Store Cupboard – Basics
La mia dispensa non è esattamente come quelle che si vedono nei programmi di cucina alla tv, fornite di ogni ben di Dio. Anzi. Non amo molto fare la spesa e spesso mi riduco ad andare al supermercato il sabato sera, poco prima dell’orario di chiusura, con la lista di quelle solite 10 cose da comprare, molte delle quali, da perfetta maniaca delle pulizie, sono immancabilmente detersivi. Ed è così che il mio mobile delle provviste è costantemente sfornito.
Ma cosa non dovrebbe mai mancare nella nostra dispensa? Vediamo un po’ cosa ci dice Katie Pix in questo video girato per il canale YouTube di Jamie Oliver, Food Tube.
Let’s look at our store cupboard in zones:
Zone 1, oils
Different oils are great for different types of cooking.
Extra virgin olive oil is good for making our own salad dressing.
Vegetable oil is good for deep frying, because it burns at a much higher temperature.
Nut and seed oils are really good for vegans because of their content of O3 fatty acids.
Zone 2, stock cubes
Stock cubes are a great way to add seasoning and flavour to our dishes.
There are different types of stock cubes, including low-salt ones as well as gluten free ones.
Zone 3, pulses
Lentils, beans, peas are all low in fat and high in protein, fibre and minerals and count as one of the “five-a-day” portions of fruit and vegetables we need in our diet.
Zone 4, pasta, rice and noodles
These have a long shelf life. When we have dregs of a packet, we can “crush them all up and cook them off in our minestrone soup or even in a casserole or stew.” Wholegrain pasta, rice and noodles are a little healthier.
Zone 5, flour
Flour is used for baking, but also for thickening sauces, coating meat and, of course, making pancakes.
Zone 6, bottles and jars, aka condiments
If we want to add a beautiful extra flavour to our roast dinner, we can mix a tablespoon of mustard and a tablespoon of honey and smother it on the meat and vegetables before putting them in the oven.
Did you know that tomato puree is so highly concentrated that one tablespoon goes towards one of the “five-a-day” portions of fruit and vegetables we need in our diet?
Zone 7, tinned foods
There are lots of different tinned pulses, which are great for making soups or stews, and tinned fish.
If we can’t get through a whole tin, we can store whatever is left in the fridge to be used at a later date.
Zone 8, nuts and seeds
Nuts and seeds are a good source of heart healthy, unsaturated fats. They are perfect as a snack!
Zone 9, herbs and spices
There’s a huge world of herbs and spices. Chilli, for example, is great for adding an extra heat to any of your dishes. Oregano is often used in Italian cuisine. Cinnamon is good not only for sweet dishes, but also for savoury recipes.
Herbs and spices can also be really good for us. Turmeric, coriander, cumin, mustard seeds, in fact, are all super rich in iron.
Zone 10, bonus features
These are things we can’t imagine not having in our store cupboard. Of course, everyone has their own favourites. Katy likes soy sauce and porridge oats. What are your bonus features?
These foods have all got a long shelf life and are relatively inexpensive, and can be mixed and matched to make excellent dishes.
We can add a few nuts and seeds and some honey to our porridge for a delicious breakfast option. Or we can mix some tinned tuna and pulses with some pasta and tomato paste and, Bob’s your uncle, we’ve got a fantastic mid-week meal.
Besides providing some very interesting advice, this video gives us the opportunity to learn some useful food-related vocabulary. Let’s take a look at the new vocabulary presented, divided by zone:
Zone 1
– salad dressing = a sauce for a salad, usually with a base of oil and vinegar or of mayonnaise
– (to) deep fry = (to) fry in a quantity of hot oil or fat sufficient to cover the food being cooked
– nut and seed oil = oil made from nuts or the seeds of plants
– O3 fatty acid = Omega 3 fatty acid = an unsaturated fatty acid that occurs naturally in fish oil and is valuable in reducing blood-cholesterol levels
Zone 2
– stock cube = a small cube of evaporated meat or vegetable extract that is used to add flavour
– seasoning = an ingredient, such as salt, pepper, a spice, or an herb, that is used to add flavour to food
– flavour = the taste of food or drink in the mouth
– low-salt = not rich in salt
– gluten free = containing no gluten
Zone 3
– pulse = the edible seeds of any of several leguminous plants, such as peas, beans, and lentils
Zone 4
– noodle = a thin often flat strip of fresh or dried dough (as of flour and egg) that is usually boiled
– shelf life= the period during which food may be stored and still be good to eat
– dreg = the last remaining part
– casserole = food baked and served in a deep dish
– stew = a dish of usually meat with vegetables prepared by slow boiling
– wholegrain = made with or containing whole unprocessed grains of something
Zone 5
– (to) thicken = (to) make or become thick or thicker
– (to) coat = (to) cover with a thin layer of something
Zone 6
– (to) smother = (to) cover thickly
Zone 7
– tinned = preserved or packed in a tin
– (to) get through = (to) finish
– (to) store = (to) put away for future use
Zone 8
– nut = a small dry fruit with a hard shell that grows on trees, bushes, etc.
– seed = the small, hard part of a plant from which a new plant grows
Zone 9
– herb = a plant used in cooking to add flavour to food or as a medicine
– spice = a substance made from a plant, such as, oregano, cinnamon, turmeric, coriander, cumin, etc., used to give a special flavour to food
– savoury = salty or spicy, not sweet
Zone 10
– soy sauce = a salty brown liquid condiment made from soybeans and used as a flavouring
– porridge oats = the grains of a cereal crop used to make porridge
And here’s a very interesting British idiom used to emphasise how easily or quickly something can be done: Bob’s your uncle = … and it’s as simple as that!
E voi, cosa avete nella vostra dispensa? Fatemi sapere nei commenti qua sotto! j
