Pantry Archives – Page 3 of 4

Suggested Pantry Staples Make Cooking Without a Recipe Easy

My suggestions on stocking a pantry simplify cooking without a recipe.

I continue to be asked for a list of items to stock in your pantry and I have hesitated to compile one because I don’t think there is a one size fits all on this subject. Individually, you need to take a look at what your family likes to eat and find ways to stock essentials in non-perishable, long shelf life form. That is paramount to cooking without a recipe.

If you like to bake, you want to keep items that will allow you do so. We don’t generally eat a lot of bread, so I don’t consider that high priority. But if you do and especially if you have a big family, that may rank higher on your priority list.

That being said, I will attempt to provide suggestions on what I like and think is a good idea. One could certainly keep cans of chili, soup and spam in the pantry. It doesn’t hurt to have a few ready made food items like that for a dire emergency. However, I personally prefer mainly to keep things in a form that most resembles what you would find in nature and use those ingredients in different ways.

Vegetables and Condiments

Although fresh vegetables are not technically pantry items, I continue to suggest always keeping on hand: cabbages, hard squash, root vegetables, onions and garlic. They have a long shelf life in the refrigerator and will serve you well once your more perishable vegetables have been consumed. Think also about which vegetables and proteins you might keep in the freezer. I like frozen spinach, green beans, corn and bell peppers, for example. Fish and ground meats perform well in the freezer too. What about condiments? You will always find soy sauce, miso paste and tahini (sesame seed paste) in my refrigerator along with sesame oil because I don’t use it up very quickly and I don’t want it to go rancid. Cooking without a recipe is simple when combining fresh, frozen and pantry items.

Assorted cabbages and dried ramen noodles tossed with a soy vinaigrette are delicious and make the most of a few other fresh ingredients

Other Essentials

In addition to food items, it’s always a good practice to keep enough essential items like bottled water and sanitary products to carry you through a time of emergency. You shouldn’t have to run out to the store every other day for such basic items. So it was a shame to see the panic that ensued when some people decided to hoard those products, making it difficult for others to get what they needed.

If your tap water isn’t palatable or suitable to drink, can you purchase a basic filter rather than depending on bottled water on a daily basis? There are so many options out there these days and it’s not difficult to find an effective and inexpensive one. As far as convenience and practicality, I think it sure beats hauling bottles here and there frequently.

Disclosure: If you purchase a water filtration system from the company that I recommend, I may be compensated.

I have been a happy customer of Aquasana for over 15 years. We recently blind tasted water from a number of other filters and still prefer ours. It’s easy to use and has saved us money and labor over the years.

Are there shelf stable items that you use often? Perhaps consider buying more than one next time you shop. I use a lot of olive oil, so I will always buy more than one bottle at a time. Same thing for canned tomatoes, beans and pasta.

If you have pets, please remember to stock something for them too.

What Do You Mean?

When I first moved out on my own, an older friend made reference to some “pantry items” that she considered necessary to stock and I had trouble imagining what that would mean for me. I was used to buying only what I needed for the week and I wasn’t accustomed to eating anything from a can. I also happened to be on a tight budget. What I eventually learned is that you don’t have to go out and spend twice as much money as normal in one weekly shopping trip. Simply buy one or two extra shelf stable items each trip so that you can always have something to eat if you aren’t able to go out and buy fresh. It makes cooking without a recipe easy.

Below is a list of items I use frequently and try to keep stocked or that I know I can use in an emergency. Some of them are sustenance and others are flavoring agents. Some are ethnic items that I am very familiar with. You may not be, so feel free to ask me about them and continue to read my blog to find out what to do with them. No doubt you have your own regional favorites and I would love to hear about them!

My Pantry Suggestions

olive oil
grapeseed oil or other cooking oil with high smoke point (such as vegetable or canola)
flavored finishing oil (such as truffle)
vinegars (white, balsamic, rice, red wine, apple cider, malt etc.)
mirin (sweet cooking sake)
dried grains (such as different kinds of rice, quinoa, millet, farro, barley, bulgur, corn grits)
dried beans/legumes (all kinds, including lentils and split peas)
dried pasta (different shapes)
dried ramen noodles
oatmeal (I prefer steel cut)
canned beans (all kinds; black beans, garbanzos and cannellini are my favorites)
quality canned tomatoes (whole peeled, diced, crushed, sauce and paste)
sun-dried tomatoes
canned seafood (all kinds, including mackerel, herring, salmon, trout, clams, tuna, anchovies, oysters, crab)
jarred marinara sauce
canned chiles (green and chipotle)
canned enchilada sauce/jarred salsa
hot sauce
flour
baking powder
baking soda
powdered eggs (no experience with this, but I would like to try them out)
sugar
honey
dried spices and herbs
coffee and tea
bottled juice
canned fruit (such as pineapple, peaches, applesauce, cranberries)
dried fruit (raisins, apricots, prunes etc)
raw nuts (almonds, walnuts, cashews etc)
trail mix
protein powder
granola
snack bars with protein
chicken/beef/vegetable stock in cartons
whipping cream in a carton
peanut butter (or other nut butter such as cashew or almond)
fruit preserves
honey
seaweed
wakame (dried sea vegetable)
dried bonito flakes
dried porcini or other mushrooms
canned vegetables (I prefer fresh, but I do like canned artichokes, hearts of palm and pumpkin. It doesn’t hurt to stock a few others just in case. Green beans, mushrooms, corn?)
roasted red peppers in a jar (I usually roast mine fresh, but…)
giardiniera (Italian pickled vegetables in a jar)
crackers
oat milk in a shelf stable carton
dark chocolate bar
beef jerky (and other dried proteins such as squid…)

This list is by no means exhaustive and many of these items should be refrigerated once opened. If you live alone, you can buy some items like tuna in a single serving pouch now. Rotate products like crackers and granola every few months because they have a longer shelf life than fresh items, but not indefinite.

I hope that this helps you think about what you might like to keep in your pantry and how you might become better prepared for an emergency. Feel free to share your own suggestions.

For one idea on a satisfying meal made entirely with pantry staples, please read Pantry Pasta Perfection.

Keen On Easy Red Beans and Greens

It’s easy to cook red beans and rice without a recipe.

My husband has been asking for red beans and rice, so here’s how I make it without a recipe. It’s easy. Take the basic principles and adjust proportions and seasonings to your taste. It’s one of our favorite simple meals.

Let the dried red beans soak overnight in water and then drain them. I thought it unnecessary to explain that, but once I started cooking the beans, Michael asked if I put all the soaking water into the pot with the beans…So, the answer is no. I laughed so hard I was crying.

Start by chopping up an onion or two, a bell pepper and some celery. I use roughly a third more of onion compared to the other vegetables. Get that cooking in a big pot with some olive oil while you chop some garlic and slice up some andouille sausage. I often use turkey andouille or another smoked sausage. Ham, ham hocks or salt pork could also be used.

Ingredients for Easy Red Beans:

pre-soaked red beans
chopped onion
chopped bell pepper
chopped celery
minced garlic
olive oil
andouille sausage
water

Once the vegetables have begun to soften, add the garlic and then the sausage. Then add the spices.

Spices, In Descending Order of Amounts

French thyme
Paprika
Smoked paprika
Cayenne
Basil
Oregano
salt

Now add the drained beans and enough water to cover them. Reduce to simmer and cook for a few hours, stirring occasionally. I learned from Emeril Lagasse to smash up to half the beans against the side of the pot after cooking for a couple of hours. It really adds a nice creamy texture to the finished dish, which resembles the way Michael first tasted red beans at Aunt Kizzy’s Back Porch, a soul food restaurant he frequented weekly in the 90’s. This step has become Michael’s job and he gets so excited to do it that I found him trying to smash beans at the beginning of cooking this time. I had to shoo him out of the kitchen and tell him to wait a couple hours. Bless his heart.

Be aware of stirring more frequently once you smash some beans because it thickens the mixture and you don’t want them to burn at the bottom of the pot. Cook for another hour, adding a little more water along the way if it needs it. Just don’t overdo it. They should be creamy in the end, not watery. Season with salt at the end and serve on top of rice.

Collard Greens

I allow about 45 minutes for the chopped greens. I just want to cook them long enough for the stems to become tender when pierced with a fork.

I often start the greens with bacon, but I figured I could slim it down as I already had nearly a pound of andouille in the beans. So, I sauteed some diced onion in some olive oil. Then added some chopped garlic and then the greens. A splash of white vinegar gives a nice flavor. Then I wanted a little liquid to help them braise, but I didn’t want to open a carton of chicken broth for such a small amount, so I added a little water and looked around for what else to flavor it with. I had used some ramen noodles previously without the chicken flavoring packet, so I sprinkled a pinch of that in there along with a little cayenne and French thyme. Simmered covered until done.

Blackened Salmon

I used to make blackened catfish, but unlike in Louisiana, we can only find farm raised around here. I prefer buying wild fish, so I used sockeye here. I don’t buy blackened seasoning anymore either, but you can make your own using black pepper and/or any other ground peppercorn, cayenne, paprika, smoked paprika, salt and garlic powder. Sprinkle it liberally on both sides of your fish and cook quickly over high heat in a preheated skillet with an oil with a high smoke point like grapeseed oil.

For more delicious inspiration on cooking without a recipe, please read Shrimp and Grits next.

No Waste Begets Big Taste

Zero waste cooking starts with using what you have to create simple meals.

Reheating left over mashed potatoes or polenta has never appealed to me. The texture is never the same as the first meal, so I prefer to turn them into something else for a new meal. No, you don’t have to throw them away! Reinvent them as fritters for zero waste cooking.

Fritters made of mashed potatoes and grits alongside sweet potato fries

I had part of a peeled sweet potato that I wanted to use up, so I decided to cut it up and roast it in the oven to make baked fries. While I had originally intended to fry the fritters in a skillet, I figured I might as well try baking them instead because I already had the oven on. Less work for me. Score for simple meals!

Making Fritters

So, I mixed the mashed potatoes and polenta together along with an egg. Formed patties and baked on a greased cookie sheet. They probably took about 40 minutes to cook. I turned them over when they started to smell like fritters and had turned golden brown on the bottom. That was probably at around the 25 minute mark. Develop your intuition in the kitchen to start cooking without a recipe.

I had a little leftover brown gravy with vegetables, so I added some frozen corn to it and heated that up in a saucepan for a topping. Zero waste cooking means using what you have. You could top them with something else entirely.

I thought of this as a zero effort/no brainer lunch, but Michael thought it was so wonderful that I should tell you all about it. Had I wanted to invest another few minutes chopping an onion, I would have braised some greens to go with this dish to round it out further. I had considered adding a protein, but I decided that the fritters had enough between the egg, the cheese in the polenta and the butter and yogurt that were already in the mashed potatoes. A salad would do nicely too. It all depends on what you have and what you feel like doing to create a simple meal.

For details on the original meal containing grits and brown gravy, please read Shrimp and Grits next.

What do you do with your left over mashed potatoes or polenta?

Get Happy As a Clam

Deciding what to cook for dinner tonight is easy once you find inspiration.

Wondering what to cook for dinner tonight that’s easy? Get inspired by your travels and ingredients on hand.

Pasta is always welcome in our house and can be made with just about anything you have on hand. So what did I have? I found in the fridge some onion already diced. Half my work done for me. Hooray! I dumped that into a skillet with some olive oil to start cooking while I looked around for what else was easy. I spotted some zucchini in the fridge that was partially used already because I had julienned just the outside parts for a previous meal. The middles remained and I decided they would fill in for squash blossoms that I enjoyed in Italy. Now my vision was coming together.

spaghetti with clams, zucchini and tomatoes on a white plate

The Inspiration

My first dinner in Venice, Italy was pasta with squash blossoms and fresh clams. I didn’t have any fresh clams at home, but I had some canned ones and decided I had found my inspiration. Zucchini isn’t as decorative as its blossoms, but the flavor is similar. Think outside the box when deciding what to cook for dinner tonight. Easy!

a zucchini blossom growing in the garden

Once the diced onion had started to get some color, I added to it:

minced garlic
dried French thyme
dried basil
bay leaf
white wine
the clam juice from the canned clams

As the aroma filled the air and the sauce began to reduce, I started to get excited about dinner. I tossed into the skillet some cherry tomatoes to simmer just until the skins burst. Then I turned off the heat, added the canned clams and covered to await the cooked pasta. Canned clams are already cooked, so you simply want to allow them to heat through. If you cook them further, they will get rubbery. They’re a nice item to keep in your pantry for simple meals.

man and woman on gondola ride in Venice, Italy

I decided to plate this with a leaf of radicchio because it’s beautiful and I like a little bitter component to counterbalance so many sweet elements. I tore mine up and mixed it into the dish. A little goes a long way, so I generally mix it into salads with other greens. It’s a vegetable that keeps longer than a lot of others in your fridge, so you can peel off a leaf or two now and then and leave the rest for later. It makes cooking without a recipe so easy.

How have your travels inspired the meals you create at home? For another of mine, please read Skillful With Shellfish next.

Amazing Zingy Unstuffed Cabbage Anytime

Simple meals begin with a well stocked pantry and freezer.

Simple meals like this one come together quickly when you keep basic ingredients in your pantry and freezer. Try this zingy “unstuffed” cabbage. You could go to the extra trouble of filling cabbage leaves with rice and seasoned meat, but I would rather put it all in one pot and let it do its thing.

2 white plates of red cabbage with ground turkey and rice served with Sauvignon blanc at a table covered with a decorative cloth.

My Syrian friend, Zouka, introduced me to all kinds of amazing Middle Eastern meals. At twelve years old, I fell in love with the bold, refreshing flavors of garlic, lemon and fresh herbs so characteristic of this cuisine. She is eager to share ingredients and techniques with those who take an interest in trying it themselves, making what was once foreign part of a repertoire of simple meals. My first solo experimentation in the kitchen as a teenager was inspired by tasting her food. Unaccustomed to the fragrant garlic, my family would leave me alone in the kitchen while I created my concoctions, tasting as I worked, adding more garlic…and more garlic…until I decided it was enough. That’s how I began cooking without a recipe.

In this “unstuffed cabbage”, begin by browning some ground turkey and then adding some minced garlic. Cabbage and a combination of basmati and jasmine rice go into the pot along with enough chicken broth to cook the rice. Season with salt, dried mint and lemon juice. Simmer covered, stirring occasionally, until it’s done.

Starting With Leftovers

Pictured above, I had some leftover brown rice in the refrigerator that had been cooked with turmeric. So that’s what I used. After cooking the ground turkey and garlic, I tossed in some cabbage, dried mint and lemon juice. I didn’t need to add a lot of liquid because my rice was already cooked, so I added the rice to the pot to reheat once the cabbage was tender. The acid prevents the red cabbage from turning blue. Green cabbage works just as well and I would prefer it if cooking along with dried rice.

You can play around with the ratio of all the ingredients. Do you want more cabbage or more rice? More ground turkey or other protein? For me, the lemon and mint are what make this dish both zingy and refreshing. It’s delectable and you could feed an army for very little money using pantry items. Yes, cabbage is kept in your refrigerator, but it has a long shelf life, so I consider it a pantry item. Lemons, like other citrus, can also keep longer than a lot of other fruits. Keep a little ground turkey in the freezer for such an satisfyingly simple meal anytime. Cooking without a recipe is so easy when you keep basic ingredients on hand.

Ingredients:

rice
ground turkey
cabbage
garlic
lemon juice
mint
chicken broth
salt

For more on using citrus and cabbage, please read Simple Ceviche next.

Simple Salmon Sliders From the Pantry

Simple meals from the pantry are awesome.

Here’s what to cook for dinner tonight that’s easy. You can always pull together simple meals from the pantry using a can of salmon and some brown rice. I am not accustomed to eating many things from a can, so when Michael requested patties made from canned salmon years ago, I thought it was odd. But I quickly learned that they’re delicious and budget friendly. Kids love them too. Make anything in the shape of a burger and people get excited.

salmon sliders, rice and asparagus with lemon on a white plate — Salmon sliders with rice and asparagus

Preparation

With your canned salmon, mix together an egg and your choice of breadcrumbs to help everything stick together when you form the patties. ( I used panko, lightweight Japanese crumbs here.) Beyond that, you can take the flavor into whichever direction you choose. Here I decided to add a touch of horseradish and a pinch of dill and garlic powder along with some diced onion.

I often add lemon juice, but as I wasn’t making a big enough batch of salmon sliders, I left that out because I thought the lemon would make it too watery. Play around with other ingredients. Green onions, fresh herbs, Worcestershire sauce are all great additions. Cooking without a recipe allows you so much freedom to create with what you have.

The salmon sliders only take a couple of minutes on each side to cook. I kept them small because they’re easier to flip over that way. After removing them from the skillet, I tossed some asparagus into the same skillet to cook quickly in the remaining oil. Simple meals require less cleanup.

A squeeze of lemon juice on top is all that’s needed, but you could serve with any number of sauces that you enjoy. I had a little cocktail sauce that I decided to use, but tartar sauce is also good.

Canned tomatoes and canned fish are a must for the pantry. You will always find rice and other dried grains and beans in mine too. They last indefinitely and are a great supplement to other fresh items. For another tasty pantry meal, please read Pantry Pasta Perfection next.

Simple Brown Gravy for Shrimp and Grits

Let regional cuisine inspire you to experiment in your own kitchen with gravy for shrimp and grits.

I haven’t spent a lot of time in the south, but whatever time I have enjoyed there has been full of memorable meals. One of those that still makes me salivate whenever I think of it is shrimp and grits. It was at Mert’s in Charlotte, NC.

When I returned home, I searched for recipes, but everyone makes it differently and I couldn’t find one that seemed similar to what I had eaten in the restaurant. Lots of recipes out there are heavy on the tomatoes, but what I remember from Mert’s all these years later is the roux based brown gravy. So naturally I had to experiment cooking without a recipe. Not sure if I do it exactly like the restaurant, but I must say it’s delicious and it’s simple to make gravy for shrimp and grits.

shrimp and grits with brown gravy plated with greens in a white bowl

Making Grits

Polenta or grits are coarsely ground cornmeal. I prefer that texture to finer grinds. I cook mine in the slow cooker because it frees me up to do other things, but you can cook it in a saucepan on the stove just as well.

I boil flavorful liquid (chicken broth in this case) and then whisk in 1/4 the amount of grits. Let it boil for a minute or two while continuing to whisk it. Then dump it all into the slow cooker and cook on high for an hour and 20 minutes. Stir about every half hour and test it when it looks like it’s ready. Add more liquid if you need to. It’s a great base for many simple meals.

Making Stock

Then I peel the shrimp and boil the shells in water to make some stock. I prefer easy peel shrimp because it means I can make stock with the shells for zero waste cooking. But if your shrimp came pre-peeled, you can use chicken broth or vegetable broth. Even better, make some fish stock with dried bonito (fish) flakes available in Asian markets. Use what you have on hand to develop your intuition in the kitchen and start cooking without a recipe.

Gravy for Shrimp and Grits

Chop your vegetables before you start making the roux for the gravy. You will need to have them ready to add to the pot at the right time. I used:

Onions
Bell pepper
Celery
Tomato (at the end)

Now it’s time to make a quick roux. I like using a chef’s pot with a rounded bottom like a wok because it’s easier to keep bits from burning in the edges of a straight sided pot; but whichever kind of pot you have will work.

Whisk together equal parts of flour and butter or oil over high heat. I made enough for 4 servings, so that meant about 2 Tablespoons of each. It will get brown quickly, so whisk fast and watch. Take it off the heat if you think it’s getting too dark too quickly.

Once the roux looks like melted chocolate, add the onions and other vegetables. I didn’t have any green bell pepper, so I used a red one. Not sure if others put celery in there, but I do because I like it and why not add another vegetable?

Keep whisking as you add the vegetables and take the pot off the heat if you need to. The vegetables, especially the onions, will keep the roux from burning.

Seasoning

Reducing the heat, I minced a little garlic to add to the pot at that point and added a little shrimp stock to let it simmer while I grabbed my spices. I used, in descending order of amounts:

Salt
French thyme
Paprika
Basil
Oregano
Cayenne

You could make this as spicy as you wanted. I opted to keep it mild. I kept adding stock as the vegetables cooked in the sauce until I had the right amount of liquid and the right consistency. Once I decided everything was just about done, I seasoned the raw shrimp with a little salt and added it to the pot along with a little chopped tomato. Shrimp only takes a couple of minutes to cook. It’s done when it turns pink.

After tasting each element of this meal, I decided to add some grated smoked gouda to the grits before plating. I added a touch of maple syrup to the greens and decided everything was well balanced. I hope you enjoy this simple meal as much as I do. It makes me want to dance!

For another southern shrimp dish using more tomatoes, please read Creole Shrimp next.

The Whole Enchilada Two Ways

Green chicken enchiladas are an easy way to reinvent leftovers that the whole family will love.

I remember once saying to a neighbor that I didn’t know what to make for dinner. She shrugged nonchalantly and told me, “Make a chicken.” My kneejerk reaction at that time was, “A whole chicken? For two of us? We can’t eat a whole chicken.” She smiled and responded, “Get a small chicken.” I laughed.

I don’t know why I thought we had to eat a whole chicken in one meal. Sounds ludicrous to me now. Funny how our perceptions can change. I guess I was imagining that we didn’t want to eat a leftover chicken dinner over and over again. But leftovers are great for salads and sandwiches and enchiladas and soups and…you name it. If you really won’t finish it within a few days, put the rest in the freezer. That’s always a good plan too.

enchiladas with green sauce in a glass casserole dish. Orange napkins, green onions, white cheddar cheese on a brown plate and a stainless steel cheese grater complete the picture.

Green Chicken Enchiladas

First, pour a little green enchilada sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Steam the corn tortillas if they need softening before filling with:

cheese
chicken pieces
onions
enchilada sauce

Place seam side down in the dish and top with sauce and cheese. Bake 30 minutes at 350 or until heated through.

Especially if I’m making this in larger quantity, I will choose the shortcut of making this as a casserole instead. It’s the way my mother used to do it and everyone loved it. It’s a simple and kid-friendly favorite.

Just like making a lasagna, put a little sauce in the bottom of a baking dish and then a layer of tortillas. Put some chicken pieces on top and some onions. I like green onions, but whatever you have will do. Pour a little sauce on that and sprinkle with cheese. Cheddar, jack, provolone, swiss…What do you have on hand? I’ve used them all. Put another layer of tortillas down and repeat this process. Finally, add one more layer of tortillas and cover with the remaining sauce, cheese and onions. Bake until heated through.

Super easy and delicious, just like roasting a whole chicken. Want to know how? Please read Don’t Be Chicken next.

My Ode to Oatmeal and More

Use what you have to make a healthy breakfast. Steel cut oatmeal is awesome!

I have lived through lean times as well as plenty. The key is to make the best of your current situation and be content. Steel cut oatmeal, anyone?

Oatmeal with chopped dates and walnuts in a white bowl. Small light blue bowls hold dates and walnuts

When I was first living on my own, I would sometimes scrounge around in the morning for enough change to equal $ 1.72. If I could find that much, I would do a happy dance because it meant I could afford to go out for breakfast. $ 1.72 would buy me a toasted poppy seed bagel with butter and a cup of coffee. Yes, I was really living!

On the days when I couldn’t find that much change, I would pick some loquats from the tree that hung over my back fence. No one else was eating them, so I did. I didn’t even know what they were called in those days. I only knew they were edible. Eventually my Israeli friends taught me to call them by their Hebrew name, “shesek”, so I sometimes still need a reminder in English.

Steel Cut Oatmeal

And then there was always oatmeal. It’s healthy and inexpensive and I still eat it often. Now, if your only experience with oatmeal is the instant flavored kind, please don’t say you don’t like oatmeal. If you have only eaten rolled oats, try steel cut for a change. I personally prefer their flavor and texture. Yes, it takes 25 minutes to cook them. But all you have to do is boil water, so I don’t consider that to be a problem at all.

Oatmeal with whole strawberries, yogurt and almonds in a white bowl

Cooking Oatmeal

Here’s what you do: Get up out of bed. Measure a 1 to 4 ratio of oats to water. Boil the water. Put the oats in. Stir. Reduce heat to lowest simmer and go back to bed. Come back in 25 minutes or so to eat. I have a tendency to want to stir everything while it’s cooking, but I don’t even find that to be much necessary with oatmeal. Stir near the end of cooking and add whatever additional ingredients you like. Lately I like walnuts and maple syrup. I might add cinnamon, nutmeg or allspice. Fresh fruit like apples or bananas are nice. What about dried fruit? Any other kinds of nuts? Toasted or raw? Honey? Fruit jam? There are endless possibilities. You will never bother with prepared boxed cereal again.

For more on simple breakfasts from pantry staples, please read Pancakes next.

Simple Creole Shrimp With Rice

Shrimp Creole with rice is easy to make and so versatile.

On our first trip to New Orleans, I learned about starting everything with onions, green bell pepper and celery. (A slight variation of another classic combination of onions, carrots and celery.)

There are so many ways to go with this beginning. One way to go is to make a Creole Shrimp dish. I start cooking my rice first. Whether you use a rice cooker or not, rice is easy. It can sit in your pantry for some time as long as it’s sealed properly and you can cook it any number of ways. I currently use a rice cooker, but I cooked it on the stovetop for many years.

Just boil water. Add half the amount of rice and reduce to the lowest heat to steam. Cover and wait. Cooking time depends on the kind of rice and your heat source. You can adjust the ratio of liquid to suit your needs. Less water yields drier rice. As long as your stovetop burner is not too hot, that should be fine. It’s okay to peek and fluff gently every 20 minutes or so. What kind of rice do you have? Wild rice cooks longer than others and requires more water. White rice cooks the fastest. My brown rice takes about 40 minutes. See what works for you in your kitchen.

Creole shrimp over rice with roasted corn

So, what do we have here? Began with chopped onions, bell pepper and celery in the skillet with olive oil. Let it cook a little bit while I stirred and then added some shrimp stock and canned tomatoes. You could quit here by reducing heat to let it do its own thing for 15 minutes or so after adding spices. I used French thyme, paprika, smoked paprika, a tiny bit of oregano and basil. I would have put a bay leaf in there, but I only had one left, so I decided to save it for another dish.

Making Roux

I decided a little late in the game that I wanted to add a roux. Usually I would start with the roux, but I often change directions in the middle of cooking. This is why I don’t usually tell Michael ahead of time what he’s having for dinner. I just say, “You’re gonna love it” because I often make it up as I go along.

A roux is basically equal parts of oil and flour. There are different methods to make it, but because I was in a hurry, I did the fast method. Into another skillet, I put about a tablespoon of flour and about a tablespoon of grapeseed oil. Over high heat, I whisked it quickly until it turned brown and then added to my vegetable mixture. It thickens the dish and adds a nice smoky flavor. We like a dark brown roux, but if you’re new to making a fast roux, I would recommend being careful because it can go from dark brown to black very fast.

Roasting Corn

Here’s an easy and delicious way to do corn that I learned from our friend, Tim. Rinse the corn while leaving it in the husk. Put it in the oven at 350 and let it coook for 45 minutes.

Once I’m almost ready to serve dinner, shrimp goes in to cook with sauce because it only takes a few minutes to turn pink, which means it’s ready.

Now, go experiment in your kitchen and have some fun.

Want more ideas for seafood? Please read Caesar Salad next.