K-W chefs reveal home pantry favourites to Andrew Coppolino

With the restaurant industry all but closed except for physically distanced curb-side pick-up and delivery, local cooks are spending more time looking into their own kitchen cupboards.

And with all of us spacing out grocery trips a bit more than usual, it seems like the perfect time to ask, "What's in your pantry?"

I spoke with a few local chefs, and there's inspiration here for the rest of us as we self-sequester.

Guilty pleasures, unusual ingredients

Navita Singh, who has cooked at Bhima's Warung and Loloan, says you'll find some pink-coloured snacks among her guilty pleasures.

"I've been obsessed with all things Ruby Cacao chocolate lately, so I have everything from the Kit Kats to the Haagen Dazs ice creams. But a second favourite are tapioca pearls for making sweet porridge, pudding or bubble tea. It's always a comfort craving of mine," Singh says.

Emily Schlieper of Arabella Park Beer Bar has not one but two kinds of sauerkraut in her pantry — a foodstuff diametrically opposed to Singh's sweet pink chocolate.

"I have both store-bought and homemade. I always have one on the go and usually eat it right out of the jar," Schlieper says.

Chef Derek Hines runs Dinner by Derek and, perhaps unexpectedly, he keeps crickets on hand. They're from bug  cultivator and processor Entomo Farms, located east of Peterborough.

"I call it lean, mean protein," says Hines. "They're whole and roasted. I use them as salad toppings, and there's a lot less fat than bacon!"

Perhaps not as lean but equally unusual, Forequarter Butcher Shop owner Colby Lemoine keeps offal in the fridge.

"I like a bit of beef heart," Lemoine says. "I grill it to medium-rare and eat it simply and seasoned only with a bit of salt and pepper."

After work inspiration

In the days before COVID-19, the last thing a cook wanted to do after finishing up a night shift was spend a lot of time preparing a meal when they got home. So their go-to dishes are fast, satisfying and easy.  Carbs are king.

For Singh, that's classic grilled cheese. "We always have bread and cheese in my house," she says.

But satisfaction can also be found in a can, she adds. "Honestly, golden brown bread dipped in condensed milk. It could be a snack or dessert. I love condensed milk. It's my sugar high."

Lemoine leans towards re-heating some spaghetti Bolognese or a hot dog for his night-time go-to. "The hot dog has to have loads and loads of yellow ballpark mustard," he adds.

Hine likes a risotto but with farro, a type of hulled wheat. Unlike the typical ingredient rice, farro has protein and lots of fibre. "It makes a very healthy bowl," says Hines, adding that it can have a wonderful texture, too.

A dish like mac and cheese can actually be a blank slate to which you can add a range of ingredients — the easiest of which cooks will point out, is cut up wieners.

Schlieper suggests either classic mac and cheese or a version tweaked and improvised. "I love it with a bunch of fresh-cracked pepper and hot sauce. Sometimes it's from scratch but other times it's just got to be KD."

Vegetarian side

The butcher Lemoine gets some meatiness out of his vegetables by adding some cheese. "I'm a big fan of eggplant Parmigiano," he says.

Hines adds that he just about always has chickpeas at hand: he says the best way to treat them is with Indian spices. "I'll blend them together and whip up a chana masala."

Chickpeas are a natural go-to for Schlieper as well, who says says she might make a curried chickpea stew when she is looking for meatless munch. "I usually always have some chick peas in my cupboard as well as some vegetables to use up. I like to add a decent amount of heat to mine and eat with rice."

Singh suggests a childhood favourite: bigan choka and roti. "It's like roasted eggplant baba ganoush," but also see her recipe for dhal, below.

"It can work as a soup, a creamy side dish, or as a complement to a dish," she says. "It's comforting and delicious."

Navita Singh's dhal soup recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup yellow lentil or split peas
• 4 cups water
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh chilies of your choice, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 1 tablespoon curry powder |
• 2 fresh curry leaves for aroma.
• Oil
• 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
• 1 garlic clove, sliced finely
• Cilantro for garnish
• Coconut milk (optional)

Method

Wash lentils really well.

In a pot with enough oil to coat, sauté onion, garlic, chili and spices until fragrant and the spices are coated well with oil.

Add lentils, water, salt and pepper. Let simmer until tender. Stir every so often. It will take approximately 30 minutes to cook. At this point you can either puree the mixture with an immersion blender for smooth soup or leave chunky.

In a small pan, heat a little bit of oil and add cumin seed and garlic. Sauté until garlic is golden brown. Immediately add everything to your soup. Season with fresh cilantro and enjoy. You can also add coconut milk to make it creamier.