|
|
MY CUPBOARD
Usually, if I want to make something special, I'll make a shopping trip to get the ingredients. But, most of the time I find that I can make great meals simply by keeping certain ingredients and spices close at hand. Some are basic, some are a little unique. All of them are useful.
Garlic & Onions
You can never have enough of either on hand!
Coriander and Cumin
These two spices are the basis of most Mexican cooking.
Oregano and Basil
Fresh herbs are always more flavourful than dried. Fresh oregano even more
so, as dried oregano is virtually tasteless in comparison.
Mushrooms
Fresh or canned, they add flavour to pasta sauces, stirfrys, and meat
dishes.
Tomatoes, canned or fresh.
If you get canned tomatoes, diced tomatoes make your life easier.
Cream of Mushroom Soup
Great as a quick base for a cream sauce! Use skim milk or water with it to
cut down on the fat and calories.
Balsamic Vinegar
A splash of this Italian treat adds a sweet yet tangy zing to your sauces,
marinades and dips. I know a lot of food snobs who taste different vinegars
like wine, and declare some balsamics better than others. The truth is they're
all good, and they'll all improve your cooking dramatically!
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
It may seem like like a luxury, but I find that it's really worth it to have
the good stuff at hand. Besides being healthier than other vegetable oils,
a good olive oil will add excellent strong flavours to Mediterranean dishes.
Unlike balsamic vinegar, there are dramatic flavour differences between brands
and types of olive oils. It's a good idea to keep trying different brands
until you find one that's right for you (I'm still looking, so don't ask
me!).
Canola Oil
Canola oil is perfect for light frying (or deep-frying...but that's something
I don't do) and has the lowest amount of saturated fat. It's light flavour
makes it perfect for chinese cooking, and for any recipe that doesn't require
the distinctive flavour that olive oil gives.
Cooking wine (Burgundy and White)
What the hell are you doing, dumping that perfectly drinkable vintage wine
into your cooking! Are you nuts? The cheap cooking wine you find in your
supermarket will give you the flavour you want in your dishes, and nobody
will know the difference if you hide the bottle. Just remember that cooking
wine is salted, so cut down on the salt you'd normally use...and for god's
sake don't drink it!
Soy Sauce and Worchestershire Sauce
Ideal for marinades and stirfrys.
Chili powder, Chili flakes, & Cayenne pepper
The powder adds flavour to Mexican dishes, the flakes add spice, and the
Cayenne will add anywhere from a two to a five alarm zing, depending on how
much you use. So, use a lot the first, a lot less of the last two.
Lemon or Lime juice
Either will lighten up Mexican dishes or allow subtle flavours of fish and
chicken to come through.
Rosemary and Thyme
Superb, delicate spices that I often use in chicken dishes.
Frozen Vegetables
Green beans, corn, peas, brussel sprouts, broccoli, spinach, you name it!
Great time savers, and you can use them the same way you would use fresh
vegetables.
There are other ingredients that I usually keep on hand, but those are the basics. Together, they all create unique tastes that I think are the basis for flavourful cooking. Keep looking, because I'll be adding more to this list as time goes on.
Return to Amazing
Food You Can Actually Cook Yourself
