Making Do: What pantries say

about love and about eating

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Gif of Mikey Berzatto of The Bear by darlingshane

Lately I’ve been relying on my pantry more and more.

That’s partially because it’s cheaper and partially because it’s easier to stock pantry items that have a long shelf life and then buy perishables as needed or desired.

It also has a lot to do with the fact that every time I visit my nonnas I leave with a ridiculous amount of canned things! A jar of tomato sauce and a can of beans is the loudest “I love you” that I know. It’s a sort of care that reaches into the future, that says “even when we are no longer together, you will be well fed.”

I aspire to have a cantina as thoughtfully stocked as theirs, where I can pull jars and cans off the shelves, building an entire meal in a moment to send off with someone I love.

Cantinas are like the ultimate pantry. They’re cold rooms that are always filled with the staples: sauce made with tomatoes from the garden; so many jars of olive oil, cooking oils and vinegars; salt; canned legumes and veggies; alliums and tubers; homemade wine, of course; and cured meats.

A very bad quality photo of my Nonna’s cantina.

There are also always other lovely additions that’ll vary depending on availability and preference. My mom’s mom always has jars of grape jelly, which she makes from the grapes that grow on the pergola in her yard. Her pantry is also always stocked with peperoncino (which are a bit of an icon of Abruzzese cooking). At my dad’s mom’s you’re more likely going to find fish preserved in various forms, dried herbs, and lots of beans!!

I love the ways that pantries offer a little glimpse into what’s perhaps most cherished in someone’s edible world. These are the foods that must be on hand, that offer comfort, that serve them faithfully, and that reflect the rhythms of the days and years in a sort of way that only food can.

I also relish in the ways that a close reading of the pantry can also serve as a bit of an argument against the common adage that vegan/veg food is always inaccessible and/or impractical.

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Filling a pantry is not a prescriptive thing. It’s methodical. It’s complicated.

Building a good pantry has gotta consider where you live, what you like, what you know how to make, your budget, the space available to you etc.

My pantry cites my nonnas’ cantinas on a micro scale, but there are also little additions and adaptations I’ve made based on my preferences and the space available to me, which is not much.

To build your pantry, draw from the flavours and textures you crave most. While our pantry essentials will be different I hope the categories and items I’ve included below help spark something for you! You’ll probably notice some inspiration that I’ve drawn from Samin Nosrat’s Salt Fat Acid Heat.

Oils/ Fats

• Olive oil - My #1 go-to-never-without baby. I am nothing without her.

• Cheap cooking oil for frying shit- vegetable oil or peanut oil

• Sesame oil because it is delicious and flavourful and a little goes a long way.

Acid

• Balsamic vinegar

• White wine vinegar or rice wine vinegar

• Soy sauce or tamari

• Wine (usually a cheap sauvignon blanc)

• Lemon (or lime but I usually reach for lemon)

• Pickled things, especially pickles but also other things.

Starchy

• Flour(s)- I like to have AP flour, 00 flour, and semolina flour but maybe you’re making more things that need rice flour, or almond flour, or chickpea flour!

• Starch- A starch is integral for vegan baking! I find myself reaching for tapioca and corn starch most frequently, so I keep both on hand but if I had to choose one I’d probably go with cornstarch because of its versatility.

• Active dry yeast- For breads. If you don’t make breads you wouldn’t really need yeast.

• Rice- All rice is good rice but I usually keep basmati AT LEAST.

• Noods- Again, all noodles are good noodles. Keep as many as you can! Dried pasta noodles, udon noodles, ramen noodles, rice noodles, soba noodles, chickpea noodles etc. Bless noodles.

• Almost-ready-to-eat noodle-centred foods- Like boxes of vegan macaroni and instant ramen, not only for emergencies but for whenever I want them because they are delicious!

• BEANS (canned and dried)- All beans. Any beans. I always have chickpeas and white kidney beans but also usually have others too like lentils or romano.

• Root vegetables and tubers, but mostly potatoes- Store them well and they’ll keep for ages.

Flavour Builders

• Nutritional yeast- A vegan’s holy grail because of it’s cheesy flavour, as well as its B12 and protein content.

• Spicy chilli oil or a paste, like gochujang

• Tomatoes preserved in many forms- Tomato sauce, canned tomatoes, tomato paste, sun-dried tomatoes, etc.

• Alliums- So many shallots. So much garlic.

• Granulated sugar

• Liquid sweetener- Like maple syrup, honey, or agave

• Salt- I like a pink salt and a flakey salt.

• Peppercorns

• Red pepper flakes or dried chilis

Other

• Oat milk or soy milk

• Coffee and tea of course!

• Nuts and/or seeds

• Nut and/or seed butter- I’ve got peanut butter and tahini on hand always.

• Jam- Not only for a pb&j but also for making cocktails when fresh fruit is too expensive and/or I forgot to buy frozen. Saves you from adding a sweetener too!

Some dishes that highlight pantry ingredients (and that may help inspire your own pantry building)

Focaccia with white bean dip, sad season sauce, or broccoli-butt pesto.

Pasta with sad season sauce, broccoli-butt pesto, or store-bought tomato sauce- add some lentils to the red sauces if you’d like

Bulked up instant ramen- Add some frozen veg, raw tofu (you can do that), and chilli oil to some instant ramen and you’ve got a tasty hearty meal in less than 5 minutes.

Dal- Priya Krishna offers a minimal dal recipe here.

Rice and Peas

Peanut noodles

Sesame Udon Noodles

Rice + Bean Burritos

Bean salad with olive oil, vinegar, pepper and flakey salt. Throw in leftover grilled veg or whatever greens and veggies you have to use up in your fridge.