayenne pepper
5 Tbsp chili powder, mild or hot, to taste
2 Tbsps dried oregano
4 Tbsps paprika
2 28-oz cans dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

In a large heavy pot or Dutch oven, sauté onions, peppers, celery, garlic and chile pepper for 5 minutes in olive oil. In the meantime, in a frying pan, brown the beef. Drain off the fat, and add beef to the vegetables. Break up the tomatoes (hint: cut them into the pot with kitchen shears) and add to the pot with ketchup, tomato paste, 1 cup water, and bay leaves. Stir to combine. Add remaining seasonings, and bring to a simmer. Stir in the kidney beans and cook, uncovered, on low heat for 1 hour. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Can be made ahead; cool, cover and refrigerate.

Sesame oil (Recipe: bulgogi)

As a novice cook devoted to Julia Child's television shows, I learned that a mirepoix of three aromatic vegetables — onions, carrots, celery — flavors much of French cooking.

Cajun cooks also use a flavor base of three vegetables: onions, bell pepper and celery. They call it the Trinity.

My own trinity has nothing to do with vegetables, though it has everything to do with flavor, and it's most certainly aromatic. I call it the Cantonese 3-2-1 Trinity, and it's my basic stir-fry sauce.

Three parts low-sodium soy sauce.

Two parts oyster sauce.

One part sesame oil.

There are two types of sesame oil, light (made by pressing raw seeds) and dark (made from hulled sesame seeds that have been toasted prior to pressing). Available in Asian markets and in the Asian food aisle in most supermarkets, dark sesame oil is the one to use in Chinese-, Korean-, or Japanese-inspired cooking.

Sesame oil isn't often used as a cooking oil, though it does have a high smoke point of 450°F (compared to extra-virgin olive oil at 405°F and peanut oil at 440°F). This oil can take the heat, but its intense nuttiness makes it better suited to use as a seasoning towards the middle or end of cooking. It's a key flavor component in Chinese and Korean cooking, where it features in peanut sauce, tofu and beef stir-fries, and in cold dishes like broccoli and chicken salads, sesame noodles and salmon tartare. 

I'm partial to the Maruhon brand, which I can find at several local Asian markets. Kadoya brand is another good brand. A little goes a long way, and, once opened, a bottle will keep at room temperature for up to a year.

By the way, if you substitute chili paste with garlic for the sesame oil, you have a Szechuan 3-2-1 Trinity that kicks up any stir-fry. Now you know all of my secrets for basic Chinese cooking.

BULGOGI
The recipe for this fabulous Korean barbecue dish is adapted from Dok Suni, by Jenny Kwak. Serves 3-4.

2-1/2 lbs rib eye, sirloin tips (best value), or beef tenderloin (delicious, but expensive)
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp crushed garlic
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp rice wine (sake)
Pinch of black pepper
1/2 piece of fresh kiwi, juiced in a blender

Dipping sauce:
1 Tbsp soybean paste
1 tsp crushed garlic
2 tsp red pepper sauce (I use chili paste with garlic)
1 tsp salad oil
2 Tbsp water

2 heads red-leaf lettuce

Trim the fat off the beef with a knife, and butterly the meat so it is 1/4-inch thick. (Slice almost all the way through, then open like a book and flatten with the palm of your hand.) Distribute the sugar evenly on the beef by sprinkling it on each piece. Allow beef to sit for 10 minutes.

In a separate bowl, mix together the soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, sugar, sake, and black pepper. Put aside.

Massage the beef with the kiwi juice using your hands. The kiwi works as a tenderizer. Add the soy sauce mixture and mix. Allow the beef to marinate for 10 minutes. Because the beef is thin, it doesn’t require a long marinating time. Now it is ready to be barbecued. Ideal if grilled over smoked wood but just as good in a frying pan or a skillet (I do it on a gas grill, which is fine, too.). Cook until browned, being careful not to overcook.

To prepare dipping sauce, combine all ingredients and cook over low heat for 15-20 minutes. Serve the beef wrapped in red lettuce leaves, with the sauce on the side for dipping.

Paprika (Recipe: whitefish Hungarian style)

Sometimes, what's in The Perfect Pantry isn't exactly perfect.

The nearest market, five miles away in our village, has come a long way in the few years I've been living in this rural part of Rhode Island. I can always pick up brie and green tea and Nutella, along with organic dairy products and mango nectar, daikon and dried figs.

On the day I ran out of my favorite Szeged Hungarian paprika, in the telltale red-and-white tin, my little market was out of stock.

So, I drove another five miles down the road, to the larger supermarket. Once again, there was not a single tin of paprika on the shelf.

And so, off I went again, five more miles down the road (by this time I was three towns from home, and wondering if the fates were conspiring against me), to another supermarket. No tins there, either, but I did find this organic paprika. Rapidly calculating the cost of gas I'd have to add to the price of the spice, I bought it, hoping it would be worth the 25-mile road trip.

It's good. Good enough, but not as robust as the stuff in the tin.

Paprika is a red powder, made not from a particular plant, but from grinding together a variety of dried Capsicum peppers ranging from sweet bell peppers to mild chiles. The best of these peppers grow in the Szeged and Kalocsa regions of Hungary, where paprika is graded into six major classifications: kulonleges (delicate and sweet); edesnemes (darker red, more robust, not bitter); delicatess (slightly hot and fruity); feledes (semi-sweet); rozsa (hotter, made from the whole fruit); and eros (more pungent, hot, and bitter).

Sprinkled on top of dishes like deviled eggs and potato salad, paprika adds color but no flavor. To release the flavor, marry paprika with heat, as in goulash, paprikás, or rice dishes. Paprika is essential to many spice blends, including Moroccan chermoula, and is widely used in Indian cooking for both color and flavor. It's a key ingredient in my husband Ted's favorite beef stew, too.

Find your own favorite, or keep more than one type in your pantry. Buy Szeged paprika in a tin at your local grocery store (you already know that my local store is out of stock!). Penzeys sells Kulonleges sweet and half-sharp, along with California sweet. A 1.1-ounce jar is $1.99-2.09, making this a very affordable way to taste and compare. 

WHITEFISH HUNGARIAN STYLE
On a recent visit to Eagle Trading Company, an incomparable used cookbook store near Fall River, Massachusetts, I discovered Cooking with Love and Paprika, by Hollywood director Joseph Pasternak. Here's what he wrote to introduce this recipe: "While I was making the movie Anchors Aweigh, I knew that, when Friday night rolled around, I could usually expect a particular dinner guest. Gene Kelly would knock at the door, and say, grinning, 'Any baked fish?' Sometimes Frank Sinatra would come along, but I couldn't feed Sinatra much, except French onion soup or maybe some leftover lasagne! Frankie just didn't like to eat, but Gene did, and this is the dish he enjoyed so much." You can see why! I've adapted this recipe slightly. Serves 6-8.

3-4 lbs whitefish, thick filets (halibut, cod loin, etc.)
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
Olive oil
4 medium potatoes (Yukon Gold or red-skinned new potatoes), boiled and sliced
2 green peppers, cut in half, seeds removed, blanched, and sliced
3-4 tomatoes, sliced
1 tsp flour
1 tsp paprika
4-6 slices bacon, fried and crumbled
1 pint sour cream
2 Tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 400°F. Season fish with salt and pepper. Lightly coat a baking dish with olive oil. Layer in the potatoes, then the green pepper, and then half of the tomatoes. Season lightly with salt and pepper, and arrange fish on top. Sprinkle with flour and paprika. Cover with the crisp bacon bits and the remaining tomato slices. Pour the sour cream over the top, and bake for 15 minutes. Dot with butter, and continue baking for 5 minutes more, or until the fish is cooked.