Oh God, that pantry. I really have to do this whole pantry sorting thing more often, because the shelves are wide and deep and all sorts of things lurk up the back. It’s scary. And big. And, currently, empty and awaiting cleaning.
(the table, on the other hand, is full)
The things I’m finding aren’t always bad things, of course. It turns out, for example, that in addition to my four containers of dried chickpeas, I also have five litres of extra virgin olive oil, about a kilo each of cocoa and almond meal, two kilos of brown sugar, six different kinds of rice and an astonishing array of liqueurs. Also, 11 kinds of honey and 12 kinds of jam, not counting what’s in the fridge. And cocoa butter!
I see a lot of baking in my future. In particular, I suspect a lot of honey cakes and Linzer tortes are on the horizon, not to mention a lot of chocolate cake.
I’m seriously considering attempting to live for the next month entirely on my rather frightening supply of pantry staples, plus fresh fruit, veg, dairy etc. About the only thing I don’t have in quantity is tinned tomatoes, really. Otherwise, I am pretty much set.
This is such a lovely easy dinner – very fresh and full of flavour. It’s also an excellent way to use up zucchini or tomatoes that are abundant but a bit watery – roasting concentrates the flavour, the balsamic vinegar sweetens them, and you wind up with a glorious, chunky, full-flavoured sauce that really takes only about five minutes of actual kitchen time.
