Feasting Necessities

If you are going to have a feast everyday, you have to stock your kitchen with some basic necessities. With a few basics you would be surprised at how many feast you can make. The most important basic is an herb garden. This is the worst time of year to grow things in North Florida... unbelievable heat, humidity and rain including a hurricane named Fay. That's why I only took a small picture of some of my rosemary rather than my whole collection. I have herbs in pots, flower beds, raised beds with vegetables, any and everywhere. My current collection includes:

1. basil
2. rosemary
3. garlic chives
4. marjoram
5. thyme
6. sage
7. mint
8. oregano

Usually I have parsley however the flat leaf Italian parsley which has the best taste does not like the heat and I forgot to plant the curly variety this year. With these 8 herbs, you can do amazing things!

Here are other basic necessities:

• Extra Virgin Olive oil, I spoke about this in an earlier blog but it bears repeating. Buy the good stuff for cooking and the really good stuff for drizzling.
• Tomatoes. Usually I have fresh from the farmers market and I always have a variety of canned, whole, sauce, puree and paste. San Marzano tomatoes really are the best canned tomatoes.
• Beans. Dried and canned white and black beans. A quick side: Drain and rinse a can of white beans. Add slivered garlic, chopped rosemary, a splash of vinegar or lemon juice and olive oil. Heat or not.
• Vinegar. Rice wine, balsamic, red wine, apple cider whatever you like just have several varieties.
• Rice. Brown, Basmati and Aborio are always in my pantry along with regular long grain white.
• Pasta. Good Italian Pasta. I love Barillo although I sometimes spurge on gourmet varieties.
• Stock. Of course it is best to make you own but who really does. I think Swanson Organic is the best tasting and I often fluff it up a bit by adding vegetable clippings from whatever I am making.
• Nuts. Sliced almonds, pecans, walnuts and pine nuts all trade places in my kitchen. I usually stock at least 2 varieties.
• Booze. Wine (food will be better if I drink a glass while cooking) I also occasionally put it in the food. Sherry, Port and Maderia are all good to have for sauces, deglazing soups etc.
• Salt and Pepper. Kosher salt and sea salt. good peppercorns to grind fresh. I am still using peppercorns I bought at the spice market in Turkey this past June. They are fabulous as were the hazelnuts and dried figs and apricots which are long gone.
• Jelly and preserves. I buy them on trips. We go to North Carolina several times a year and there and along the way in Georgia and South Carolina, we find fabulous collections of locally made preserves. Great in sauces, to glaze entrees, make salad dressing or put on toast!
• Chutney, pickles, chow chow... We find these on trips too.
• Garlic. I ALWAYS have fresh garlic.
• Spices. The usual assortment. the ones I use the most are red pepper flakes, oregano. Unusual finds are fennel seeds and coriander seeds. I bought them for a recipe but I find myself using them a lot. they both smell amazing when you grind them up. I uses a regular Braun coffee bean grinder to grind spices.
• Mustard. Dried, Dijon and Grainy county style are all essential.

I will talk about equipment later however I must address the basic of all basic. Knives! I travel with a chef's knife and a paring knife because most people don't have sharp knives. Mine are Henkels and almost all of them are over 30 years old. I have them professionally sharpened 2 to 3 times a year. Invest in a good German knife, take care of it and you will be a believer.

So here is you basic list. Next time I will give you some quick and easy ways to prepare a feast using these core ingredients and only a few fresh ones.