Favorite gourmet canned/shelf stable pantry items & relevant recipes?
April 4, 2024 12:42 PM Subscribe
I'd like to expand my pantry recipe options aka food I can make from mostly shelf stable ingredients (goes to 2024 "best of" list from Self.com) with maybe eggs or one fresh veggie added in. I was intrigued by the Heyday Canning recipes for their line of super savory beans. Plates of beans welcome!
Bonus points for what to do with the tinned mussels and anchovies I bought to increase the sustainability of my meals. I used mussels from a tin (sauteed with extra garlic) to make a clam sauce for penne and it was meh?
Bonus points for what to do with the tinned mussels and anchovies I bought to increase the sustainability of my meals. I used mussels from a tin (sauteed with extra garlic) to make a clam sauce for penne and it was meh?
Popping Tins: tim marchman reviews tinned seafood. Might be some ideas in there, he reviews a tinned seafood cookbook
posted by BungaDunga at 1:19 PM on April 4 [4 favorites]
posted by BungaDunga at 1:19 PM on April 4 [4 favorites]
I'm a big fan of canned beans for things when I don't have the inclination to soak and cook dried beans. This vegan one pot chickpeas with arborio rice is filling and delicious. You don't need make it vegan if you don't want to, but it's great as is.
Jacques Pepin has a great little recipe for a tapenade that is made from black olives (you can use canned), capers, dried black figs, and anchovies. He serves it with steamed fish, but it could go well with a lot of things. Pro-tip: he says to rinse your capers - I'll go one further, rinse them them put them back in the jar with Vermouth. It will keep in the fridge forever.
I will make a dish where I cook haricots verts (the thin French kind) in a sauce pan with olive oil, canned diced tomatoes, Herbes de Provences, sliced canned black olives, diced canned tomatoes, thinly sliced garlic, salt and pepper.
I try to keep unsalted canned beets in my pantry. Toss them with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, crumbled sharp cheese (gorgonzola is best, but bleu or feta are fine), minced parsley salt and pepper.
posted by plinth at 1:37 PM on April 4 [9 favorites]
Jacques Pepin has a great little recipe for a tapenade that is made from black olives (you can use canned), capers, dried black figs, and anchovies. He serves it with steamed fish, but it could go well with a lot of things. Pro-tip: he says to rinse your capers - I'll go one further, rinse them them put them back in the jar with Vermouth. It will keep in the fridge forever.
I will make a dish where I cook haricots verts (the thin French kind) in a sauce pan with olive oil, canned diced tomatoes, Herbes de Provences, sliced canned black olives, diced canned tomatoes, thinly sliced garlic, salt and pepper.
I try to keep unsalted canned beets in my pantry. Toss them with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, crumbled sharp cheese (gorgonzola is best, but bleu or feta are fine), minced parsley salt and pepper.
posted by plinth at 1:37 PM on April 4 [9 favorites]
Anchovies, now anchovies you can use to make this absolutely excellent one-dish baked puttanesca. This was what I cooked the first afternoon that I felt even sort of all right after the pandemic began - I actually managed to get up, cook, shower and read something nice and cheering and actually feel a little bit all right. It's really tasty! I made it with those shelf-stable gnocchi instead of orzo, but if you were literally avoiding carbs, you could increase the tuna or maybe cook a couple of eggs in it. I think it would be pretty good over rice cauliflower, or with some bite-sized pieces of cauliflower cooked in.
Mussels don't have nearly the same strength of flavor as canned clams. I like canned seafood more than most people do, so I just eat them scrambled with eggs, but I'd probably chop them and use them in a thin red sauce if that didn't work.
For my pantry shelf, I like to have oil-cured black olives, but I just buy them at the store.
Capers and caper brine are really good to add to sauces.
I make various tuna salads with capers and caper brine or sometimes chopped cocktail onions and brine.
My feeling is that super fancy canned/jarred tuna isn't really better enough than the best grocery store canned tuna to be worth the cost - I got myself a few jars at Christmas and they're nice but not as astonishing as everyone promised. Fancy canned mussels in escabeche sauce are worth it, but I usually buy a case of the cheap ones. I spoon the sauce itself over boiled potatoes and eat the mussels/sauce on toast. I am also happy to mix them in with rice or pasta, but some people might not like them enough for that.
My biggest pantry win, though was investing in the basic components of Chinese sauces - Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, sweet soy sauce, hot sesame oil, garlic chili sauce, oyster sauce, fermented black beans, some spicy bean pastes. With these and basic soy sauce (you can get light and dark; I make do with just dark) plus a little sugar and cornstarch, you can make simplified versions of ma po tofu (but get some szechuan peppercorns if you have a grinder or mortar and pestle) and various other common dishes and they will be really very good. I get a lot of mileage out of a 2-to-1 oyster to sweet soy sauce mixed with water and cornstarch, then cooked down with the dish itself - absolutely nothing special, fancy or authentic, but it goes great over any kind of robust stemmy green. Oyster sauce is [very very salty] a really complex sauce for something you just keep in the fridge.
posted by Frowner at 1:47 PM on April 4 [7 favorites]
Mussels don't have nearly the same strength of flavor as canned clams. I like canned seafood more than most people do, so I just eat them scrambled with eggs, but I'd probably chop them and use them in a thin red sauce if that didn't work.
For my pantry shelf, I like to have oil-cured black olives, but I just buy them at the store.
Capers and caper brine are really good to add to sauces.
I make various tuna salads with capers and caper brine or sometimes chopped cocktail onions and brine.
My feeling is that super fancy canned/jarred tuna isn't really better enough than the best grocery store canned tuna to be worth the cost - I got myself a few jars at Christmas and they're nice but not as astonishing as everyone promised. Fancy canned mussels in escabeche sauce are worth it, but I usually buy a case of the cheap ones. I spoon the sauce itself over boiled potatoes and eat the mussels/sauce on toast. I am also happy to mix them in with rice or pasta, but some people might not like them enough for that.
My biggest pantry win, though was investing in the basic components of Chinese sauces - Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, sweet soy sauce, hot sesame oil, garlic chili sauce, oyster sauce, fermented black beans, some spicy bean pastes. With these and basic soy sauce (you can get light and dark; I make do with just dark) plus a little sugar and cornstarch, you can make simplified versions of ma po tofu (but get some szechuan peppercorns if you have a grinder or mortar and pestle) and various other common dishes and they will be really very good. I get a lot of mileage out of a 2-to-1 oyster to sweet soy sauce mixed with water and cornstarch, then cooked down with the dish itself - absolutely nothing special, fancy or authentic, but it goes great over any kind of robust stemmy green. Oyster sauce is [very very salty] a really complex sauce for something you just keep in the fridge.
posted by Frowner at 1:47 PM on April 4 [7 favorites]
I should say for that baked puttanesca, I've never used preserved lemon (although I'm sure that's a great pantry item) or fresh basil and I've definitely made it without fresh tomatoes. I use oil cured olives rather than kalamata.
posted by Frowner at 2:15 PM on April 4 [1 favorite]
posted by Frowner at 2:15 PM on April 4 [1 favorite]
Victoria Granof's Pasta con Ceci is a delightful little pantry dish that's interesting to make--the broth depends on tomato paste fried in rather a lot of olive oil. I've passed it around to friends and now it's everyone's fallback dinner.
posted by HotToddy at 3:41 PM on April 4 [3 favorites]
posted by HotToddy at 3:41 PM on April 4 [3 favorites]
No cooking, just boil water, we die like men fish:
-- put dry couscous in bowl with stock powder (or Better Than Boullion or whatever)
-- boil water
-- pour boiling water over couscous to cover; stir once
-- cover bowl with plate, set aside
-- open can of tuna
-- if in brine, drain. If in oil, leave
-- get frozen grated cheese out of freezer
--check if couscous is done
-- if so, put tuna and cheese into couscous bowl. Stir in
Optional but tasty
-- if the tuna wasn't in oil, add a spoonful of olive oil if you have it
-- add black pepper (no salt; the stock, tuna and cheese will all be salty)
-- Eat!!
Optional but tasty additions: chopped spring onion, capers, olives, bits of pickled something-or-other, whatever herbs you have in the house
Basically, this is ready in as long as it takes the water to boil plus about 5 minutes.
I've also made this with quinoa; that takes an extra 15-20 minutes but is less carb-y if you care about that. And you can throw some dried mushrooms in there to simmer with it.
posted by Pallas Athena at 4:23 PM on April 4 [4 favorites]
-- put dry couscous in bowl with stock powder (or Better Than Boullion or whatever)
-- boil water
-- pour boiling water over couscous to cover; stir once
-- cover bowl with plate, set aside
-- open can of tuna
-- if in brine, drain. If in oil, leave
-- get frozen grated cheese out of freezer
--check if couscous is done
-- if so, put tuna and cheese into couscous bowl. Stir in
Optional but tasty
-- if the tuna wasn't in oil, add a spoonful of olive oil if you have it
-- add black pepper (no salt; the stock, tuna and cheese will all be salty)
-- Eat!!
Optional but tasty additions: chopped spring onion, capers, olives, bits of pickled something-or-other, whatever herbs you have in the house
Basically, this is ready in as long as it takes the water to boil plus about 5 minutes.
I've also made this with quinoa; that takes an extra 15-20 minutes but is less carb-y if you care about that. And you can throw some dried mushrooms in there to simmer with it.
posted by Pallas Athena at 4:23 PM on April 4 [4 favorites]
I like to put these lupini beans in salads (I love the Little Leaf brand of greens that you don’t have to wash. The leaves are always perfect. There are different varieties.)
Also, sometimes I just eat a packet of this pre-packaged three bean salad for dinner.
posted by SomethinsWrong at 5:23 PM on April 4 [2 favorites]
Also, sometimes I just eat a packet of this pre-packaged three bean salad for dinner.
posted by SomethinsWrong at 5:23 PM on April 4 [2 favorites]
THIS ALISON ROMAN PASTA IS THE BOMB and uses a lot of anchovies and tomato paste. Good quality tomato paste is another vital pantry staple.
(Also spamandkimchi = eponysterical)
posted by ojocaliente at 7:43 PM on April 4 [2 favorites]
(Also spamandkimchi = eponysterical)
posted by ojocaliente at 7:43 PM on April 4 [2 favorites]
A major little luxury win for us was upgrading from whatever pasta is on sale to the bronze cut pasta. It does taste better, and needs less sauce. Its something i thought was a waste of $$$ for the longest time, but in fact I was wrong.
In other staples, we always have dried lentils, tomato paste and garlic in the tubes in our pantry, and then a good butter stockpile in the freezer. Always having those on hand adds so much to your meals.
posted by larthegreat at 7:51 PM on April 4 [2 favorites]
In other staples, we always have dried lentils, tomato paste and garlic in the tubes in our pantry, and then a good butter stockpile in the freezer. Always having those on hand adds so much to your meals.
posted by larthegreat at 7:51 PM on April 4 [2 favorites]
Dolmah / dolmeh a.k.a. stuffed grape leaves in a can are divine and very shelf stable. Filling enough that I eat them as a quick lunch with a side of hummus for protein.
posted by shaademaan at 12:20 AM on April 5 [3 favorites]
posted by shaademaan at 12:20 AM on April 5 [3 favorites]
I have found some brands of tinned fish (not necessarily the cheapest ones) to be lacking in flavor. I season those with chili crisp or crunchy garlic paste and serve them on bread or crackers.
The mention of dolmas reminds me: condiments and compotes like ajvar, ikra and so on go very well with a meal of bread and cheese. I go to my eastern european market and buy whatever looks good. (I really like caponata but it's so expensive it's really worth making at home.)
posted by BibiRose at 4:52 AM on April 5 [2 favorites]
The mention of dolmas reminds me: condiments and compotes like ajvar, ikra and so on go very well with a meal of bread and cheese. I go to my eastern european market and buy whatever looks good. (I really like caponata but it's so expensive it's really worth making at home.)
posted by BibiRose at 4:52 AM on April 5 [2 favorites]
Not necessarily gourmet, but I love jarred roasted red peppers and artichoke hearts. Either of those can elevate any meal, whether solely from the pantry or not. And I think butter beans are among the best canned beans--fat and creamy. Butter beans, chopped roasted red peppers, Kalamata olives, and a vinaigrette makes a very tasty bean salad. I found that recipe in Storm Gourmet, a cookbook designed from your pantry when you've lost power. The gourmet-ness of the recipes varies, but there are some other tasty tidbits in there.
For tuna, the hands down best tuna is: Tonnino yellowfin tuna in olive oil in the glass jar. I will eat that on bread and then dip the bread in the olive oil. A feast in a pricy little jar.
For other canned fishes I like Bar Harbor, especially the smoked mackerel. If I'm not just eating it with bread or crackers, I like canned fishes warmed gently in a tomato sauce and served over pasta, with or without olives, capers, cracked red pepper. Also good on a baked potato or in a potato salad or with beets (roasted/steamed/pickled/canned) and your dairy of choice: sour cream, creme fraiche, Greek yogurt. And you can make tuna salad and tuna cakes (the kind with breadcrumbs and egg and herbs) with mackerel or sardines or herring. They're also nice if you change up the spices--use some gochujang and ginger and scallions rather than mustard, parsley, and celery.
Anchovies are great for sauces and dressings. Make green goddess or caesar dressing or bagna cauda. Sauté them in olive oil with as much garlic as you like, maybe a pinch of red pepper flakes and mix with canned tomatoes or tomato sauce and serve over pasta. Or toss bitter greens with warm garlicky anchovy oil. Onions and anchovies make a simple and delicious pasta dish, too. If you eat lamb, anchovies and lamb are a match made in heaven. Mash anchovies to a paste with garlic and little olive oil and rub it over a roast or on chops before cooking. And I've been wanting to make pissaladiere for ages; it looks like the perfect use for anchovies.
And I find that pickled things make any meal feel a little special, so I like to have either in the pantry or fridge (if fermented) a variety of pickles: cucumbers (gherkins, full sour garlic dills, bread and butter), onions (whole small or slices), mushrooms, beets, peppers (jalapenos, banana), giardiniera, sauerkraut, kimchi.
posted by carrioncomfort at 6:46 AM on April 5 [4 favorites]
For tuna, the hands down best tuna is: Tonnino yellowfin tuna in olive oil in the glass jar. I will eat that on bread and then dip the bread in the olive oil. A feast in a pricy little jar.
For other canned fishes I like Bar Harbor, especially the smoked mackerel. If I'm not just eating it with bread or crackers, I like canned fishes warmed gently in a tomato sauce and served over pasta, with or without olives, capers, cracked red pepper. Also good on a baked potato or in a potato salad or with beets (roasted/steamed/pickled/canned) and your dairy of choice: sour cream, creme fraiche, Greek yogurt. And you can make tuna salad and tuna cakes (the kind with breadcrumbs and egg and herbs) with mackerel or sardines or herring. They're also nice if you change up the spices--use some gochujang and ginger and scallions rather than mustard, parsley, and celery.
Anchovies are great for sauces and dressings. Make green goddess or caesar dressing or bagna cauda. Sauté them in olive oil with as much garlic as you like, maybe a pinch of red pepper flakes and mix with canned tomatoes or tomato sauce and serve over pasta. Or toss bitter greens with warm garlicky anchovy oil. Onions and anchovies make a simple and delicious pasta dish, too. If you eat lamb, anchovies and lamb are a match made in heaven. Mash anchovies to a paste with garlic and little olive oil and rub it over a roast or on chops before cooking. And I've been wanting to make pissaladiere for ages; it looks like the perfect use for anchovies.
And I find that pickled things make any meal feel a little special, so I like to have either in the pantry or fridge (if fermented) a variety of pickles: cucumbers (gherkins, full sour garlic dills, bread and butter), onions (whole small or slices), mushrooms, beets, peppers (jalapenos, banana), giardiniera, sauerkraut, kimchi.
posted by carrioncomfort at 6:46 AM on April 5 [4 favorites]
Canned hearts of palm rounds, pat dry and sear in butter and/or olive oil like scallops. Add garlic, anchovy, black pepper, parsley, splash of lemon or white wine if you like. Can be taken in many directions depending on adding veggies, jarred red pepper, capers, green onion, spinach, or whatever you want. Maybe add a bit of cream, pesto, or tomato paste. Serve over rice, pasta, or your favorite grain or such.
posted by indexy at 1:22 PM on April 5 [2 favorites]
posted by indexy at 1:22 PM on April 5 [2 favorites]
I wrote a long and detailed reply when you published this ask, and then it got lost. I was extremely frustrated and sad, because I put in a huge effort and hoped to use it as a personal note as well. But today I found that Serious Eats had nearly exactly the same recommendations as I had, and they are professionals, so here you are.
Some things they don't mention:
Date syrup. Tahin and date syrup in a sandwich or on yogurt are the best sweet snack, like peanutbutter and jam, but more in every sense of the word.
Lebanese wild cucumbers. If you can get them, they are a delicious thing for all times of the day.
All the dried mushrooms. I think I have every dried mushroom one can buy and I also dry some of the mushrooms I forage in season and the stalks of mushrooms I buy where I don't use the stalks. I put them in the oven at the lowest setting (50C) for several hours. I also have dried lotus flowers because I love hot and sour soup.
posted by mumimor at 1:36 PM on April 7 [1 favorite]
Some things they don't mention:
Date syrup. Tahin and date syrup in a sandwich or on yogurt are the best sweet snack, like peanutbutter and jam, but more in every sense of the word.
Lebanese wild cucumbers. If you can get them, they are a delicious thing for all times of the day.
All the dried mushrooms. I think I have every dried mushroom one can buy and I also dry some of the mushrooms I forage in season and the stalks of mushrooms I buy where I don't use the stalks. I put them in the oven at the lowest setting (50C) for several hours. I also have dried lotus flowers because I love hot and sour soup.
posted by mumimor at 1:36 PM on April 7 [1 favorite]
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You can do so much with them. I usually make a pasta, maybe chopped, maybe blended into a romesco-ish thing.
We always make sure we have them in the pantry.
posted by atomicstone at 1:09 PM on April 4 [5 favorites]