Build your best pantry

Tips for eating well anytime + planning for the long game

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Opener to the Pantry chapter in my book

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Welcome to today’s Stories from Catbird Cottage, AND to the last day of February! If you’ve been a subscriber for a while, you’ve seen in recent installments that I survived winter pretty well this year. I could not have done it without a well-stocked pantry. A great pantry brought me unexpected good eating, restorative evenings beside the fire, and all kinds of tasty sustenance, just when I needed it most. Yay to not always having to run out in frigid cold to the grocery store in order to create the week’s meals!

My mother, preparing something delicious, and 11yo me, performing new ballet moves in the kitchen

I grew up with a mother who always stocked a pantry to pull from for daily sustenance. As I became old enough to understand, it meant stability, and that we were well-fed for any occasion. She had jars of home-canned tomatoes, flours, dried fruits, brown sugar, molasses, nuts and seeds, dry beans and split peas, rice, and as reflection of our working class life, powdered milk and Crisco, among many other things.

Fast forward to today. An expansive, layered pantry brings me peace of mind, affords me the ability to make something interesting at a moment’s notice - as well as take advantage of staple ingredient savings by buying in bulk. These days, I can’t help but think ahead to the less secure times we may face, whether simply because our power goes out (which periodically happens, living in the country), or due to the growing uncertainty in our country, and around the world.

I know that isn’t rosy thinking, but it is prudent. Bringing it back to the food, a great pantry is a marvel unto itself and a thing I recommend we all invest in, if just to easily feed yourself and your family well.

By no means is the following list exhaustive, but in each category I’ve included foods I’ve grown to love that may be unfamiliar and as a result, spark interest for your own kitchen. Bookmark this post and return to it as you gather elements to build out your best pantry. If you want to know more about anything, or have a question, let me know in the comments - I’d love to help!

Oils + vinegars

These are essential building blocks in making so many dishes. I keep a variety of each in my pantry to achieve depth, different expressions of acidity or “brightness,” as well as whether I’m preparing something sweet versus savory.

• a few kinds of extra virgin olive oil: fruitier and richer unfiltered options for finishing dishes, more budget-minded options when I’m batch-making vinaigrettes and sauces

• toasted sesame oil for delectable recipes like this umeboshi sauce

• cold-pressed virgin coconut oil, for both baking and skincare

• grapeseed or peanut oil, when I want a neutral oil for (pan) frying

• sherry vinegar is excellent for adding depth

• ume plum vinegar imparts wonderful fruity acidity

• apple cider vinegar for making fire cider, hair tonic, adding to stock, and vinaigrettes

• distilled white vinegar for most of my pickle-making, plus it’s a powerhouse cleaning agent

• white wine vinegar, my go-to for many vinaigrettes, plus floral infusions during summer

• red wine vinegar, great for marinades and this escabeche

• rice wine vinegar, a slightly sweet vinegar I use in various Asian dishes

Zippy Vietnamese-inspired beef salad

Sparkling triple citrus-celery salad

Nuts + Seeds

I incorporate nuts as crunchy toppings to all kinds of foods to bring a special feeling (and more texture) to simple and layered dishes. Nuts also serve as quick snacks and a means to add healthy fats to salads, grains, and breakfast foods. Consider sustainable growing practices and fair trade producers when you source nuts, as many countries rely on lax human rights conditions and the destruction of native ecosystems. For the longest shelf life, store nuts and seeds in jars in your fridge or freezer.

• cashews, raw and roasted

• hazelnuts

• lightly salted sunflower seeds

• sesame seeds, white and black

• almonds, roasted whole and slivers

• pine nuts

• pepitas, tamari-roasted and raw

• pecans

• walnuts

• pistachios, lightly salted

• flax seeds/meal

• tahini, peanut butter, almond butter

Spiced nuts

Spiced nuts, with the persimmon-date ice cream from my book

Legumes + Pulses

These are some of the most inexpensive, nutrient-dense, and small-footprint foods we can incorporate into daily eating. They are powerhouse staples all of us should be eating more of! Happily, there are many resources available online for buying heirloom beans these days, and the bulk sections at many grocery stores carry a wide variety. Some favorite beans and pulses include -

• shorter cooking (30-35 minutes) - some of these cook down to form their own stew
  French or Beluga lentils
  Matpe beans
  Dal, aka yellow (or red) split peas

• mid-length cooking (45 minutes-1 hour) - plump and creamy
  Mayocoba beans
  Yellow eye beans
  Chickpeas
  Calypso beans
  Navy beans

• longer cooking (1-2 hours) - often meatier textures
  Scarlet runner beans
  Royal Corona beans
  Black beans
  Domingo Rojo beans

Roasted shallot bean stew

Use cranberry, pinto, or Mayocoba beans for sublime results

Spices

This is an abbreviated “essentials” list I often pull from, for just us at home, as well as Catbird Cottage dinners and supper clubs. I prefer whole spices because they last longer and deliver more aroma and flavor once they are toasted and ground.

• coriander seeds - get them from an Indian grocery or Burlap & Barrel to unlock their best magic.

• black + pink peppercorns - I use black pepper in nearly everything I make. Pink peppercorns’ fruity magic is exciting. Use them sprinkled onto sweet and savory dishes alike.

• cumin - In rubs, chili, dressings, and sauces, cumin plays an important role delivering a special earthy funk.

• smoked paprika - for adding depth to soups, sauces, and other condiments.

• red pepper flakes - A shower of these are almost always part of making a pot of beans, as well as stocks and tomatoey sauces.

• cayenne pepper - A small sprinkle goes far added to all kinds of fare, from rubs, to cooking grains, to sweet dishes like cookies and chocolate desserts.

• other chiles: chili powder, Aleppo chili flakes, gochugaru, or Espelette provide smoky or fruity nuance and differing kinds of heat.

• whole nutmeg - this adds a lovely earthy spice to sweet and savory dishes, such as frittatas, béchamel, baked goods, and more.

• juniper berries - these bracing, resinous seed cones are indispensable when I cure fish, slow cook cabbage, or season red meats.

• mustard seeds - from pickling projects, to tempering in oil or ghee to make tadka, I reach for mild yellow and spicer brown mustard seeds regularly.

• fennel seeds - for little bursts of anise brightness, add them to desserts, breads, sauerkraut, braises, and more.

• sumac berries/powder - before lemons were imported to the US, Native Americans used the berries from the staghorn sumac plant to impart citric brightness. It is excellent added to dressings, sprinkled onto seafood, chicken, or lamb, and to make refreshing sumac-ade in summer.

• Other handy spices to stock in your pantry: garlic, onion, and mustard powders, cinnamon sticks, allspice berries, whole cloves, cardamom, and star anise, ground turmeric and ginger, whole dried chilies, bay leaves, saffron threads, garam masala, poppyseeds, caraway seeds… Let the flavor profiles, cuisines, and aromatics you already love shape your collection.

To support you in building your best pantry, I’ve teamed up with Burlap & Barrel: Score a free jar of coriander seeds or ground coriander with any purchase over $15! Just add which choice you prefer to your cart before checkout and use the code MELINA

Seared scallops + creamy saffron beans

The spice drawer comes alive via these creamy beans

Tinned Fish

This category is a catch-all for seafood and fish alike. While some anchovies are undoubtedly great from a tin, I usually choose this brand of jarred anchovies, which I add to vinaigrettes, sauces, braises, and more. Small fish and seafood are abundant, and they are low on the marine food pyramid. Due to their place within the ocean ecosystem, their shorter lifespans mean they’ll never accumulate the mercury or PCB toxicity associated with larger fish. Each of these considerations makes them an excellent and sustainable choice for healthy fats, flavor, and nutrients.

• pole-caught tuna

• sardines

• mackerel

• mussels

• sprats

• clams

• scallops

• anchovies, salt-packed, tinned, or jarred

Tonnato toasts with rainbow radishes

This umami-packed spread uses many pantry staples

Dried Things

These elements often fortify dishes - whether steeped in water, sprinkled as garnishes, or in building sauces, they are often background elements that enhance flavor layers.

• dehydrated shiitake and porcini mushrooms

• nutritional yeast, bonito flakes, seaweed, coconut flakes, fried shallots

• dried sour cherries, raisins, apricots, prunes, mulberries, crystallized ginger

• hibiscus, rose petals, chamomile, mint, nettles, elderberry, mullein, yarrow

• whole bean and/or ground coffee

• whole grain pasta, soba, udon, and egg noodles, lasagna sheets, shells or other pasta shapes, vermicelli

• cereals

Miso walnut sauce pasta

This recipe uses pantry staples like walnuts, udon, and olive oil and comes together in less than 10 minutes

Whether fueled by travel to exciting places, the discovery of new ingredients in your daily orbit, or simply realizing what your own pantry aspirations are, Remember: like everything, this is a process.

Polenta + shrimp with scallions + saffron aioli

A riff on shrimp and grits comfort

Grains

These staple foods have a long shelf life and are easily found in the bulk aisle. Keep a variety of jars of grains on-hand, whether for soups and stews, rice salad, pilafs, muesli, and more.

• brown, white, arborio, and sushi rice

• farro and barley

• quinoa

• cornmeal, grits, and polenta

• wild rice

• couscous

• rolled and steel-cut oats

• rye and triticale flakes

Beets + bagna cauda with pistachios + farro

Flours

For breads, crackers, pies, cookies, and to enrich sauces, flour is essential. Store flour in the refrigerator or freezer to extend its shelf life.

• all-purpose flour

• spelt flour, an easy to work with subspecies of whole wheat

• dark and light rye, both add a special earthiness and improve nutrient content

• einkorn flour, an ancient heirloom wheat with superior flavor

• pastry flour

• OO flour, for making pasta

• buckwheat flour, a gluten-free, earthy and subtly bitter favorite

Rye focaccia

Rye focaccia with castelvetrano olives and flaky salt

Cheese toasts with mushrooms, miso + honey

Here, with crispy maitake mushrooms

Sweeteners

Another foundation staple, sweeteners add delight to everything from beverages to baked goods, pancakes to toast. Stock up on honeys and jams local to your region, and buy fair trade chocolate and sugars.

• maple syrup

• honey and honeycomb

• jams, jellies, preserves

• sorghum syrup

• granulated sugar, brown sugar, coconut sugar, Demerara, confectioner’s sugar

• molasses

• date syrup

• eating and baking chocolate, cocoa powder

Anytime apple cake

Loaf cakes are pantry stars

Condiments

These support players make many dishes possible. Whether you find them in cans or jars - or have a process for home canning - they’re great to keep stocked and have at-the-ready for all kinds of unplanned needs.

• whole grain and Dijon mustard

• canned tomatoes

• tomato sauce, paste, and passata

• coconut milk and coconut cream

• canned soups and beans for “no time” days or to fortify grain dishes, braises, and pasta

• yuzu kosho, a spicy chili-yuzu ferment from Japan which adds verve

• chili sauces and pastes, such as gochujang, Cholula, and sriracha

• jarred salsa and chili crisp

• fish sauce, perfect for dressings like this

• soy sauce

• marmite, an excellent vegan option for dishes that call for umami

Chermoula pumpkin-potato stew

Pantry stars peanuts, tomato passata, coconut milk, and spices help build a fantastic, hearty stew - makes enough to feed a crowd

Pickle Things

Want to entertain on short notice? Love to fortify your potato, egg, or tuna salad and make it memorable? From tapenade to cocktails, pickles (and their brine) transform simple to pow-pow. I love eating pickles straight from the jar - in addition to adding them to all kinds of foods - and keep a variety at-the-ready on my shelves.

• olives

• capers

• cornichons

• pickled chilis

• homemade canned dill pickle spears

• pickled carrots, okra, green beans

• umeboshi plums

• mango pickle

• preserved lemons

Tomato-cucumber salad with fried capers

Crispy capers add saltiness and depth

Pasta puttanesca

Puttanesca is a pantry star through-and-through: it uses olives, anchovies, capers, canned tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and (usually) dry pasta

There are many layers here! Perhaps through reading this, you’ve landed on an ingredient (or multiple) that spark your excitement. Use them to fortify your pantry with new goodies. Keep in mind the basics, and expand on each category as broadly as you have bandwidth - or desire - for. And if it feels overwhelming, just think of this as a gentle invitation to take your own meander…

If something inspired you, ♥️ this post. :)

What’s one of your most treasured pantry staples? Is there a new addition you’re in love with? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

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