Tip - 10 Pantry Items To Help You Beat The Clock

COOKING TO BEAT THE CLOCK:
DELICIOUS, INSPIRED MEALS IN 15 MINUTES
10 Pantry Items to Help You Beat the Clock

Most of you are familiar with my cookbook, "Cooking to Beat the Clock:
Delicious, Inspired Meals in 15 Minutes." My next book, "Low Fat
Cooking to Beat the Clock," will be available in stores in December
(or earlier from me directly). In the next few issues of the Sam
Cooks newsletter, I'll be focussing on tips to help you cook
delicious, inspired meals while beating the clock.

Here are ten pantry items no Cooking to Beat the Clock pantry should
be without:

1. Canned beans. An excellent source of fiber and nonmeat protein.
Quality can vary among brands, especially for cannellini beans, which
can be mushy. However, chickpeas are generally good. These two
varieties and black beans make up the canned bean triumvirate in my
pantry.

2. Bacon, cured meats and sausages. Bacon or Italian pancetta are
great in pastas, soups like clam chowder, and with hearty greens. For
less fat, use Canadian bacon. Cooked sausages like kielbasa or less
fatty turkey kielbasa can be used with beans for a quick cassoulet.

3. Herbs and spices. Most major supermarkets carry at least several
fresh herbs. I use mint, basil, thyme, chives and cilantro and
flat-leaf or Italian parsley most often. Grind whole spices like
cumin, allspice, dried gingerroot, black pepper, and nutmeg for more
intense flavor. (Whole spices will also last longer.)

4. Parmesan cheese. The most versatile and important cheese in the
world. Use the real thing, Parmigiano-Reggiano; it's worth the extra
cost. Though freshly grated Parmesan is always best, for convenience
buy it already grated (or grate a large amount yourself) and store it
in the freezer where it will it keep for a few months.

5. Eggs. Amazingly versatile and not as unhealthful as you may
think. Always store them in their containers in the refrigerator, but
not in the door, which is not cold enough. (Don't forget the
refrigerator and freezer are part of your pantry.)

6. Olive oil. Use the more flavorful extra virgin type in cold
preparations like salads, or in cooked dishes where the oil is
drizzled in at the very end to enhance the flavor. Find the specific
oil you like, regardless of where it comes from, by experimenting --
much like tasting wine. Always go for intense flavor. For sauteeing
or frying, pure olive oil or a lower grade of extra virgin is fine.

7. The onion family. Though perishable, onions, garlic, shallots and
scallions are pantry staples because I use them so regularly and they
are available year round. Store onions in the refrigerator to prevent
tearing when you chop them.

8. Pasta. I use dried pasta almost exclusively at home because, in
addition to being incredibly convenient, it is consistently good. I
prefer pasta imported from Italy and choose from among several brands.
I use dried capellini primarily because it cooks the fastest. Fresh
pasta cooks as fast as capellini

9. Roasted red bell peppers. Seeded and peeled and packed in jars,
they are an essential pantry item because they can be used in pasta
salads, sauces, omelet fillings and as part of an antipasto platter.

10. Canned seafood. Canned clams are great with pasta or in soups.
Tuna can be used with white beans for salads or in pasta sauces.
Anchovies add enormous flavor to many dishes.
________________________________