Six Seasons

by Joshua McFadden

  You can order amazing flours from Hayden Mills in Arizona (www.haydenflourmills.com). You can also find great flours at Anson Mills in South Carolina (www.ansonmills.com). Sunrise Flour Mill in Michigan (www.sunriseflourmill.com) is also another great source. Central Milling in Utah (www.centralmilling.com) is one of the biggest and best, and has a really wonderful selection of flours.

  Storage Store all flours in airtight containers in a cool, dark spot. White flours will keep longer than whole wheat because the fat in the wheat germ can go rancid quickly. All flours will eventually lose their zing, however. Buy them in small quantities and replenish them often instead of having them sit around. Whole-grain flours have a shorter shelf life and are best stored in the freezer or the refrigerator, which will also prevent a flour bug infestation.

  Pasta

  Pasta is one of life’s great pleasures. I always, always have dried long and short noodles in my larder. From spaghetti, bucatini, and linguine to ditalini, penne, and rigatoni, pasta can be quickly transformed into simple and satisfying meals. In addition to the obvious—starring them in pasta dishes—I like to include pastas in soups and stews.

  A successful pasta dish is not only marrying the pasta with the right amount of sauce or condiment, it’s also cooking the pasta properly—and there’s more to it than simply throwing the pasta into a pot of boiling water. First you must use a pot large enough and full enough that the water won’t lose the boil when you add the pasta. Second, the pasta water should be heavily salted, using a lot more salt than you think should go into the water. It should taste like the sea. (The pasta itself absorbs very little salt; it just helps boost the wheaty flavor of pasta as it hydrates in the water.)

  And for the timing, never, never use the suggested cooking time on the box as anything more than a suggestion. If it says 10 minutes, I set a timer for 7 and start tasting. By tasting, you can judge how much more time the pasta needs to cook, and when to put it in the sauce. I cook the pasta in the sauce for at least a minute but generally more like two, and always put a little of the pasta water in the sauce. It adds salt as well as the starch that leaches out while the noodle is cooking, which adds a tiny bit of body and helps marry the flavors of all the ingredients.

  One of my favorite American pastas is Della Terra from Oklahoma (www.dellaterrapasta.com). I order it for my home and restaurants. I also like Rustichella d’Abruzzo from Italy.

  Storage Store pasta in the container it comes in and use it up quickly. While dried pasta will look good for a long time, the flavor flattens out after a couple of months of being in an opened package. Just eat pasta often.

  Cheese

  Cheese shops are like butcher shops in that both seem to be making a comeback, and good cheeses can also be found in well-stocked grocery stores. When you find a store with a cheesemonger, engage her or him—taste several cheeses, ask questions. The following cheeses are my staples, always found in my fridge at home.

  Hard Cheeses

  With a hunk of cheese in the fridge, I can not only make quick pasta dishes, but I can also grate the cheese over roasted, grilled, or sautéed vegetables, or make a cheesy, salsa-style topping. And I use Parmesan rinds in soups, broths, and ragus.

  I always have Parmigiano-Reggiano, SarVecchio Parmesan, Pecorino Romano, provolone, and an aged cheddar in the larder.

  Parmigiano-Reggiano is, as Mario Batali dubbed it, “the undisputed king of cheeses.” Perfectly balanced with sweet, salty, milky, and meaty notes, a twelve-month-old Parm has a slightly moist but grateable consistency. Older Parms become more grainy, crystalline, and crumbly and are deeply golden—delicious but best saved to eat out of hand, not as topping in a dish.

  SarVecchio Parmesan, made in Wisconsin, is the cheese closest in flavor to Parmigiano that the United States has ever produced. Even Italy has taken notice.

  Pecorino Romano is a hard, very salty sheep’s cheese from Italy, with deep Roman roots. I use it when I’m looking for more salt, more tang, and less sweet. It pairs so well with sweet vegetables, spring peas, favas, beets, and mellow lettuces like romaine.

  Provolone is an aged cow’s milk cheese, which to me tastes like Italy. Look for the spicy (picante) version. I grate provolone on leaf salads, roasted and grilled vegetable salads, grain salads, and, of course, pizza.

  A good cow’s milk cheddar should be at least a year old, with a pleasantly sharp tang and slightly crumbly texture. I love aged cheddars from Grafton, Cabot, and Tillamook. Another firm cow’s milk cheese is Pleasant Ridge Reserve from Uplands Cheese Co. in Wisconsin. One of the best cheeses made in America, it’s an alpine-style cheese like Gruyère. It has a very deep, sweet, mellow, salt-and-grass flavor.

  Storage/Hard Cheeses Cheese is a living thing that needs to breathe. Waxed paper or specialized cheese paper makes an ideal wrapping. If you must use plastic, be sure to use fresh wrap each time you re-wrap it. I store my cheese in a drawer in the refrigerator (or store it in a plastic storage container in the fridge). Cheese absorbs flavors, so keep cheese away from other strong-scented foods, such as onions or briny olives.

  Soft Cheeses

  The soft cheeses I use most often are mozzarella, burrata, and ricotta.

  Fresh mozzarella is to me the best expression of pure sweet milk. I use it in cold salads, with tomatoes, of course, and I tumble chunks of it into pastas and baked dishes.

  Burrata—a tender oval of fresh mozzarella filled with a creamier version of more mozzarella—is perfect all by itself with just a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. I also serve it with a few condiments and vegetable purees. But I am not a purist and have no problem tearing it up and tossing it with melon and tomatoes or topping a hot pizza with it.

  To my frustration, top-quality, real-deal burrata—burrata di bufala—is not yet available in the United States. This cheese is made from the milk of a water buffalo rather than an ordinary dairy cow. Super high in fat and very tender—and crazily perishable—it’s meant to be eaten almost as soon as it’s made. So while you’ll see imported burratas, they are, at best, off-tasting and often actually spoiled. I wait until I get to Italy to enjoy them, but I wish someone in the United States would figure out how to make domestic water buffalo mozzarella.

  Burrata needs no prep except to blot the liquid it comes in. If I’m using mozzarella in cooking, say in a baked dish, I will slice it, layer it between paper towels, and press it for a few minutes to squeeze out some of the water. I find this makes it less rubbery when melted. Both burrata and mozzarella should be served at room temperature, never actually cold.

  Ricotta, which means “re-cooked” in Italian, is a fine-curded cheese, a bit like cottage cheese. I mostly use it as a cooking ingredient, not a cheese to eat straight, though a bowl of pristine ricotta with a drizzle of honey can be a beautiful breakfast. I layer ricotta into my lasagnas, and I often whip it until it’s very fluffy and creamy, season it with herbs and olive oil, and then spread a generous layer as a base for vegetable salads. I love the way the rich dairy flavor dances with the bright salads. Ricotta needs to be drained, to concentrate the creamy flavor and make it less runny.

  I buy my fresh cheeses from Di Stefano in southern California (www.distefanocheese.com).

  Storage/Soft Cheeses Burrata, ricotta, and mozzarella are super perishable, so buy only what you need when you need it. Store them in their liquid in their original containers.

  Canned Tomato Products

  There are two kinds of tomatoes, each equally worthy: in-season fresh and canned. Canned tomato products come in several shapes, sizes, and consistencies, each one suited to a different purpose—adding acidity to a soup, body to a ragu, or sweetness to a sauce. At a minimum, you should have tomato paste and cans of whole peeled tomatoes on hand. Buying whole tomatoes is nice because you can control the final texture, from roughly chopped into pieces that stay intact to a smooth puree.

 
; I use canned tomatoes in quick pastas as well as long-cooked ragus. I also use them for soups and stews and for pizza. I am a fan of Muir Glen Organic Tomatoes for long-cooked dishes and Bianco DiNapoli for quick pizza and pasta dishes. Pay attention to the labels to be sure you’re not buying tomatoes with added herbs or other seasoning; you want pure tomato. For tomato paste, make your own conserva (see the recipe).

  Storage No trick here, just stack the cans on your pantry shelf! If you only use part of a can, put leftovers in a zip-top bag and pop into the freezer.

  Pickles

  Everybody loves pickles. Pickled carrots, pears, green beans, beets—so many variations in flavor, color, and texture. I keep pickles around for quick snacks, condiments, and for mixing into salsas, vinaigrettes, and simple sauces. Just as breadcrumbs add texture, a pickle tucked away in a sauce or salsa will open up the flavors of everything around it.

  I want you to make your own pickles (see “Pickles: Six Seasons in a Jar”), because not only is pickling satisfying and a wonderful way to preserve the harvest, but homemade pickles are also the best way to control the ingredients in your pickle. If home pickling isn’t right for you, store shelves are stocked with loads of interesting pickles, so acquire a variety.

  Storage Though pickles are preserved in brine, refrigerate them for safety and maximum crunch.

  Nuts

  Nuts are essential to my cooking. They add tremendous flavor, texture, depth, and visual appeal, and nuts are so, so good for you. My favorites are hazelnuts, almonds, cashews, and walnuts. And although I use raw vegetables, I rarely use raw nuts. I roast them first, then finely or coarsely chop them and scatter them over salads and pastas or mix them into salsas. I also make nut purees, such as in Pistachio Butter and as the base for Pine Nut Vinaigrette. A nut puree is incredibly rich and creamy and, of course, dairy-free.

  I roast nuts without oil, for a long time in a fairly low oven, 325° to 350°F. I like the cleaner flavor of an unoiled nut, and it leaves them more versatile for adding to other dishes. Almonds get special treatment—brining in salted water before they’re roasted.

  It’s as important for a nut to be perfectly fresh as it is for a leaf of lettuce or sprig of basil. Nuts aren’t as perishable as those delicate ingredients, but they don’t have as long a shelf life as you may think. This means it’s important to buy from a reputable vendor who has a high turnover. Bulk bins are fine when the store is well maintained and busy.

  Storage When I buy large quantities, I store them in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to a month or so. In the freezer they’ll last longer, though not more than six months. Even frozen, nuts can slowly become rancid. You don’t want to risk your whole dish by putting in even one nasty-tasting rancid nut. Use something heavier than a regular zip-top bag, because nuts—like all fatty ingredients—will absorb odors.

  Dried Fruit

  While dried fruit is a great snack, it finds its way into my cooking as well, in salads, salsas, vinaigrettes . . . anywhere I want a pop of bright sweet-tart flavor. I always have raisins, dried apricots, cranberries, figs, and dates on hand.

  Before using dried fruit I rehydrate it in a bowl of water with a splash of vinegar (otherwise it can be too dense and chewy). The vinegar heightens its natural acidity and helps the flavor blossom. Before soaking the fruit, cut it into whatever size you need.

  I buy dried fruit in large quantities. As with nuts, it’s good to buy it in the bulk sections of busy grocery stores. It’s also good to check farmers’ markets for dried fruit.

  Storage Kept in airtight containers in a cool place, dried fruit will last and last. Most is treated with sulfur, which is why it has such a long life and keeps its color. If you’re sensitive to sulfites, search out unsulfured fruit.

  Preserved Fish

  My larder shelves are always stocked with preserved fish in several forms: salt- or oil-packed anchovies, canned tuna, canned sardines, and salt cod. I add anchovies to salads, melt them in extra-virgin olive oil as a starter for pasta dishes, or add to marinades for grilling vegetables. A tube of anchovy paste is for when I’m lazy and just want to add a hit of umami, rather than full-frontal anchovy. Sardines and tuna on the shelf mean I can make quick pastas, dress a bowl of beans, make sauces, and top grilled breads. Salt cod is the only dried fish I use frequently; it requires advance prep, but once it’s soaked and refreshed, I’ll add it to soup, beans, or baked casserole dishes such as brandade.

  Salt-packed anchovies are flavorful and meaty, but require attention. Packed in big tins in salt, they are the whole fish—bones, fins, and all. To prep salt-packed anchovies, gently prise a few out of the salt, rinse well, and soak for a few minutes until fully tender. Blot dry, then pinch a fillet at the tail end and gently pull the two sides apart. Lift off the spine and scrape away the guts, fins, or bits of bone. Lay on paper towels to dry completely, then use immediately or cover with olive oil and refrigerate. Cover the remaining fish in the tin with more of the salt, so they aren’t exposed to air, and store in the fridge.

  Salt cod also needs prep beginning a full day before it’s used. To prep salt cod, rinse off surface salt, then soak in cool water for twenty-four hours, changing the water at least five times—you need to get rid of a lot of salt! Once the cod is de-salted, poach it gently in milk, broth, or water.

  For salt-packed anchovies, I prefer those from the Italian company Scalia; for oil-packed I like Ortiz, a company in Spain. Matiz, another Spanish brand, produces beautiful, meaty sardines. You’ll find these products at many good grocery stores and a number of online sources. My preference for tuna is naturally processed in its own juices, whether in a can or glass jar. I make sure the tuna comes from a sustainable fishery, as many tuna varieties are at risk of being overfished. Locally, that means albacore tuna caught off the Oregon and Washington coasts and packed by small fishing operations themselves. Wild Planet and American Tuna are widely distributed brands dedicated to sustainable tuna fishing. Salt cod can be seasonal, showing up at markets around Easter in particular. Italian markets are good sources.

  Storage Canned ingredients are little miracles that can sit on your shelves indefinitely. Salt-packed anchovies need to be refrigerated once opened; be sure to cover exposed anchovies with salt. Salt cod often comes in a little wooden box; keep cool and dry.

  Fish Sauce and Colatura

  Fish sauce, an Asian condiment made from salted and fermented anchovy-type fish, is one of my all-time favorite flavors. It smells awful (don’t spill it!), but the flavor of salty-sweet-umami elevates even the simplest dishes. Splash it into marinades, vinaigrettes, and killer dipping sauces for grilled meats and vegetables. (Make a batch of Spicy Fish-Sauce Sauce, and refrigerate at all times.) Red Boat is my go-to brand. It’s made according to a 200-year-old artisanal process and is so nicely balanced. Three Crabs brand is also good.

  Colatura di alici is an Italian fish sauce that’s a bit more refined. It is pricey, but worth it. It’s more concentrated than Asian fish sauce, so a little goes a long way. Used in a Caesar salad dressing, colatura can be life changing.

  Storage Unopened bottles of fish sauce or colatura can last a couple of years in the cupboard. Once opened, they’re best stored in the refrigerator. It’s not a question of actual spoilage; refrigeration just keeps the flavor fresher. Use an opened bottle within a year.

  Chiles: Dried, Pickled, and Preserved

  Chiles are primarily a fruit, not just spicy fireballs, and their fruity, floral character is welcome in my cooking. My larder always has a few types of dried whole or ground chiles, pickled chiles, and oil-preserved chiles.

  Of the dried chiles, chile de árbol is the most versatile. Dark red, two to three inches long, and warmly hot but not incendiary, árbols can be dropped whole into a pot of beans or a soup, or crushed and chopped into rough flakes, which I’ll pinch and drop into pastas, soups, salads, dressings . . . pretty much
anything but desserts. Crushed red pepper (dried chile flakes) from a store’s spice aisle are a perfectly good substitute for home-chopped, and if you can find Aleppo pepper or piment d’Espelette, try them and experiment with their individual characters.

  For cooked dishes, I “bloom” dried chile flakes in some olive oil during the first step of cooking, which softens them and coaxes out their flavors. For cold dishes such as salads, I sprinkle in chile flakes the way I use black pepper. Once you add acids such as lemon and vinegar, the chile flakes will also bloom and grow more dominant, so put in small amounts at first, and taste after a few minutes.

  I do like to make pickled chiles, but I also use good old salad-bar pepperoncini. They bring tang and just a touch of heat to many of my dishes. Oil-packed Calabrian chiles, which are fiery crimson Italian chiles, are fantastic in very simple salsas, pastas, ragus, and stews. And they’re dynamite in combination with nuts, breadcrumbs, and cheese. I also puree them and brush the puree on meats during grilling, or chop them up and toss them in vinaigrettes.

  Storage Dried chiles will last in your cupboard in an airtight bag, but pantry moths like chiles, so for longer storage, pop them into a zip-top bag and freeze them. Opened jars of pickled or preserved chiles need to stay in the fridge.

  Olives and Capers

  I make quick salsas with smashed olives and capers to sluice over everything from raw vegetable salads to grilled and roasted meats. You can’t beat classic brown butter with capers, parsley, and lemon. I’ll also grab a mix of olives and infuse them with extra-virgin olive oil, fennel seed, coriander, dried chiles, citrus zest, and whatever else sounds good.

  Olives

  The big green Cerignola olives are mellow and sweet, while the black Cerignola are even sweeter. Castelvetranos are shockingly green, and they taste that way, almost crunchy, with a fruity, bright, clean flavor. Taggiasca are small dark olives, similar to Niçoise; they are well balanced, maybe the perfect olive, and often pressed into olive oil. The familiar Kalamata is deep, earthy, and a little more bitter than the others, yet still really versatile.