So many ask me what are the ingredients EVERY pantry should have? For me it is quite simple

Dry staples include:
Flour, Sugar, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Salt, Pepper, Spices (Bay leaf, basil, curry, oregano, sage, poultry seasoning, seasoning salt), a few dry pastas, a few different rice types, cornmeal, cornstarch, dry legumes, beans, lentils, dry soup mixes and (miso paste). Oatmeal and other cereals. Croutons or breadcrumbs

Canned staples:
Tomatoes plum, crushed or whole, different types of beans, broth (chicken, beef, vegetable), pineapple, applesauce, tuna, salmon, a few condensed soups (tomato, mushroom),tomato paste.

Refrigerated
Condiments (mustard, ketchup, relish, pickles), hot sauces (Sriracha, tabasco, wasabi) a few favourite paste squeeze tubes (parsley, cilantro, garlic paste and chicken & beef bouillon), a few standard salad dressing for both salads and dipping, BBQ sauces as well as tortilla soft shells

Essential Oils
Extra Virgin Olive oil, canola, and a blend, vegetable spray

Other Extras
Wine (white and red), tawny port, madeira, masala, and others when I can find them

Fresh roots and others
Onions (sweet and cooking), potato, carrots, sweet potato and yams, celery, shallots, ginger root

In the freezer or fresh
Beef (steaks, tenderloin, stew and roasting), chicken (whole, boneless breast, boneless thighs, wings and some processed products like chicken tenders coated), pork (bacon, chops, roasts, shoulder, tenderloin), on special occasions lamb(roast and stewing).  Seasoned hot and mild sausages. Most bought in family sized packaged and repacked into portions. Frozen fruits and vegetables and finally a few selections of fish

Dairy
Butter, margarine, cream 35%, cream 18%, milk, yogurt (flavours and plain), hard and shredded cheeses

Of course every pantry and staple list changes as various foods are on sale or in season, but you will always have everything you need to make meals, planned or ad hoc with these ingredients

I am lucky to live in the fruit belt of southern Ontario to enjoy all the fresh fruit and vegetables available from June to November and in some cases beyond as there are Apple and Fruit businesses that store some fruit for long past the season

Lets make a recipe today… Historically we tend to build a meal around the protein, but I think you can build a meal around any one ingredient from the starch, or vegetable as well. Especially if I see something on sale or featured. Using my staples above to compliment YOU can make anything!!!

NAME :
Chicken Stuffed with Ginger Tomato Concasse with Asparagus cooked En papillote accompanied with a side of Chicken Rice Pilaf w/Cranberries.
(Variation: Mushroom Duxelles instead of Tomato Concasse)

Prep Time:
30 minutes
Cook Time:
20-30 minutes
You need parchment paper, baking sheet, small pot

I took out two chicken breasts yesterday and had them thawing in the refrigerator on the lowest shelf contained in its wrap and in a glass bowl.  I think I’d like rice and I have found a couple of fresh spears of asparagus in my fridge

Duxelles is a finely chopped (minced) mixture of mushrooms or mushroom stems, onions or shallots, and herbs such as thyme, parsley and black pepper, sautéed in butter and reduced to a paste. Duxelles can also be filled into a pocket of raw pastry and baked as a savory tart

Concasse, a French classical cooking process, “to crush or grind”, is a cooking term meaning to rough chop any ingredient, usually vegetables. This process is particularly applied to tomatoes, where tomato Concasse is a tomato that has been peeled, seeded (seeds and skins removed), and chopped to specified dimensions. Specified dimensions can be rough chop, small dice, medium dice, or large dice

Rice Pilaf – Pilaf is a dish in which rice is cooked in a seasoned broth. In some cases, the rice may attain its brown or golden colour by first being sautéed lightly in oil before the addition of broth. Cooked onion, other vegetables as well as a mix of spices may be added. Depending on the local cuisine, it may also contain protein, vegetables, pasta (vermicelli) and on occasion, dried fruits

En papillote – “in parchment”  is a method of cooking in which the food is put into a folded pouch or parcel and then baked. The parcel is typically made from folded parchment paper, but other material, such as a  paper bag or aluminum foil, may be used. The parcel holds in moisture to steam the food. The pocket is created by overlapping circles of aluminum foil and parchment paper and then folding them tightly around the food to create a seal. A papillote should be opened at the table to allow people to smell the aroma when it opens

Preparing the chicken breast I plan to stuff it with the Concasse mixture with finely chopped onion, and ginger shavings. You can cut the side and butterfly the breast or cut through the top so the Concasse stay in the pocket. I choose the later and season the breast with parsley, and black pepper

Place this on a oversized piece of parchment, place the long asparagus spears on top ad squeeze a half lemon over, an leave two slices of lemon on each. Now I fold the parchment encasing the ingredients to shape the Papillion into a half crescent right down to the contents making sure no air can escape.  Place the two portions on a flat baking sheet and bake in a pre-warmed 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Don’t forget to check the temperature of the chicken after that to ensure it is at 165 degrees in the thickest part of the flesh

I portion out a cup long grain rice and add two cups of chicken broth, an eighth of a cup of dried cranberries. Place in an oven proof pan, covered, at 350 degree for approx. 15 minutes till all moisture has been absorbed. Remove and fluff rice with a fork and serve with finely chopped parsley

Bon appetite!
Chef Pat