Food in a time of Coronavirus:

People are panicked, quarantined, confined and berserk. Fear stalks the land. Yet people have to eat. Especially to boost their immune system. Supermarket shelves have been stripped bare and suppliers speak of slowdowns and shutdowns that mean shelves empty long term.   We're at the pantry moment  when what you stashed away matters. I hope it was thoughtful. A good pantry can propel you a long way for a long time.

I keep my own shelves stocked with what I call the necessary. Here's  what that means:
roasted nuts
dried fruits including raisins
Pita crackers and my homemade taralli        
pasta, several shapes 
rice, at least two kinds* 
farro or fregola 
polenta or cornmeal
a jar of tomato based spaghetti sauce
2 boxes vegetable broth/stock 
1 bag lentils (either red, brown or green)
can of fava beans
2 cans cannellini (white) beans
1 can black beans
1 can black-eyed peas
2 cans chickpeas
2 cans tuna (at least one in oil)
1 box chopped tomatoes 
1 can or tube of tomato paste 
1 extra bottle olive oil
1 small bottle corn oil (for frying)
2 jars pickles (asparagus, beans, cucumbers) 
box of chocolates
box of oats  
onions
garlic
potatoes
carrots
parsnips
celery  
Parmesan cheese
Butter  
Eggs
Smoked meat (e.g. pancetta, pepperoni, salami) 
small jar mayonnaise
                                      
You'd be amazed how far this can take you: vegetable soup, polenta with tomato sauce and fried eggs, chickpea stew, ful (Egyptian fava bean stew/soup), potato/parsnip pancakes, paella, lentil soup, carrot raisin salad, pasta e fagioli (pasta bean soup), spaghetti with tomato sauce or a sauce of ground nuts in butter, tuna and egg salad with pickles, stewed fruits, and so on. 

Here are a few pantry proud recipes:  
Pasta with chickpeas

Pasta e ceci as it's known in Italy is a traditional Catholic dish for Fridays and Lent. There are many variations, some with anchovies, some without tomatoes. This Roman recipe is from my chickpea collection.           

Serves 4   
1 medium carrot, peeled and finely diced
1 stick celery, finely diced
1 onion, peeled and finely diced
6 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to serve
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 sprig of rosemary
16 oz canned  chickpeas
 2 c vegetable or chicken stock
1 Parmesan rind, or other vegetarian hard cheese rind, plus extra finely grated cheese, for serving

½ lb small dried tubular pasta, cooked al dente
Salt and black pepper

In a large, heavy-based saucepan, gently fry the carrot, celery and onion in the extra virgin olive oil until soft and translucent. Add the tomato puree and rosemary, stir, then add ⅔ of the chickpeas. Stir again, then cover everything with stock and throw in the Parmesan rind. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and leave to bubble away gently for about 20 minutes.

Remove the rind and rosemary, puree what’s in the pot with an immersion blender or in a small food processor. Add the rest of the cooked chickpeas and season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Add the cooked pasta to the soup, then let it all rest 5 minutes so the flavors  mingle. Serve drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and extra cheese.

Darjeeling Aloo Dum (spicy potatoes)

This most popular snack, breakfast, lunch and dinner dish is from my Himalayan collection. Everybody has their own recipe so mine is a compendium of possibilities. Cut the recipe in half if you have to save ingredients.

Serves 4-6

2 lb boiling potatoes (waxy ones like Yukon gold don’t work well)

5 lg garlic cloves, smashed and minced

2” fresh ginger root, peeled and grated

3 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp cumin seed

1/4 tsp yellow mustard seed

¼ tsp ground turmeric

1 sm green chili, diced

optional (if you like hot potatoes!)1/2 tsp chili powder

½ cup chopped tomatoes

salt to your taste

fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped

Scrub the potatoes and put them in a large pot. Cover with water, add a pinch of salt, bring to a boil over high heat. Lower heat to medium, partly cover the pot and gently boil until the potatoes are tender but not mushy. This may take 20-25 minutes depending on size of potatoes. Drain and refresh under cold water. Drain well. When cool enough to handle, peel and cut the potatoes into bite-sized pieces.

Try to mash the garlic and ginger together into a paste. 

In a large sauté pan or skillet, heat the oil over medium flame. Add the cumin and mustard seeds and fry 30-60 seconds until they begin to “jump.” Stir in the garlic/ginger paste. Sauté 30 seconds until it’s aromatic. Stir in the tomatoes, then the turmeric, chili and salt. Once this mix is boiling, add the potatoes and 2 tbsp water. Carefully stir to coat the potatoes with the sauce. Reduce heat to low, cover the pan and cook 3-5 minutes until everything is thoroughly heated.  Garnish with chopped cilantro to serve.

Tuna Bean Salad

In my catering and cafeteria kitchen we called this two can salad as we whipped up a lot of it because it was so popular.  It's based on the Italian summer dish tonno e fagioli in which fresh tuna is served with white beans. 

Serves 4

(This recipe requires EQUAL visual portions of the first four Ingredients.)

1 7oz can tuna in olive oil

1 15 oz can cannellini, white kidney or other white beans, drained, rinsed and drained again

1 sm red onion, minced

1/2-1 bunch flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste

juice of 1 lemon

¼ c olive oil

In a medium glass or ceramic bowl, combine tuna, beans, onion and parsley. Mix evenly.

Season with salt and pepper. Dress with the lemon juice and olive oil. Blend evenly and serve.

Tortilla Espagnola

This most basic Spanish favorite, a omelet/fritatta of potatoes and onions is included in my book Veggiyana, the Dharma of Cooking. The recipe is from my Catalan friend Sonia whose family has been in the professional food preparation business for three generations.  

Serves 4-5

2 tbsp olive oil (extra if your pan is large)

4 round potatoes about 2” in diameter

1 med onion, peeled and diced

1 tsp salt

5 eggs

Cut potatoes in half, then cut the halves in half again, and cut each into uniformly thin slices.

Heat a frying or sauté pan on medium high. When it’s hot, coat the bottom with olive oil and heat until it is almost smoky. Cut heat to low and add potatoes, stir frying to coat them with the oil. Continue to sauté potatoes 3-5 minutes until they are soft, then cover the pot and continue cooking until they just start to brown, about 5 minutes. (Fresh or new potatoes will cook faster.) Add onion and salt. Cover the pot and continue to cook on low until onions are soft, 10-12 minutes. 

Meanwhile beat eggs in a medium or large bowl.  Have ready a flat plate as large as the pan you are cooking in, at least as large as the tortilla will be. When the onions and potatoes are soft and golden, pour contents of the pan into the scrambled eggs and blend. Return the emptied pan to the stove and raise heat to high. If there are not still have droplets of oil all over the bottom, add a tsp of olive oil and heat it.

When pan and oil are very hot, cut heat to low and pour in the egg mixture. Spread and level it. Cover the pan and cook on low 3-5 minutes, or until the bottom half of the tortilla is firm.

Put a large plate over the top of the tortilla, remove the pan from the heat and flip it so the tortilla lands on the plate.  The cooked side will be up. Slide the tortilla back into the pan with the cooked side up. Cover the pan, return to low heat and continue cooking another 3-4 minutes until the entire tortilla is firm.

Immediately invert the tortilla onto a serving plate.  Cut into wedges and serve warm.  (Served with grilled artichokes and zucchini in Romesco sauce, this makes a memorable meal.)

You can also find in earlier posts recipes for Turkish red lentil soup,  Egyptian fava bean stew (ful), minestrone, pasta with walnut sauce, and more.