The Store Cupboard One
Delicious things to make when fresh stocks run low
We’re coming towards the couple of months of the UK calendar known as the “Hungry Gap” — where winter produce runs low, but spring crops generally aren’t ready yet either. This lull means that supermarket shelves are more likely stocked with produce from further afield, so it’s a good time to lean on preserved, frozen and pantry ingredients a little more.
The subject of this newsletter was fortuitously timed for me, as back to back contagious nursery lurgies kept my twins at home for a couple of weeks and hampered my ability to pop to the shops for fresh ingredients. But at the best of times I do like keeping a well-stocked pantry. I find it really takes the pressure off meal planning and food shopping, because I know there’s any number of great meals lurking on the shelves at a given time.
I don’t want to be too prescriptive in pursuit of a theme — of course if you’ve got leafy greens to use toss them into the pasta dish, fresh herbs would work well in the lentil recipe etc etc. I’m just offering a few some simple and delicious ideas that can be made entirely from cupboard stocks.
Panisse & olives
These mega delicious Provençal chickpea flour fritters are crispy on the outside and soft and yielding in the centre. They can be served as a simple snack to enjoy with a cold drink, or you can zhuzh them up into a fuller plate with this easy garnish.
Recipe
Makes 4 portions
For the panisse:
150g gram/ chickpea flour
500ml water
Good pinch salt
Dash olive oil
Oil for frying
For the optional garnish:
600g jar chickpeas, drained
3 large sundried tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 tbsp drained capers
Pinch dried oregano
Salt & pepper
1 tbsp pitted, sliced green olives
1 tbsp pitted, sliced black olives
Olive oil
red or white wine vinegar
salt
Place the gram flour, salt and olive oil in a medium sauce pan. Whisk in half the water until smooth, then whisk in the rest. Whisk over a medium heat until thickened and the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan - this will take around ten minutes
Transfer to a parchment lined baking tray so that the mixture will reach a depth of roughly 1.5cm and smooth it flat with a spatula. Allow to cool completely to room temp, or in the fridge overnight
Place half the chickpeas in the food processor with half the sun-dried tomatoes and a dash of oil. Blitz until smooth-ish (add a splash of water if any trouble blending) and season to taste
Meanwhile mix the remaining chickpeas with the olives, capers, oregano, remaining sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, vinegar and salt to taste
Meanwhile place a frying pan (I like cast-iron) over a medium heat with a good layer of oil (so it will reach at least half the thickness of the panisse). Allow the oil to heat up for 5 minutes or so
Cut the panisse to your desired shape - you can do rectangles, triangles or stick-like thick-cut chip shapes. Add carefully to the oil. Turn when golden and cook until evenly golden all over. Lift from the oil with a slotted turner and drain on kitchen paper. Season generously
Spoon the blended chickpeas on to a serving plate. Top with the panisse and spoon over the chickpea salad
Artichoke & borlotti pasta
An easy midweek meal that packs an impressive wallop of flavour. Jarred artichokes & sun-dried toms are powerhouses of the store cupboard.
