The Pantry

"You can make anything taste good, as long as you've got the right spices." - a good friend of mine.

Spices and condiment will go a long way to keep your food from being boring. Here's a little list of the staple ingredients I try to keep at hand :

• salt and pepper - pretty obvious but some foods need just that little bit of pop
• curry - and by that I mean GOOD curry. I buy mine by the pound, at a small Arabian grocery store, and it beats the bland one from the supermarket anytime. It's not very hot, but full of flavors. When in doubt, I add curry.
• ground cumin - works fabulously with carrots, avocado, another go-to spice.
• cinnamon - for anything with either apple or chocolate in it.
• chili powder - better have a very hot one and only use a very small dose than one that's not hot enough
• soy sauce and tamari -  for stir-fries, rice and vinaigrettes.
• oils - I always keep a variety of oils at hand : sunflower, sesame, and of course olive oil.
• vinegar - same as oil, we have a variety, red wine vinegar, cider, balsamic. For vinaigrettes and mayonnaise, mostly.
• mustard - for vinaigrette, mayonnaise, in savory pastries, on a meat before it's roasted, or as a side served with cold meat.
• onions and shallots -  a lot of my savory dishes call for sautéed onions or shallots, and one can easily be substituted for the other.
• garlic - I was born and raised in Gascony, you won't take the garlic away from me ! With roasts, in eggplant caviar, or chopped with the onions...
• nuts - whole, ground, as milk, cream, paste. Especially almond paste, which I love just as is on bread or as a replacement for dairy cream in spreads.
• chocolate - pretty much self-explanatory
• raisins - for desserts, summer salads, and some savory tarts
• bay leaves - right from the garden, I cut them and let them dry in the pantry (they are a little bit toxic while still fresh).
• thyme - a must for anything remotely Mediterranean, works well with roasted meats and potatoes as well

I try to by my spices from small ethnic grocery stores rather than from the big supermarkets. They're cheaper and tastier. way, way WAY tastier.

This is just the short list, but the ones that are always at hand (unless it's Friday and I used my last onion for lunch, like today, waiting to buy a new load tomorrow).