The vegetarian pantry
Grains are versatile, have a long shelf life and are inexpensive, making them the perfect pantry staple. Store them in airtight containers in a cool, dry place away from sunlight, and they’re good for months. If you have the space in your fridge or freezer, they’ll last longer if you store them there – just make sure they’re well sealed to keep out moisture.
Most of the grain products you’ll want to stock are already familiar to you – whole wheat breads and pancakes mixes, breakfast cereals, pasta, tortillas, and bulk grains like rice and oats. But now that you’re going to be eating a diet rich in plant foods, this is a good time to learn about new grains you’ve never tried, as well as educating yourself about your old favorites.
Barley is a grain that’s gone out of fashion, although it’s been a staple food for generations. It’s great in vegetable soups, giving them a nutty taste and delightfully chewy texture. You can buy it as a while grain at your health food store, which is loaded with nutrients but takes a long time to cook. Pearl barley has had the tough outer bran shell removed, so it offers less fiber – but it cooks faster and is still delicious. Add it to your soups, stews and vegetarian chili, use it in casseroles and saute it with veggies.
Cornmeal is dried, ground corn that, if you’ve ever used it all, you’ve probably only used to make corn bread. Now is the time to introduce yourself to polenta, a delicious, savory Italian porridge that can be eaten hot or cold (look for a recipe in Chapter 12). Add it to your homemade breads for great flavor and texture.
Rice is an old standby, but there’s more to it than the basic white stuff you get with your Chinese food. A good rule of thumb to remember is that the shorter the grain, the starchier the rice. Long-grain rice stays fluffy with separate grains, and it’s the choice for pilaf. Medium-grain rice – the kind found in most American kitchens – is soft and fluffy when cooked but gets stickier as it cools. Short-grain rice is the starchiest, the thick, gluey kind served with Asian and Indian cuisine. There’s a world of different rices available in these three types – arborio is a very short-grained rice used to make risotto (although any short-grain white rice can be used; basmati is an aromatic long-grain rice, available as either brown or white rice, that’s imported from India and Pakistan (although it’s also grown commercial in Texas); japonica rice is a very sticky Japanese rice; brown rice is whole kernels of rice with the nutty outer shell still intact; and jasmine rice is a yummy, highly aromatic long grain rice that’s great for cold salads, as it stays fluffy long after cooking. There’s also wild rice, which isn’t actually rice at all – it’s a grass seed that grows wild in the Midwest and is usually combined with other rices as it’s somewhat expensive.
Quinoa is an ancient food staple that dates back to the Incas. It’s great in cold salads or seasoned with herbs and served with potatoes.
Buckwheat, when toasted, is called kasha and it has a strong flavor. Untoasted, it’s decidedly mellower, and a welcome addition to pancakes and breads.
Legumes – beans, mostly – are also a great food to always have in stock, either dry or canned. Dried beans have a long shelf life, and they’re both versatile and nutritious. Rinse canned beans well before you use them to remove the excess sodium. Like grains, there are many, many different types of beans, good in all sorts of different dishes. And they’re inexpensive, so you can experiment without breaking your budget:
Kidney beans are the traditional white or red beans used in soups, stews and chili. You should always have these on hand, because you’ll find hundreds of uses for them.
Navy beans are the small, pale beans used in that old favorite, navy bean soup. You can also use them to make your own vegetarian baked beans.
Split peas come in green or yellow varieties, and are some of the fastest cooking of the legumes. Use them to make old-fashioned split pea soup, or branch out and make some of the many delicious Indian dishes that use them.
Black-eyed peas aren’t peas at all but beans, brought to America from Africa by slaves, and a staple in Southern cooking. Unlike most beans, these don’t need to be soaked first – they cook quickly, and they’re great in spicy main dishes.
Black turtle beans hail from Central America and the Caribbean, and they’re delicious in spicy dishes like chili and burritos.
Cannellini beans are small white beans used in Italian soups and other dishes. Use them in soups or salads.
Chickpeas are also called garbanzos, and are a common ingredient in Mediterranean cuisine. These are the soft, round, light brown beans you find at salad bars – learn to use them in cooking and you can make your own hummus, tahini, and vegetarian curries.
Great northern beans are big, white beans with a very subtle flavor. They’re great for soups.
Lima beans, also called butter beans, are wide, green soft beans with a delicious flavor. Eat them on their own with just a little salt and pepper, or use them to make succotash, a traditional Southern dish.
Lentils are one of the oldest foods known to man, a staple of Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine.
Soybeans are high in protein and low in fat, and can be included in any dish that traditionally uses beans. They take a while to cook and have a subtle flavor. Use them in baked beans, spicy soups and ethnic dishes.
