Veganomicon_ The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook - Isa Chandra Moskowitz [10]
Seeds: Any seed that goes on a bagel should also have a place in your pantry. Toasted sesame and black sesame seeds go a long way toward providing flavor to our dishes, as well as adding drama to the presentation. We also keep flaxseeds in the refrigerator, either in ground or whole form, for baking and sometimes for sprinkling onto our oatmeal.
Pastas: Keep a few boxes around of pastas of all shapes and sizes. We don’t need to remind you what it’s good for! (See our pasta section, page 188, for different types that we like.)
WINES AND VINEGARS
A snotty person once said that you shouldn’t cook with any wine you wouldn’t drink. We say “Pfft!” The wines you’ll find in any supermarket marked simply “cooking wine” are just fine. But whether you use the cheap stuff or a $30 Australian Riesling splurge, a shot or two of wine can elevate that sauté from just homemade to near restaurant quality. There’s really nothing like wine when it comes to drawing out the flavors of seared and sautéed vegetables (particularly mushrooms), herbs, and oils. We use white wine most of the time, but red and sherry are good choices to have around, too. For the straight-edgers out there, we don’t mean to alienate you. Nonalcoholic wine (and beer) or vegetable broth can be substituted in these recipes. Although deglazing a pan (page 19) just isn’t the same without it, it can be done. Also included here are a few vinegars that we use often.
Cooking wine, red and white: Like we say, cooking wine doesn’t have to be anything fancy, even that box o’ wine that shows up at ironic trailer-trash parties in the hip section of town will do. Just make sure it is dry, which just means not sweet. A bottle of cooking sherry will also take you places and adds that particular sweet, mellow flavor some recipes just call out for.
Mirin: A Japanese rice cooking wine. It has a thick, almost syrupy texture. A little goes a long way in adding a deep, complex flavor and aroma to stir-fries, soups, stews, and marinades. It’s a little pricier than most fruit-based cooking wines, but nothing quite tastes like it. We recommend steering clear of any mirin with added sugar, salt, or other flavorings.
Apple cider vinegar: We use apple cider vinegar in our baked goods because of its mellow taste and acidity. Apple cider vinegar not only reacts with baking soda to help things to rise, it also makes our baked goods tender.
Balsamic vinegar: We don’t douse our foods in it, but the deep, winelike taste of balsamic vinegar works wonders in marinades or to pull together a bowl of soup.
Brown rice vinegar: A very mild vinegar that’s great in Asian food and nice to know in salad dressings.
Wine vinegar: Red wine, white wine, or champagne, this is your go-to vinegar for adding tangy zing to savory foods and sauces.
A Word about Vegetable Broth
MANY of our recipes call for vegetable broth. The store-bought stuff that comes in cartons tastes great but is ridiculously expensive, not to mention a pain for us non-weight trainers—it makes our shopping bags so heavy! We like to make our own broth (page 142) and freeze it, but this isn’t always practical. Enter bouillon cubes, concentrated broth, and broth powders. Find one that you like the taste of, preferably something with low or no salt and no MSG. Add to your recipe when it is simmering, usually two cubes or a tablespoon per four cups of water, or mix it with water beforehand.
KITCHEN EQUIPMENT
All you really need to cook is a knife, a pot, and a big spoon. But this is the twenty-first century, after all, and we’re often taken in by shiny new things, so we have way more equipment stuffed into our tiny