Many years ago an Irish family stayed in our house
while we stayed in theirs in Ireland. When we met, after our exchanges,
Dorothy asked if I was expecting a war. �Why?� I asked.
�Because of what your pantry looks like,� she
replied.
Sure enough, I am inclined to keep a bountiful supply
of canned goods on hand. I hate emergency runs to the grocery store for a
missing ingredient and love the comfort of knowing I can put together a meal
or many from my pantry�s contents.
In wintertime, those canned goods or freezer foods are
plenty handy. We have always been able to make it through snow or ice storms
with some pretty good meals. I think it is kind of fun to be creatively
challenged when the elementschallenge
trips to the store.
We have tried a soup that can be available on your
pantry shelf, is tasty and fast. Minestrone
from the Pantry requires five cans and some pasta. It serves six and is
ready for the table in about 30 minutes or so.
Not so quickly put together but fancy enough for
company, which is how we served it, is an adaptation of Portuguese Seafood Stew. Created by Ruth Spear in one of my favorite
cookbooks, Cooking Fish and Shellfish, the stew, again, came out of cans and
freezer. So, if you�re snowbound and have these ingredients on hand, you
can easily throw a party for the neighbors. That is always fun when the
roads are risky.
Portuguese Fish
Stew
Ingredients:
2 T olive oil
1 lg. onion, chopped (about 1 1⁄2 c)
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 large green pepper, seeded and chopped, or
comparable amount from frozen chopped pepper
1 large carrot, sliced
1 (28-oz.) can tomatoes, sliced
1 cup beef stock
1⁄2 cup dry white wine
1⁄2 t sugar
Chopped fresh basil, to taste, or 1 t dried basil
1⁄8 t cayenne pepper or to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 lb. firm white fish fillets, fresh or frozen,
skinned and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 lb. shrimp, fresh or frozen, shelled
1 recipe of rice with peas (follows in
directions)
Directions:Heat oil in large, deep saucepan. Add onion and
garlic. Cook until onion is translucent. Add the green pepper, carrot and
tomatoes. Stir. Add the beef stock, wine, sugar, basil, cayenne, salt and
pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer 15 minutes. (The
recipe may be prepared ahead to this point.) Just before serving, bring the
sauce to simmer and add the fish. Cover and cook over moderate heat until
nearly cooked, about 5 to 8 minutes. Then add shrimp. Cook just until shrimp
turn pink, about 4 minutes. Stir very gently once or twice. Serve in large
soup bowls over the rice and peas. Serves
6.Rice with Peas: Bring 3
1⁄2 cups water to boil. Add 1 1⁄2 cups long-grain rice. Bring to
a second boil. Cover. Lower heat and cook 15 minutes. If the rice is not
still moist, add a half cup of water. Add 2 cups frozen French-type tiny
peas. Cook, covered, 10 minutes. Season to taste.
Minestrone from the Pantry
Ingredients:
1 T olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 (14 1⁄2-oz.) cans reduced sodium chicken or
vegetable broth
1 (15 1⁄2-oz.) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and
drained
1 (15 1⁄2-oz.) can red kidney beans, rinsed
and drained
1 (14 1⁄2-oz.) can Italian-style stewed
tomatoes
1⁄2 cup uncooked small shell pasta
1⁄2 t Italian seasoning
1⁄2 t crushed red pepper
Grated Parmesan cheese
Fresh basil (optional)
Directions:In medium saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat
until hot. Cook and stir onion and garlic 3 to 4 minutes or until onion is
translucent. Add broth, beans, tomatoes. Cook about 20 minutes. Add pasta
and seasonings. Cook 10 more minutes or until pasta is done and beans have
softened. When serving, sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top and chopped fresh
basil, if desired. Serves 6.
