The seasons dictate what we should eat. In the winter months, be sure to stock up on these essentials so that you always have the basic ingredients to cook up a wintry meal for family and friends, no matter when they choose to stop by:

Pantry:
Dried and canned beans (including black, cannellini, garbanzo, and pinto)
French green and brown lentils
Arborio, basmati, and brown rice
Quick-cooking polenta and couscous
Jars of fire-roasted red peppers
Canned artichoke hearts
Anchovies
Canned tomatoes: whole, diced, crushed, and puréed
Dried porcini mushrooms
Dried chilies
Imported oil-packed tuna [1]
Nuts – almonds, walnuts, chestnuts, pistachios
Sweet - molasses, honey, maple syrup
Spices – caraway, cinnamon, anise, nutmeg
Vinegars – good sherry wine and balsamic vinegars

Perishable:
Homemade stocks [2] (store these in airtight containers in the freezer for up to 3 months)
Capers and Olives
Olive paste
Marinated feta
Herbs - bay leaves, rosemary, thyme, dill, mint
Roots - parsnips, beets, rutabagas, turnips
Hard-shelled squashes
Fennel
Cabbage and brussels sprouts
Winter Leaves – frisée, escarole, mâche, sorrel leaves, watercress, chicory
Dark, leafy cooking greens (fresh and frozen)
Fruit - pomegranates [3], blood oranges, meyer lemons, grapefruit, tangerines
Horseradish
Smoked bacon (for wrapped appetizers [4] or for adding bits over a warm side salad)
Gravlax or smoked salmon paired with a little dill – they are the best of friends
Parmigiano-reggiano

Recipes:
Warm Olives [5]
Fennel Salad [6]
Ribollita [7]
Tuna Farfalle [8]
Lentils, Spinach, & Feta [9]
Quick Roasted Halibut with Sherry Sauce & Crispy Capers [10]

Add to our list with your winter kitchen essentials [11].