Veganomicon_ The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook - Isa Chandra Moskowitz [5]
When recipes have this icon, probably no such trip is required and your regular old grocery store should do the trick. Since we live in New York City, our view on “supermarket friendly” might differ from yours, but to gauge this accurately we made sure that the supermarket closest to Isa’s in-laws in rural Vermont had all the items on the shelves. So tofu and soy milk are included in this icon, but agar, for example, is not.
STOCKING THE VEGANOMICON PANTRY
For your shopping convenience, here’s a list of ingredients that feature in these recipes. We call these “pantry” items, but really what we mean is that they are ingredients that we always keep on hand; that way, there is never “nothing to eat.” This isn’t a list of every ingredient in the book, just some of the ones we can’t live without. You may already have a few, or a lot, of these pantry staples already stored away on your kitchen shelves and cabinets. If you encounter an ingredient that is new to you, take advantage of the opportunity and try out a recipe or two with this new ingredient. Who knows, you might find yourself wondering how you ever cooked anything without mirin, chickpea flour, or basmati rice!
CANNED GOODS
Beans: A whole dinner can start with just one can of beans. Keep a can or two of the following on hand, but don’t limit yourself to: chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans, navy beans, cannellinis, black-eyed peas, and pintos.
Coconut milk: Nothing beats the creaminess coconut gives to bisques and curries. Nothing.
Pureed Pumpkin: We use it in a few entrée type dishes, but it’s also great to have around for baked goods on the off chance that you’re not in the mood for chocolate. Be sure that the only ingredient is pumpkin and that the label doesn’t say “Pumpkin Pie Mix.”
Tomatoes: Most often our recipes call for crushed tomatoes, but we also keep canned whole tomatoes and plain tomato sauce on hand. For tomato paste, we prefer the kind that comes in a tube. We usually just go for the cheapest brand we can find, unless we’re cooking for company—then we buy those fire-roasted ones and deplete our hedge funds. (P.S. What’s a hedge fund?)
FRIDGE STAPLES
What is a fridge but a climate-controlled cold pantry? The following are things that any vegan fridge can’t be without. Some start out in the pantry but need to be refrigerated once opened.
Applesauce: Sure, it’s a nice treat to just to eat out of the jar with a spoon, but it’s also a great ingredient for baked goods, especially for low fat baking.
Capers: The briny taste of caper berries is the secret ingredient in quite a few of our recipes. They’re usually relegated to a garnish in Mediterranean cuisine, but we branch out and use them blended up in dips and salads as well.
Dijon Mustard: Sometimes the tangy bite of mustard is just what sauces, casseroles, and salad dressings need to make them complete. Sometimes it isn’t. But for those times when it is, keep your fridge stocked with whole grain Dijon mustard.
Jams and jellies: We use these to add yumminess to baked goods, either in the batter or as a spread or as a filling, as in the Jelly Donut Cupcakes (page 253). And you don’t need us to tell you to eat PB&Js! What flavors do we consider staples? We have at least raspberry, strawberry, and apricot in our pantry at all times.
Margarine, Earth Balance vegan, nonhydrogenated: Forget what you know about margarine; this brand is heaven on a butter knife. We try not to use too much of it in the Veganomicon, but sometimes nothing else will do. Its buttery flavor is essential in some baked goods, soups, and casseroles.
Miso: Everybody’s favorite fermented Japanese paste. The standard kind you’ll find in most American supermarkets is made from soybeans and rice, but there are dozens of other varieties out there—brown rice, chickpea, barley—all