Cooking Through Crisis
Restaurants are closed, grocery shopping is competitive, and we are all spending more time than ever in our kitchens. This crisis has meant diminishing access to pantry staples, and the necessity to be cooking creatively not only for scarcity’s sake, but for our sanity. I too, am in this. I open my fridge and stare longingly at the chilled shelves hoping that what I really want will magically appear. It won’t, and we are left with our disoriented selves to figure food out. Today I am sharing what and how I have been cooking during this seemingly apocalyptic time. I normally enjoy going rogue and experimenting freely in the kitchen, but now is not the time to use ingredients frivolously. We are planned and deliberate with our ingredients right now, and that’s why I have taken to following written recipes. The recipes I will be sharing today are recipes I have been cooking from other creators that I hope you check out and support during this time. If anything, I hope you discover some new bloggers worthy of your time and readership. Every photo is hyperlinked to their corresponding recipes, so simply click on the image to go to the recipe.
How I have been cooking
It’s been pretty interesting to see just how differently people are cooking during coronavirus. You are either making sourdough starters or squabbling with back-of-the-pantry beans and half a carton of chicken stock. For me, I am in a losing battle of punctuating my carb-heavy diet with splashes of green. Having a bunch of roasted veggies in the fridge has been a good way to have easy access to something healthy when hunger strikes. I do think I have finally learned how to navigate versatile cooking in a kitchen heavy with pantry staples.
There are a few ingredients that I think have given my kitchen a lot of adaptability. Here are just a few
Onions: a bunch of shallots, a sweet onion, and a couple red onions have allowed me to make soups, salads, pastas, and many other dishes on the fly. Plus, they stay good for a while
Miso paste: great for glazing veggies or enhancing soups. Also stays good for a while in the fridge
Cheeses: Having a few kinds of cheeses gives you so much more to work with in the kitchen. Parmesan being the most used, I also love having extra sharp cheddar, feta, Monterrey jack, and cottage cheese.
Tomato paste: Maybe it’s just my cooking, but I can find a million ways to use tomato paste to deepen anything I am cooking. From the veggie soup pictured above, my chicken tikka masala, or with penne vodka, the sky is the limit with a good tube of tomato paste. I always have one or two on hand.
Stocked spice cabinet: I don’t think I need to explain to you why flavor is good lol.
Stocks: If I am well-stocked on stock, I feel safe. Soup, chili, sauces, you get the point. And now with all of this time stuck in my home, I can take the time to make it myself.
The Dairys: Similar to cheeses and stocks, having an assortment of milks and creams means anywhere from a latte in the morning to a creamy pasta sauce for dinner. I have been keeping whole milk, half and half, and heavy whipping cream on hand.
I hope you are all hanging in there, and finding some refuge in the kitchen. I would love to know what you all have been cooking during coronavirus, and what ingredients have made your kitchen more versatile. Take care, and I’ll see you back here soon!