How to Stock Your Pantry

As we hunker down in hopes that social distancing will impede the spread of COVID-19, we found ourselves roaming the grocery store trying to think beyond toilet paper and hand sanitizer to whether or not our pantry is ready for what looks like weeks of home cooked meals.

Not much is reassuring in the news these days, but when we saw this article in the NY Times, we did feel like we are on top on one thing, because their recommended pantry list includes what what we keep on hand at all times for quick Masi Masa meals.

Here’s our recommended pantry list:

1. Aromatics: onions, shallots & garlic
2. Sweet potatoes, carrots & other root veggies
3. Frozen veggies (broccoli, peas, kale)*
4. Frozen fruit (organic mango, pineapple, berry blend)*
5. Canned tomatoes & tomato paste (for soup, curries and pasta sauce)
6. Pasta (an assortment from spaghetti to orecchiette)
7. Grains (quinoa, wheat berries, farro, bulgur wheat, ancient grains mix)
8. Brown rice (basmati, jasmine, short grain Japanese)
9. Dried beans (garbanzo, mung, lentils, black, pinto—try Rancho Gordo for extra special ones)
10. Nuts & dried fruit (walnuts, almonds, cashews, unsweetened apricots, cherries & mango)*
11. Olives (Calatrava are our faves)
12. Butter and/or ghee (butter freezes and ghee lasts forever)
13. Oils (coconut, olive, walnut, flavored for easy salad dressings)
14. Vinegars (sherry, champagne, red, balsamic)
15. Stocks & broths (we like low sodium veg Better Than Bouillon)
16. Coconut milk (full fat, non-fat and cream for curries, coffee and smoothies)
17. Tea & coffee
18. Flour, sugar, yeast, vanilla extract (for baking)
19. Almond and peanut butter & tahini
20. Tinned or jarred fish (tuna, smoked oysters, anchovies)
21. Frozen shrimp and fish (IKEA has responsibly farmed salmon that is actually really good, another way to go is to purchase fresh and freeze in meal-size portions)

We have recently gone pescatarian—with the exception of butter and ghee—so we are not stocking eggs, hard cheeses and cured meats, but if you are a meat/dairy eater, these (along with frozen chicken thighs and ground meats) are also great to have on hand.

If possible, we also recommend keeping some fresh herbs in the fridge to brighten any meal: Italian parsley, cilantro. If you keep them bunched, trim the bottom like you do with fresh flowers, place in glass of water and wrap tops with damp paper towel, they will keep in the fridge for at least a week.

And finally, the most important thing: SPICE!!!

1. Whole Black Pepper (so you can make fresh cracked pepper)
2. Sea Salt (for cooking)
3. Maldon or other finishing salt
4. Masi Masa Spice Blends

We designed our spice blends to work with what you have on hand. In other words, they are the perfect pantry meal!

If you’re interested in some easy meal plans and recipes based on the foods in our pantry, please sign up to receive our newsletter (use form at the bottom of this page) or follow us on Instagram or Facebook.

Please take care of yourself, your family and our communities in the coming days. And, as my hero, Julia, would say: Bon Appétit!

*Assuming they are not cleaned out, Costco is a great place to stock up as they offer a lot of organic choices at great prices. We buy the Earthbound Power Greens bag in the refrigerator room at Costco and freeze it. Works great for smoothies! We also get our frozen organic fruit, nuts, dried mango, ghee and butter there.

 

 

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