We’re all stuck at home. Maybe your favorite restaurants deliver, maybe they don’t. In any case you now have the spare time to hone in on your cooking skills, maybe find some joy and pride in creating your own plates.

However, nowadays we might not be able to count on supermarkets to have specific items in stock, whether it’s baking ingredients or special exotic herbs, or even just eggs. But that’s alright. Really! It’s more than alright, it’s better now that we can’t stick to recipes. Now is the time to get comfortable being uncomfortable. Step out of your culinary boundaries and embrace experimenting with new flavor combinations and substituting ingredients.

Here are some bits of advice and bare bone frameworks for diving headfirst into your favorite dishes that maybe you’ve never tried recreating at home. Obviously, this is all based on my experience and the ingredients I have readily available here in Spain.

Some “prep” that I use regularly:

• Have freezer bags full of cooked and ready to go beans (lentils, chickpeas, etc).  I try to cook all my beans from dry. It’s cheaper, healthier, and you have complete control over flavors/salt content. Also I find that if I choose to stirfry or bake beans, the jarred/canned beans simply have way too much water content and will pop and create a huge mess when heated in oil. It’s easy, just soak overnight (or if soaking during the day, change out the water every few hours as you remember, I tend to soak for at least 8 hours) then boil for at least an hour. Just taste a bean to check for doneness. You do not need to soak lentils. Additionally, if you don’t have time to soak for hours and hours, bring the dried beans to a boil then once it’s boiling just turn off the heat but cover the beans for about an hour and a half. From there, the beans have been “quick soaked”. You still need to cook them, but they are ready. Store drained beans in freezer bags. You can start freezing them in more or less a singular bean layer so this way they won’t freeze into a hard unbreakable glob. Freeze them in flat layers for about an hour or two, then you can break them up a bit and store them normally in the freezer.
• Make your own broth from vegetable trimmings. Simply take a pot with a little oil, fry up the veg trimmings and maybe a little salt/pepper/herbs for about five minutes, then add water and simmer for hours. Store the broth in baggies in the freezer, so you have broth whenever you need to make a risotto or soup. I have a drawer in the freezer that is devoted to veggie trimmings. I’m talking onion and garlic peels, bits and ends..
  • Great (and necessary) broth vegetables: onion, garlic, celery, carrots
  • Good broth vegetables: tomato, asparagus, fennel, broccoli, cauliflower, kale (stems/stalks)
  • Please do not use: cucumber, lettuce, potatoes, cabbage, eggplant,
• Have a freezer bag of shrimp heads/peels/legs/tails… I use this when making any “asian” or “southern” style soups. To use, fry in oil, add your water or broth, then simply strain out the bits once you’ve extracted the flavor.
• Honestly I freeze almost all leftovers, no matter the size… For example, let’s say I’ve made some Cuban black beans. I can freeze those beans and later turn it into a condensed paste/sauce, or add to quesadillas, breakfast scrambles, just a bit of fried garnish… To add things back into dishes, just think about what element it adds: smokey, spicy, savory, nutty, sweet, acidic, salty, creamy…

Ingredients I try to ALWAYS have on hand:

• Ingredients that will last a long time: lentils, chickpeas, white beans, black beans, anchovies, fresh garlic, fresh onion, fresh carrots,  fresh ginger, acid (lemon/lime), potatoes (small waxy, sweet), tinned tomatoes (puree and whole), coconut milk, fish sauce, sesame oil, extra virgin olive oil, red/white wine vinegar, some chili sauce/oil/paste (gochujang, sambal, etc), tahini, hoisin, oyster sauce, honey, peanut butter, oil (for frying, vegetable oil, canola oil, sunflower oil), butter, soy sauce, black pepper, salt, cumin (ground and whole seeds), turmeric, chili flakes, cayenne/paprika, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground coriander, ground ginger, dried oregano, dried parsley, walnuts, almonds, peanuts, capers, panko, pasta (long and short), rice noodles, rice (basmati is what I use most often), flour, baking powder, garam masala, rice paper, couscous.
• Ingredients that don’t last too long: fresh tomatoes, cucumber, greek yogurt, lettuce (of some sort), dark greens (spinach, kale), radish, eggs, fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro), avocados, zucchini, cheese (cream cheese, goat cheese, cheddar, gouda, parmesan/gran padano), bread.
• Too many ingredients? Okay, bare minimum, here’s what you want:  extra virgin olive oil, lentils, lemon, vinegar (apple cider or wine), chickpeas, long and short pasta, onion, garlic, honey, peanut butter, ground cumin, oregano, cinnamon, chili flakes, walnuts, flour, eggs, tomatoes, greek yogurt, spinach, salt, black pepper, turmeric.

My Go To Pasta

When I’m craving something: salty, umami, filling, fast, satisfying, minimal effort

1. Get your pasta water boiling. Choose a large pot. Fill with cold water. Do not salt until it has come to a boil. When it does come to a boil, add a generous pinch of salt then add your chosen pasta. Pasta water should be salty like the sea.
2. While you’re waiting on your water to come to a boil,  start prepping your other ingredients. You’ll need:
   • • • Garlic (fresh, minced)
       • Onion (fresh, minced)
       • Veg (pick one)- I’ve used: broccoli, cauliflower, peas, asparagus, dark greens, green beans, zucchini, mushrooms… I personally advise against using potatoes and carrots due to too much unnecessary starch and sugar content for this recipe. If you use broccoli or cauliflower, be sure to slice up the stalks, don’t discard them. They have a wonderful nutty flavor and the texture works well if you slice it up a bit so it crisps rather than turning stringy and mushy. I also like to dice asparagus into tiny medallions but I leave the tops about an inch long since they are more tender and less stringy. 
       • Cooked beans (lentils or chickpeas or white beans)
       • Walnuts (or pine nuts, or almonds, or hazelnuts… omit if you don’t have these. Please don’t add peanuts- this profile is overpowering)
3. In a pan, add olive oil. Once that is rippling, add in your onion with a touch of salt. If you have anchovies, add them now (chopped). Cook for a few minutes. Then add your veg. Once your veg is almost cooked, add garlic, oregano, chili flakes, black pepper, salt. After a minute, add the beans. If using chick peas, you can add those with the onions in the beginning.
4. At this point, you should have a delicious aromatic base, but it probably looks dry. Add a touch more oil/butter and a half mug of pasta water (this is the starchy, cloudy water that your pasta has produced from cooking). Add more water as needed to create a sauce. It should be sizzling aggressively.
5. Your pasta should be about done. Transfer directly to the pan with the sauce. Add more starchy water as needed.
6. Add a pat of butter as you toss your pasta. If you are using cheese, now is the time to add it. Also, if you wish to add any fresh herbs, add them now.
7. Distribute into bowls/plates.
8. In the same pan that once held the pasta, add more oil, panko (or breadcrumbs), oregano, and salt. Toast for a few minutes until golden. Top the pasta with the crunchy crumbs.
9. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil. Enjoy.  This is my go-to quick meal.

Curry/Indian bases:

1. Onion, garlic, carrots (optional, adds sweetness),
2. Spices: ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, pepper, cumin, cardamom, fennel, coriander, chili, etc…. just experiment. You can also add some chopped almonds/hazelnuts.
   • Some suggested combinations:
     • Ginger, onion, garlic, garam masala
     • Ginger, onion, garlic, turmeric, cinnamon,
     • Ginger onion garlic, turmeric, cumin, cardamom
     • Ginger, onion, garlic, carrots, turmeric, cinnamon, cumin, almonds
3. After stir frying the above in oil/butter/coconut oil, add tinned tomato puree or coconut milk.  In general, if you’re using “sweet” ingredients (carrots, butternut squash, pumpkin, turmeric, cinnamon, add some coconut milk. If it’s a bit sharper, just use the tomato puree.
4. Now you should have a sauce. Adjust seasonings as you see fit. Add water if you think it needs it.
5. Add your protein. If animal based, this should be at least partway cooked before adding. If using beans, just add them in.
6. Add the chopped veg. Great curry vegetables include: spinach (will disintegrate to become part of  the sauce), butternut squash/pumpkin (will disintegrate to become part of the sauce), zucchini, potatoes, eggplant, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower (I love to add riced cauli to thicken the sauce),
7. Cook for at least 20 minutes. If longer, add water/coconut milk as needed.
   • • Remember, coconut milk doesn’t need to cook long. If you find that your curry is too spicy or sharp or bitter, add more coconut milk. If it’s too bland, add a ton more spices.
8. Serve over basmati rice.
   1. • Optional toppings: goat cheese, greek yogurt, fresh herbs, slaw of cucumber and tomato.

My go to “wok” noodles:

1. Get your pasta water boiling. Choose a large pot. Fill with cold water. Do not salt until it has come to a boil. When it does come to a boil, add a generous pinch of salt and add spaghetti/long noodles.
2. In a pan, quickly scramble eggs in neutral oil. Remove and set aside.
3. Then cook onions, carrots, and cabbage. After at least five minutes, add either:
   1. • turmeric, ginger, and cashews, sesame seeds, back pepper, chili
      • peanutbutter, gochujang, soy sauce, ginger, peanuts, black pepper
      • garlic, turmeric, chili, black pepper, chili
      • tahini, ginger, garlic, black pepper
4. Add a splash of the pasta water.
5. Add back in the egg.
6. Add the noodles and toss to combine.
7. Drizzle sesame oil overtop before serving.