Weāve long been told that keeping our larders stocked with top-notch dry goods and homemade staples is a major key to making simple meals shine. But in 2015, we actually listenedāand followed through. And when Alice Waters shared our sentiment this year, in her charming new cookbook, My Pantry, we knew we were in great company. Along with Waters, and a few of our favorite chefs and like-minded bloggers and journalists, we crushed the home pantry game in 2015. Here's how.
In 2015, we seasoned our salts and sugars and used them to add instant depth to everything from cocktails to avocado toasts. We combined spice-drawer favorites with fresh ingredients like celery leaves, fennel fronds and leftover fresh herbs, which aided our quest to go #wasteless. We weren't alone: At Food52, celebrated pastry chef Alice Medrich was on a similar streak, seasoning sugars with everything from cinnamon and nutmeg to Chinese 5-spice and dried chilies. On Bostonās NPR news station, WBUR, seasoned salts were included in a great piece on DIY holiday food gifts.
During the waning weeks of 2014, Nicolaus Balla and Courtney Burnsā Bar Tartine cookbook landed on our desks, inspiring the Epi food team to dive deep into all sorts of 2015 kitchen projects, including turning wine into vinegar. We used our bespoke vinegars to make everything from pickles and pan sauces to dressings and pie doughs. 2015 also saw vinegar-making workshops at Thomas Jeffersonās plantation, Monticello. And, on the west coast, our pals at Sunset magazine not only got into the vinegar-making game, they showed us where to buy the coolest kits and crocks for the job.
The shrubs weāre talking about here arenāt the ubiquitous woody plants that grace many a suburban front lawn. These are stellar ādrinking vinegars,ā vinegar-based fruit and vegetable syrups that are used to make cocktails and sodas more refreshing. In 2015, Epiās Senior Editor, Matt Duckor taught us how to create these bright-tasting concoctions. Our friends at the Kitchn and The New York Times were into it, too. On on our travels to Wellfleet, MA, we found a collection of terrific small-batch bottled versions at a cool ālocal food labā called, Lolaās.
2015 was the year we opened a few cans of fish, and threw not only one of the healthiest but also one of the most fun, festive and insanely easy dinners parties ever. We also turned a few anchovies, a little garlic and a handful of breadcrumbs and freshly chopped parsley into what is now one of our most popular 15-minute pasta sauces. And we got the low-down on Haley.Henry, a tinned fish-centric wine bar that will be opening in Boston early next year.
At Epi HQ, Assistant Food Editor Kat Sacks preserved summer in a jar with her all-purpose pickle brine, opening our eyes to a world of pickles that included everything from cukes and carrots to parsnips and peaches. She then varied that brine to steer her pickles down exciting flavor paths, including spicy, garlicky, and sweet. Our homemade pickles were our cocktail snack of choice, kicking off our dinner parties and holiday menus, and key players in the gorgeous charcuterie boards we mastered with expert guidance from Olympia Provisionsā star salumist, Elias Cairo. Off hours, at Estela, we couldnāt get enough of Ignacio Mattosā delicately-spiced carrot pickles, brilliantly served with a dollop of crĆØme fraĆ®che and a sprinkling of freshly toasted and ground spices, including fennel, coriander and chili flakes.
Editorial Assistant, Sheela Prakash, taught us how to make sense of the new maple syrup grades this year, which inspired us not only to curate a collection of our favorite maple syrup recipes but also to fashion new recipes for pies, salads and our breakout hit of the year, Vegducken.
Epiās Associate Food Editor, Anna Stockwell, turned batch upon batch of ho-hum nuts and seeds into an irresistible crunchy topping this year, which she kept on hand not only for much-needed midday snacks but also to give an instant upgrade to creamy soups, savory yogurts, easy-to-make granolas and simple tossed salads.
With Assistant Editor, Kat Sacksā super simple Pasta Dough for Handmade Shapes, and Editorial Assistant, Sheela Prakashās detailed step-by-step instructions on how to shape fresh cavatelli, orecchiette, and pici pastas, we rolled up our sleeves with confidence, and got rolling on some of the best pasta weāve had to date. For even more hand-made pasta intel, we flipped through the gorgeous pages of chef Jenn Louisā Pasta by Hand and chef Mark Vetriās, Mastering Pasta. And, to complete our delicious bowls, we developed 5 fabulous 15-minute pasta sauces, which quickly became Epi classics.
Editorial Assistant, Sheela Prakash, upon returning from a vacation to Egypt, gave us a lesson in DIY dukkah, and, since then, weāve used the savory nut and spice blend to upgrade everything from eggs and roasted vegetables to popcorn and salads. In Seattle, we swooned at Mamnoon over a shaved pear, pomegranate and chicory salad served with dukkah-rolled goat cheese. And at Bostonās Oleana, Ana Sortunās dish of carrot hummus with figs, fenugreek and almond dukkah was to die for.
We kept a stock of sorghum syrup on hand to make Garden & Gunās deliriously good sweet potato casserole and Sorghum-Bourbon Pecan Pie, then became even more deeply obsessed when, from cookbook author, Maria Speck on Food52, we learned myriad ways to use not only the syrup, but also the flour and cereal grain (all gluten-free!).
At NYCās Sessanta Ristorante, we went gaga over the nutty sorghum, squash and fried sage risotto, which was topped with a sprinkling of the toasty popped grain.
