Cooking can be cool and artful. It can crystallize a moment in time and lend gravity to a gathering. Some of my fondest memories are tiny pockets of time spent around the stove. Cooking can be extremely romantic, and it’s often romanticized. I do it all the time in this newsletter.
But sometimes it’s the Monday after a holiday weekend and you’re exhausted and you haven’t been to the grocery and it seems there surely can’t be enough rations in the cupboard to go around to feed the battle scarred troops. In these moments (like yesterday, for me) it’s imperative to have stalwart pantry standbys that offer you a lifeline.
I know my go-to’s when pickings are super slim. I fall back on hard boiled eggs with good dijon, tinned seafood, peanut butter toast, or canned garbanzo beans. In a real nod to my bachelor days, there’s always a bowl of cereal. (My cereal of choice.) These deep cuts offer serviceable and at times even delicious options for an evening meal. What they may miss in presentation or pomp they provide in nutrition and a full belly.
But my real love in these moments are two bulletproof ingredients that beckon from the far reaches of my freezer and my pantry. They are long lasting, hard wearing, truly and fully delicious.
I owe many a hopeless nights meal magic to the unique promise and pairing of these two champions:
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