Winter Staples

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
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 (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, blood oranges, meyer lemons, grapefruit, tangerines
Horseradish
Smoked bacon (for wrapped appetizers 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
Fennel Salad
Ribollita
Tuna Farfalle
Lentils, Spinach, & Feta
Quick Roasted Halibut with Sherry Sauce & Crispy Capers

Add to our list with your winter kitchen essentials.