The New Pantry Math
Photo by Charles Masters, prop styling by Sarah Cave, food styling by Rhoda Boone1/20Mayonnaise + Harissa
The versatility of mayo should not be underestimated: it’s a swath on a sandwich, it’s a dip for crudité, it’s the secret to crisp, golden grilled cheese. (Use it instead of butter.) Epi loves Duke’s, an extra-thick mayo that’s the pride of the South, but there’s also a lot to love about Hellman’s. Pantry Math: Make an instant sauce for wings, tacos, and burgers by mixing in a few spoonfuls of harissa.
Photo by Charles Masters, prop styling by Sarah Cave, food styling by Rhoda Boone2/20Harissa + Tomato Paste
Varieties of North Africa’s prized chile paste vary wildly—some are mild and sweet, others will strip the paint off your car—but it's a versatile player that adds heat to dressings, soups, and grilled meats and fish. Pantry Math: Add it to tomato paste and a little pasta water to create an instant diablo spaghetti sauce.
Photo by Charles Masters, prop styling by Sarah Cave, food styling by Rhoda Boone3/20Tomato Paste + Za'atar
A little tomato paste goes a long way, and that’s why it’s crucial to shun those tiny cans and go for the resealable tubes. For a concentrated punch of sweetness and umami, squeeze some paste into a skillet where you’re pan-roasting squash or spoon some into a pot of chili. Pantry Math: Make a schmear of tomato paste and za’atar and rub it on steaks and leg of lamb.
Photo by Charles Masters, prop styling by Sarah Cave, food styling by Rhoda Boone4/20Za’atar + Preserved Lemon
Lebanon’s (and Israel’s...and Palestine’s...and Jordan’s...) iconic spice blend has everything: thyme and oregano for herbiness, sumac for tartness, sesame seeds for a creamy nuttiness. So there's pretty much nothing this spice can’t do. Rub your roasts with it, stir it into olive oil and dip your pitas into it, and finish your soups with a sprinkle (or more). Pantry Math: Stir za'atar and chopped preserved lemon rind into yogurt. Then, dip into it every vegetable you can find.
Photo by Charles Masters, prop styling by Sarah Cave, food styling by Rhoda Boone5/20Preserved Lemon + Capers
The recipe calls for lemon zest? Go ahead and replace that with chopped preserved lemon peel instead. Salty and puckery, this stuff lends a briny sunniness to everything it touches—and a jar of it lasts forever. Pantry Math: Combine it with mayo and slather it on a sandwich; tuck the chopped rind under chicken skin with a little garlic; toss it with chopped herbs and capers for a gremolata effect.
Photo by Charles Masters, prop styling by Sarah Cave, food styling by Rhoda Boone6/20Capers + New-Crop Olive Oil
What chocolate chips are to cookies, capers are to pretty much everything else: A burst of flavor that becomes the reason to eat a dish. They add a briny pop to tomato sauces, salad dressings, sautéed shrimp, and even seared steak. For both salt and crunch, fry capers until crispy and sprinkle them on pan-seared fish. Pantry Math: Blend with new-crop olive oil and brush over grilled eggplant.
Photo by Charles Masters, prop styling by Sarah Cave, food styling by Rhoda Boone7/20New-Crop Olive Oil + Sherry Vinegar
Why new-crop olive oil instead of, say, a nice extra virgin? Because nothing is fresher. This stuff is so fresh, in fact, that you probably don't want to cook with it—it's packed with enough flavor that it functions as an instant sauce for any meat, seafood, or roasted vegetable. Pantry Math: For a classic vinaigrette that you never knew could taste so good, whisk a glug with salt, freshly ground pepper, and a bit of sherry vinegar.
Photo by Charles Masters, prop styling by Sarah Cave, food styling by Rhoda Boone8/20Sherry Vinegar + Fish Sauce
If you have just one vinegar always on hand, that’s fine—we don’t judge. Just make sure it’s sherry. More interesting than white-wine vinegar and more versatile than rice-wine, sherry vinegar has a distinctive flavor that wakes up salads, pots of beans, and pan sauces alike. Pantry Math: Stir together sherry vinegar and a little fish sauce and pour over roasted Brussels sprouts.
Photo by Charles Masters, prop styling by Sarah Cave, food styling by Rhoda Boone9/20Fish Sauce + Coconut Oil
Add this umami-packed condiment (made from fermented Vietnamese anchovies) into any marinade, any dipping sauce, any soup—and watch your food get transformed with its signature, savory depth. Pantry Math: Whisk fish sauce with melted coconut oil, lime juice, and a bit of Sriracha for a genius dressing for a steak salad.
Photo by Charles Masters, prop styling by Sarah Cave, food styling by Rhoda Boone10/20Coconut Oil + Thai Red Curry Paste
If the only thing coconut oil did was enable you to make homemade magic chocolate shell, that would be enough. But no. It's also a sweet, mild fat that can sub in for butter in baking, a cooking oil with a high smoke point, and a healthy add-in for smoothies. Pantry Math: Melt some coconut oil in a pan, add some Thai red curry paste and start frying rice.
Photo by Charles Masters, prop styling by Sarah Cave, food styling by Rhoda Boone11/20Thai Red Curry Paste + Maple Syrup
Sure, you can use this aromatic mix of galangal ginger, chiles, lemongrass, and spices to make a killer Thai curry (just combine with a can of coconut milk). But you can also toss it with butternut squash or smear it under the skin of your next roast chicken. Pantry Math: Combine with maple syrup and stir into anything you want to make sweet and spicy—especially butternut squash soup.
Photo by Charles Masters, prop styling by Sarah Cave, food styling by Rhoda Boone12/20Maple Syrup + Vanilla Bean Paste
When it comes to sweeteners, nothing is as distinctive, complex or delicious as real maple syrup. Brush a little on a crisp-skinned duck breast, drizzle it on roasted carrots, add a bit to a mustardy salad dressing, or just use it to sweeten your tea and coffee. Pantry Math: The one way to make maple syrup more delicious is to mix it with vanilla paste and pour it over pancakes and ice cream, mix into cream cheese frosting or stir into whipped cream.
Photo by Charles Masters, prop styling by Sarah Cave, food styling by Rhoda Boone13/20Vanilla Bean Paste + Tahini
Why vanilla bean paste and not extract? Because in flavor, aroma, and appearance, the paste is closer to freshly scraped seeds from a vanilla bean. It's easy to use in any recipe that calls for vanilla extract—just substitute the same amount of paste. Pantry Math: Mix vanilla paste with tahini and stir into oatmeal. Or combine the two in these especially addictive sesame-scented tahini cookies.
Photo by Charles Masters, prop styling by Sarah Cave, food styling by Rhoda Boone14/20Tahini + White Miso Paste
True fact: You’re not using tahini enough. Sure, you might buy it once a year when you’re making hummus, but you could also be using it as an instant sauce for seared salmon, roasted vegetables, or grilled lamb chops. Or swirling it into creamy vegetable soups. Or tossing it with spaghetti, soy, and scallions for easy sesame noodles. Pantry Math: Mix with white miso, which gives it an even bigger umami punch, and add vinegar for a killer salad dressing, broth for a killer soup.
