The Perfect Pantry

Phyllo dough (Recipe: cheese phyllo triangles)

Cleveland, Ohio, stakes its claim as the phyllo dough capital of the world.

Athens Foods, which opened in Cleveland in 1958, makes more than 90 percent of the phyllo dough sold in the United States -- all told, more than five million pounds a year of the paper-thin, flaky dough called phyllo, phillo, filo or fillo.

Phyllo, the Greek word for "leaf", is made of wheat flour, water, and a small amount of oil. Filo and fillo are alternate spellings of the same word. In my local Middle Eastern market, I've heard people ask for FEE-LOH (the correct pronounciation) and FIE-LOH -- and, yes, for FILL-O.

In Turkish, phyllo dough is called yufka ... or youfka.

Though some Greek bakeries sell homemade fresh phyllo, most of us buy it frozen, in one-pound packages that have 24 or more sheets. The Athens brand is available in most supermarkets, including the one in my small town.

Here are a few tips for working with frozen phyllo, from the inimitable Silver Palate Cookbook:

• Let the dough defrost in its original wrapper in the refrigerator for at least two days. When well wrapped and still sealed in its original packaging, defrosted phyllo will keep in the fridge for up to a month, which is preferable to refreezing, which will make the dough tough.
• Be sure the phyllo is completely defrosted before beginning to work with it.
• Have a damp (not wet) towel handy. Unwrap the dough, unroll it, and cover it immediately with the towel.
• Let dough stand for 15 minutes; moisture makes the phyllo easier to handle.

Without phyllo, there would be no baklava, no bisteeya, no spinach pies, no cigars, and no Greek food festivals anywhere, not even in Cleveland.

TYROPITA (Cheese Phyllo Triangles)
When Greg, a member of The #1 Cooking Group, offered to teach us how to make some of the Greek foods from his family tradition (including this recipe), I was thrilled. Time to get over my own fear of phyllo! Once you get the hang of this, you can make wonderful spanikopita (spinach pies), too. Serves 12 or more, as an appetizer.

8 ounces of good feta cheese, crumbled into small pieces
1 cup of grated graviera (or a gruyere-type cheese), grated
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp black pepper
3 Tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

12 +/- (17 x 12 inch) phyllo sheets (thawed if frozen). This is about half of one box.
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted

Make filling:
Combine cheeses, egg, pepper and parsley in bowl with fork. The mixture will be lumpy.

Make pastries:
Pre-heat oven to 350°F.

Place two sheets of phyllo on top of one another, keeping remaining sheets covered with wax paper and dampened dish towel, and cut in half lengthwise. Pile the sheets again on top of one another, and again cut in half lengthwise. This will give you 8 individual strips about 3 inches wide by 17 inches long.

Place one strip in front of you, again covering remaining phyllo with wax paper and dampened dish towel. Lightly brush pastry with melted butter. Put 1 heaping teaspoon of filling in lower corner of pastry, and fold corner of phyllo over to enclose filling and form a triangle. Continue folding (like a flag), maintaining triangle shape. Put triangle, seam side down, on large baking sheet and brush top with butter. Make more triangles in the same manner, using all the filling. (Here's a good illustration of the folding technique.)

Bake triangles in middle of oven until golden brown, 20–25 minutes, and then transfer to rack to cool slightly. Serve warm.

More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
Teeny tiny lime tarts

Sugar and spice, mustard and coffee (Recipe: double strawberry tartlets)

The next best thing for a pantry junkie to actually going food shopping for new pantry items is to have new pantry items appear, like manna from the post office, right at your front door.

So, when a package arrived last week from Erika at Tummy Treasure, and I saw the Wisconsin return address, I was excited.

Would there -- could there? -- be some local foods in the box, some new treats to add to The Perfect Pantry, and, perhaps, a lovely note from the blogger who drew my name in this Blogging-by-Mail exchange, organized by Stephanie of Dispensing Happiness?

Yes, yes and yes!

The idea behind Blogging-by-Mail is simple; you send a package of your favorite things to another food blogger, and someone else sends a package to you. Last year my package went to Australia, and I received one from Switzerland. This year, I shipped a few of my favorite things to North Carolina.

Erika maintains four blogs of her own, and also writes for Kids Cuisine. She enclosed a lucky thirteen items:

• A lovely jar of strawberry jam, made this year from berries Erika and her children picked together.
• Chocolate goodies, including Ghirardelli sweet ground chocolate (for making hot cocoa and brownies), chocolate covered cacao nibs, and a package of Wisconsin's own Door County chocolate-raspberry truffle flavored coffee.
• Beautiful, unfiltered wildflower honey from Kallas Honey Farm in Milwaukee.
• Wisconsin Wilderness cranberry mustard, which Erika recommends for dunking pretzels or smearing on a turkey sandwich.
• More beverage treats: Door County vanilla nut coffee and a chai tea sampler.
• For the ultimate dinner-and-a-movie nibble, a bag of Ruby Red Wisconsin Gold Harvest popcorn!

Also in the box were two savory items I keep in my pantry all the time, so I was delighted to be able to replenish my stash of Amore tomato paste in a tube (one of the best inventions ever) and Pickapeppa hot sauce from Jamaica (because you can never have too much hot sauce).

Three non-food items -- candles, note cards and soap -- rounded out this lovely and thoughtful gift.

DOUBLE STRAWBERRY TARTLETS
Erika's homemade strawberry jam inspired these quick little tarts. Use any fresh berries, or chunks of fresh peach or nectarine. Serves 6, with a dollop of whipped cream, cardamom yogurt, or vanilla frozen yogurt on top.

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, defrosted
1/2 cup strawberry jam
1-1/2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced (or blueberries or sliced peaches)
1 egg beaten with 1 tsp of water
Granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Roll out pastry sheet, and cut into six rectangles. Place rectangles on a rimmed sheet pan covered with a Silpat or parchment paper. With a fork, poke holes all over the pastry. Spread the center of each piece with a light coating of strawberry jam -- be sure to keep at least a half-inch border all the way around -- and top with fresh fruit. Paint the edges of each pastry with the beaten egg wash. Sprinkle a tiny bit of granulated sugar on top of the fruit. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the pastry is puffed and slightly brown. Let cool before serving.

More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
Apple tart for non-bakers
Asparagus gruyere tart
Grilled fruit with cardamom yogurt

Granulated garlic (Recipe: dry rub for steak)

Granulated garlic is to fresh garlic as (blank) is to (blank).

As pepper flakes are to habañeros?

As decaf is to espresso?

As Brad Pitt is to George Clooney? (I guess this one depends on your taste. Maybe the other way around?)

The point is that granulated garlic will never have quite the zing of the fresh, but, as my family says when we're seeing the glass half full, it has other attributes.

Often used in spice blends, granulated garlic provides the flavor of garlic with the added benefit of a long shelf life, ease of measurement, and no skins to add to the compost pile. It is pure dehydrated garlic, with no added preservatives, salt, or anti-caking agents. It takes nine pounds of fresh garlic to make one pound of dehydrated.

To substitute in a recipe (which, honestly, you really should not do unless you are out of fresh garlic and also out of the minced garlic in a jar and you absolutely cannot live without the flavor of something resembling garlic), soak one-half teaspoon in one tablespoon of water to equal 2 cloves of fresh garlic. If you're sprinkling it rather than mixing it into a liquid, use 1/4 teaspoon for every clove of garlic.

Though I love Penzeys granulated garlic, and I use it in place of powdered garlic, I must take issue with the confusing labeling; granulated garlic is to powdered garlic as granulated sugar is to confectioners sugar. It's the same product, but in a more coarse grind. It keeps for 6-12 months if stored in a container with a tight-fitting lid, and it's great to have on hand to make pico de gallo or spicy garlic chicken, or a real creole spice mix or your own Montreal steak seasoning.

DRY RUB FOR STEAK
What could be easier? Rub on beef, let the meat sit at room temperature for 30-45 minutes, and cook on the grill.

4 Tbsp dried porcini mushrooms
2 Tbsp granulated garlic
4 Tbsp black pepper
1 tsp kosher salt

In a spice blender, grind mushrooms to a fine powder. Then, in a bowl, mix all ingredients. Store in an airtight container.

More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
Cocoa powder (Recipe: Cocoa-Cumin-Allspice Rub)

Mixed grains (Recipe: Mixed grain and dried fruit salad)

When I moved from Boston's South End to a rural part of Rhode Island, I knew I would miss certain things.

Art museums within walking distance of my house.

Bookstores within walking distance of my house.

Great restaurants within walking distance of my house.

Chinese food that could be delivered to my house, on the days I didn't feel like walking anywhere.

What I miss most of all, though, are the ethnic groceries, especially the easy-to-walk-to Asian markets that carry everything from live lobster that you fish out of the tank, to funerary items and clay pots, to hundred-year eggs and baby bok choy.

While restocking The Perfect Pantry a couple of months ago, my friend Candy and I discovered this product in our favorite Asian market, and now that I've found it, I don't ever want to let it go: mixed grains, it's labeled in English (Is that a literal translation of the Korean words on the package, or does it have a more exotic name? Help!).

An exuberant marriage of barley, millet, sweet brown rice, brown rice, job’s tear, red bean, black bean, peeled mung bean, black sweet rice, corn, and green peas, this grain combo, sold under the Assi brand, comes in three- and five-pound bags. Jessica and I found the smaller size in a lovely little Korean market near her Providence office; Candy bought the large size, which was great for experimenting with new recipes. It looks as beautiful cooked as it does in the bag, and contains enough possible pairings to make a complete protein ten times over.

Have you seen this product in your local market? Have you used it? Do you have a recipe to share?

MIXED GRAIN SALAD
For a party celebrating the publication of our son-in-law's book, Candy created this beautiful salad. In taste and appearance, it's a show-stopper! If you can't find this brand of mixed grains at your local Asian grocery, use any combination of dried beans, peas, rice and corn. Serves 12 or more as part of a buffet.

2 cups Assi brand mixed grains (or combination of your choice)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp peanut oil or hot chili oil

In a large bowl, place the grains, and cover by 2 inches with cold water. Soak overnight or at least 8 hours.

In a large sauce pan or Dutch oven over medium heat, add salt, sesame oil, peanut oil or hot chili oil. Then add grains, and toss with the oil to coat. Cook until just slightly browned. Add 4 cups boiling water, cover with aluminum foil and a tight-fitting lid, and reduce heat to simmer. Cook the grains for 1-1/2 to 2 hours, or until tender (stir occasionally to keep grains from sticking, and add a few Tbsp of water if necessary). When the grains are fully cooked, remove from heat and set aside to cool.

For the dressing, combine:
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tsp honey
2 Tbsp lime juice (or lemon juice)
1/4 cup peanut oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt, or less to taste
1/2 tsp crushed black pepper, or less to taste
1/2 cup fresh chopped flat leaf parsley or cilantro

Prepare:
1 red onion, sliced thin, then add to dressing
2 ribs celery, sliced thin
Cucumber, cut into chunks
1 large red bell pepper, cut into chunks
1-1/2 cups dried fruit: cherries, apricots, dates, or figs (or a combination)
3/4 cup fresh toasted almonds, chopped coarsely

Gently toss vegetables, dried fruit and almonds with cooled grains and the dressing.

Add:

1-1/2 to 2 cups fresh seasonal fruit, such as mango, peaches, cherries, chopped (Candy likes to combine dried fruits with the same fresh fruit -- dried and fresh apricots, etc.)

To serve:
Mound the salad on a large platter, topped with:

1/4 cup fresh toasted almonds, chopped coarsely
1 cup fresh crumbled French feta cheese

Fresh herbs, three bricks, one cookbook (Recipe: brick-grilled chicken thighs)

When Sunday morning starts with the ring of the telephone, you know someone, somewhere, is calling to tell you something you don't want to hear.

"I'm sick," my friend Cindy sniffled into the phone.

A summer cold, the kind that works its way through your entire body and makes you feel like jello, had taken hold, so we had to let go of our plan to spend last Sunday evening cooking together.

A few weeks ago, when Ivonne of Cream Puffs in Venice and Cath of A Blithe Palate invited me to join other bloggers and cook from Faith Heller Willinger's new book, Adventures of an Italian Food Lover: with recipes from 254 of my very best friends, I knew instantly which Italian food lover I'd invite to dinner. I called Cindy, not because she is my most Italian friend (she is), or because she is a professional food stylist (she is), or because she is a certified executive pastry chef (she is). And not because we have gone on several food adventures together, to an Asian supermarket in Boston and to farm stands closer to home (we have), and not even because she runs highly entertaining "insider" walking tours of Providence's Federal Hill, the most Italian neighborhood in Rhode Island (she does).

I wanted to cook for Cindy, and her husband Ken, because she makes friends wherever she goes. She knows the man who sells her pasta and proscuitto, the woman who grows giant zucchini blossoms, the ladies who bake the best pastries, and the neighbor who grows grapes in his backyard vineyard and makes wine in the garage. Food shopping, to her, is a person-to-person experience, and that is the premise of Ms. Willinger's book, too.

Choosing a menu was easy.

For four or five months each year, my garden supplies fresh herbs to The Perfect Pantry. You might not think of the garden as an extension of your pantry, but fresh herbs, like onions and garlic and salt and pepper, are essential to good cooking, and truly robust herbs, when you can find them in the grocery store, are hideously expensive. If you're lucky enough to have a little space outdoors -- a few square feet of soil, or a balcony or window box -- there is nothing more satisfying than gathering ingredients for a recipe by grabbing your nippers and heading out to harvest. And nothing does more to lift everyday food to extraordinary heights than an infusion of fresh herbs.

It's prime time in my herb garden this month, so as the centerpiece of our meal I chose Brick-Grilled Chicken Breasts or Thighs (page 123), a recipe from Lorenzo Guidi, chef at Nanamuta in Florence.

Then, Cindy and I pored through the book, and selected Ricotta-stuffed Zucchini Flowers (page 96) and Ginger Apricot Biscotti (page 64) to complete the menu.

The chicken needed to marinate overnight, so on Saturday afternoon I harvested basil, mint, rosemary, thyme, lemon thyme and sage. I chopped the herbs with lemon zest, mixed in some lemon-rosemary seasoned sea salt, and rubbed both chicken breasts and thighs with the herb mixture.

The recipe included cherry tomatoes with basil, so Ted and I decided to skip the zucchini blossoms -- too much food for two, with Cindy and Ken unable to join us -- and to cook our chicken on the grill instead of stovetop. Ted washed three bricks and wrapped them in aluminum foil. (When you live in the country, bricks, like rocks and wood and pine cones, are easy to come by.)

I worried that the marinade for the chicken did not include any oil, or any liquid at all. Would the chicken be moist? Would the herbs burn off? No cause for concern; the chicken was absolutely delicious, tender and still tasting of fresh herbs, fully cooked after less than eight minutes on the grill.

For the biscotti, Ted and I followed the recipe (oh, how I hate to measure!) and produced lovely shortcake-like cookies. Unlike traditional biscotti, these are baked just once, making them easy to throw together in just a few minutes.

I packed up some of the chicken, tomatoes and biscotti, along with the book itself (which I'd received from the nice folks at Clarkson Potter), into a little get-well-soon package for Cindy -- a small gift in exchange for the wonderful gift of her friendship.

BRICK-GRILLED CHICKEN BREASTS OR THIGHS
One of the very best chicken dishes I've made in years, this recipe, from Faith Heller Willinger's Adventures of an Italian Food Lover, takes full advantage of the abundance of fresh herbs in my garden. Of course I made a couple of changes here and there (indicated in parentheses), and added two items that I think really bumped up the lemon flavor: lemon thyme, and lemon-rosemary sea salt. Serves 4.

1 tsp fresh rosemary leaves (I used 2 tsp of all of the herbs)
1 tsp fresh sage leaves
1 tsp fresh mint leaves
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (or half lemon thyme)
1 Tbsp fresh basil leaves (I used 2 Tbsp)
1 strip lemon zest (I used 2)
1-2 chili peppers (I used jalapeno, with the seeds and ribs removed)
1-2 garlic cloves
Fine sea salt (try this one)
4 boned chicken breasts or 6-8 boned chicken thighs (I used 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts and 5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs)
1-1/2 to 2 cups cherry tomatoes
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (I used 1 Tbsp)
Bricks (we needed 3 to cover all of the chicken)

Mince the rosemary, sage, mint, thyme, 1 tsp of basil, the lemon zest, as much chili pepper as desired, garlic, and 1 tsp sea salt together (you can do this by hand or in a small food processor). Sprinkle the herb mixture over the chicken, coating both sides. Put the chicken and any leftover herbs in a plastic bag or bowl to marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

Cut the cherry tomatoes in half or quarters. Chop the remaining basil and add to the tomatoes. Season with sea salt and 1 Tbsp extra virgin oil, and set aside.

Rinse the bricks and cover with aluminum foil. Or prepare two plates, each large enough to cover a couple of pieces of chicken, and two heavy weights (cast-iron pan, pot of water, bags of beans, boxes of rice, etc. -- creativity helps). Lightly oil a ridged grill pan or a cast-iron pan large enough to hold the chicken. Place over high heat. When the pan is smoking, put the chicken in one layer and cover with the bricks or weighted plates. Turn the heat down to medium and cook the chicken for 2-4 minutes. Remove the bricks, turn the chicken over, replace the bricks, and finishing cooking for another 2-4 minutes.

(What we did: Heat a gas grill to high heat; place the chicken on the grill with the bricks on top. Close the lid. Immediately turn the grill heat to medium. Cook 4 minutes; then, turn the chicken, cover with the bricks again, put the lid down, and cook 4 minutes more, until done.)

Let the chicken rest for 3 minutes, then cut diagonally into 1/2-inch slices. Drizzle with the remaining oil (our chicken didn't need this), and serve with the tomatoes.

Bookworm across the pond

On All the Best, Ronda, this week's Bookworm in the Pantry, lets us in on all of her favorite things and people from the worlds of interior design, food, fashion, travel, and books. An ex-pat Texan now living in the UK, she's a fundraiser and a mom, married to a professor. When they had the opportunity to move overseas to work and travel in Europe, they jumped at the chance. Ronda's blog is fun and quirky; one day you'll read about green tea ice cream, the next day espadrilles or antique furniture or dinner with friends or a trip to Spain.

UPDATE. Ronda recommended:

• Apricots on the Nile
• Extremely Pale Rose: A Very French Adventure
• My Life in France
• Consuming Passions: A Food-Obsessed Life
• The Kitchen Diaries
  

Would you like to be a Bookworm in the Pantry and add to our collective library of good reads?

Start here.

Cider vinegar (Recipe: tomato-nectarine chutney)

In a pantry filled with olive oils from Italy, Spain, California and Trader Joe's, there's bound to be a vinegar or two. Or more. Welcome to the end of Vinegar Week, Day 3.

Pickles, shmickles.

I was going to rave about cider vinegar's culinary assets, how it's wonderful for making pickles and chutneys and cole slaw and salad dressing and marinades.

I was going to tell you about the cider vinegar diet, and that cider vinegar supposedly possesses magical curative powers over everything from arthritis to the common cold.

I was going to explain that cider vinegar is made from the fermented juice of apples, diluted with water to a uniform strength of 5% (50 grains) acidity, and that consistent minimum acidity is necessary for the safe canning and pickling of food.

I was going to add that that same acidity means that cider vinegar has a long shelf life (almost unlimited if unopened, and six months or more after you've opened it).

I was going to point out that pure (i.e., unflavored) cider vinegar is kosher and gluten-free.

I was going to mention that, while the color is mild and mellow, the taste is not.

I was going to confess that I've tried expensive, small-producer artisan vinegars, and see little difference between those and the one I find most easily in my local supermarket (other than price and the fact that the supermarket brands are filtered to remove any sediment).

All of that pales next to this one fact, this life-altering nugget of information that I discovered while reading up on vinegar this morning. And even if it seems that this has nothing to do with food, with cooking, or with The Perfect Pantry, it has changed my world forever.

Vinegar kills weeds.

TOMATO-NECTARINE CHUTNEY
A late-summer favorite with fish or grilled chicken. Makes approximately 4 cups.

4 cups seeded and chopped fresh tomatoes
2 cups chopped nectarines
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp kosher salt
A pinch of cayenne pepper, or hot sauce, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large stainless steel or other nonreactive pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 1-1/2 hours or until thickened. Stir frequently to keep chutney from burning. Pack into airtight containers and store in the refrigerator for up to a month (or can, using a water-process bath).

MORE VINEGARS IN THE PERFECT PANTRY:
Sherry vinegar
Balsamic vinegar
Red wine vinegar
White wine vinegar
Black vinegar
Rice vinegar

Japanese rice vinegar (Recipe: carrot beet salad)

In a pantry filled with olive oils from Italy, Spain, California and Trader Joe's, there's bound to be a vinegar or two. Or more. Welcome to Vinegar Week, Day 2.

In a blind taste test, would you be able to tell the difference between Japanese rice vinegar and rice wine vinegar?

Maybe.

Would you know which is which?

Maybe not.

Does it matter?

Not so much.

In fact, they are virtually the same product, as both are made from rice and not from wine. Both are pale in color, slightly sweet, moderately acidic, and mild in flavor. And in most recipes they are interchangeable.

Kind of like ketchup and tomato ketchup, if you catch my meaning.

Rice vinegar is made from distilled fermented white rice, slowly brewed over a period of one month. The Marukan and Mitsukan brands are excellent, and they're easy to find in supermarkets and Asian groceries. When a recipe calls for rice vinegar, generally it means this Japanese rice (a.k.a. rice wine) vinegar. There are Korean rice vinegars (much stronger), and Chinese rice vinegars (red and chinkiang), and of course there's shao hsing wine, which is not vinegar but is made from rice.

If you don't have rice vinegar, a.k.a. rice wine vinegar, you can substitute cider vinegar or white wine vinegar in most recipes, as in these dipping sauces, marinades, stir fries and salads. What you should not substitute, unless a recipe calls for it, is seasoned rice vinegar -- which is rice vinegar pumped up with sake, sugar and salt -- or mirin, which is sweetened rice wine for cooking.

Confusing, isn't it?

CARROT-BEET SALAD
Refreshing for summer and so yin-yang on the plate, this salad serves 6.

1/4 cup minced shallot
2 Tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
Hot sauce, to taste
1/2 cup olive oil
4 cups finely shredded carrots
4 cups finely shredded peeled raw beets (approximately 3/4 lb)
Baby spinach leaves, for garnish

In a blender or food processor, puree first seven ingredients. With motor running, add olive oil in a stream and blend until smooth. In separate bowls, toss carrots with half of the dressing, and toss beets with remaining half. Divide carrot salad and beet salad among 6 plates, and garnish each plate with spinach leaves.

MORE VINEGARS IN THE PERFECT PANTRY:
Sherry vinegar
Balsamic vinegar
Red wine vinegar
Black vinegar
White wine vinegar

White wine vinegar (Recipe: caponata)

In a pantry filled with olive oils from Italy, Spain, California and Trader Joe's, there's bound to be a vinegar or two. Or more. Welcome to Vinegar Week, Day 1.

Before Marc Antony fell on his sword, he fell in love with Cleopatra, and she, though married to Caesar at the time, loved him right back.

One night, Cleopatra prepared a very over-the-top meal for Antony, who should have been impressed, but instead had the bad manners to comment on the extravagance. Piqued, Cleopatra wagered that she could consume a fortune in one meal. She then removed one of the very large pearls in her earrings and threw it into a cup of vinegar. The vinegar dissolved the pearl, and she drank it.

I like my vinegar a bit more moderate: strong enough to balance the effects of a rich olive oil, but mild enough not to dissolve my jewelry.

According to The Vinegar Institute,

vinegar is made by two distinct biological processes, both the result of the action of harmless microorganisms (yeast and “Acetobacter”) that turn sugars (carbohydrates) into acetic acid. The first process is called alcoholic fermentation and occurs when yeasts change natural sugars to alcohol under controlled conditions. In the second process, a group of bacteria (called “Acetobacter”) converts the alcohol portion to acid. This is the acetic, or acid fermentation, that forms vinegar. Proper bacteria cultures are important; timing is important; and fermentation should be carefully controlled.

Balsamic, sherry, and red wine vinegars, always in my pantry, are just the tip of the acidic iceberg. White wine vinegar -- the product of the two-step fermentation of white grapes -- gets a workout, too.

White wine vinegar can vary in color from white to pale gold, with an acid content of 5-7 percent. Like most vinegars, it's a self-preservative that will keep almost indefinitely on the pantry shelf. A perfect base for herb vinegars (especially tarragon), white wine vinegar pairs particularly well with shellfish. It's perfect in mostarda, salads, pickled onions, gazpacho and noodles, and indispensable to a great Hollandaise or Bearnaise sauce.

CAPONATA
Adapted from Diane Seed's Top 100 Mediterranean Dishes, this flavorful sweet-sour Sicilian condiment can be served as a dip with pita triangles, or a topping to grilled swordfish or salmon. Serves 6.

2 lb eggplant (any variety)
Kosher salt
4 oz extra virgin olive oil
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
14 oz canned Italian plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
10 large green or black olives, pits removed, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp capers, rinsed and dried
5 Tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tsp sugar, or to taste
Black pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp pine nuts
2-3 tsp roughly chopped fresh basil leaves

Dice the eggplant and place the cubes in a colander. Sprinkle with salt, and set aside for an hour.

Heat half of the oil in a large sauté pan, and cook the celery for approximately 15 minutes over low heat before adding the onion. When the onion is soft and beginning to change color, remove the vegetables with a slotted spoon, and add the remaining oil to the pan. Turn the heat to medium-high, and add the eggplant. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring continuously. Add the tomatoes, olives and capers, and the vinegar, sugar, and a bit of pepper. Return celery and onions to the pan. Reduce heat to simmer, and cook for 15 minutes or until the mixture has thickened.

While the caponata is simmering, toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan for 2-3 minutes, until just lightly browned. When the caponata has thickened, stir in the pine nuts and basil. Remove pan from heat. Allow to cool, and serve cold or at room temperature.

MORE VINEGARS IN THE PERFECT PANTRY:
Sherry vinegar
Balsamic vinegar
Red wine vinegar

Confectioners sugar (Recipe: chocolate refrigerator cake)

Friends, I have failed you.

I've tried and tried to find the confectioners for whom confectioners sugar was named.

I checked the library, the telephone directory, and the Internet. I searched everywhere for an "association of confectioners who gave their name to sugar," but to no avail.

This would be so much easier if the sugar had been named for a particular confectioner. Edward's Sugar. Sabina's Sugar. Joe's Corner Store Sugar.

Ah, well. I did learn a few things along the way. Confectioners sugar, also called powdered or icing sugar, is regular old granulated sugar that has been ground into a fine powder and then has had 3 percent cornstarch or tri-calcium phosphate added to prevent lumping and crystallization. Often you'll see the number 10X on the box; that means that the granulated sugar has been ground ten times.

Once the box is opened, I store leftover sugar in a glass jar with a tight-fitting cap, to prevent moisture from getting to it.

According to Joy of Baking, a pound of confectioners sugar equals 4 cups sifted or 4-1/2 cups unsifted. Because it dissolves almost instantly, it's used primarily in recipes that don't require much, if any, cooking, such as icings, sauces, and some cakes and candies.

By the way, the confectioners sugar I buy in my local market does not come with an apostrophe. You might find confectioner's or confectioners' sugar where you shop. Powdered sugar, icing sugar, apostrophe or no apostrophe -- all the same.

CHOCOLATE REFRIGERATOR CAKE
Another old-fashioned recipe I've had in my little black notebook for so long that I can't remember whether it came from a magazine, a friend, or the back of a box. Serves 8-10.

2-1/2 dozen ladyfingers
4 squares unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
4 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup confectioners sugar
4 egg whites, stiffly beaten
1 cup whipping cream, beaten (for topping)

Separate ladyfingers and line bottom and sides of a 9x12-inch glass baking dish with half of them. Put chocolate, granulated sugar and water into a double boiler over low heat. Stir until chocolate and sugar are melted, and the mixture is smooth. Whisk in the egg yolks gradually; continue to cook mixture until thick and smooth, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and let cool. In a large bowl, cream the butter and confectioners sugar. Add the cooked mixture, and then the stiffly beaten egg whites. Pour the chocolate mixture into the lined glass baking dish, and then cover with another layer of ladyfingers. Put in the refrigerator or freezer and let set overnight or up to 24 hours. When ready to serve, cut into single-serving squares and add a dollop of whipped cream.