From the Pantry: Boatloads of chili crisp, chickpea pancakes, and more

Ideas for what to cook in the week ahead, inspired by my (actual, chaotic) home pantry

Welcome to another edition of From The Pantry, where I share a few ideas for what to cook in the week ahead, inspired by all the shit I’m always trying to use up from my very full, very chaotic home pantry. This series will always be free to all subscribers and non-subscribers (though hopefully you are a subscriber?). FYI these are not sponsored product placements, nor do I earn income from anything you purchase via links in this newsletter.)

Hi and welcome to another edition of From The Pantry, a free newsletter I send out every Sunday night to spark ideas for what to cook in the week ahead. Paid subscribers know this past week has been all about cleaning out the freezer, which feels like I’ve unearthed all these secret goodies to add a bit more intrigue to pantry cooking for the next few weeks.

Anyway, let’s get to it. Here’s what I’m cooking from the pantry right now:

A crispy chickpea pancake topped with a big salad
Hands-down the best thing I cooked this week was this personal-size chickpea pancake topped with a big, lemony escarole salad with shaved Parm, lots of cracked black pepper, and parsley leaves, plus crispy chickpeas tossed with lots of finely chopped parsley. I keep a bag of Bob’s Red Mill chickpea flour in the pantry with the express purpose of making these savory pancakes, which are an excellent thing to make when you have no idea what to eat for lunch/dinner. The batter couldn’t be easier: equal parts chickpea flour and water, a bloop of olive oil, and a good pinch of salt whisked together and left to sit for 30 minutes so the flour hydrates and the pancake doesn’t cook up all gritty (I used ½ cup each chickpea flour and water for this version). Heat plenty of olive oil in a small skillet until very hot, pour in the batter, let it set for a minute, then transfer to a 450°F oven to finish cooking for 8-10 minutes. Turn it out and top as desired (roasted vegetables, garlicky sautéed greens, or a big leafy salad like this one are all good options).

---

---

Mapo tofu with all the chili crisp
Months ago, I flagged a bunch of recipes in the beautiful pages of The Book of Sichuan Chili Crisp by Jing Gao, the founder of the cult favorite brand Fly By Jing. The book is truly stunning, and I finally got around to cooking out of it this weekend with some classic mapo tofu (using that ground pork I found in the freezer lol). The recipe naturally calls for a hefty amount of chili oil and Fly By Jing Sichuan chili crisp, and because I seem to have no fewer than three jars of this chili crisp in the house at all times, it was a welcome opportunity to use some up. Perfect meal with multigrain rice and steamed vegetables.

Cabbage and shrimp okonomiyaki; cabbage and sausage stir-fry

One cabbage, two meals
One of these days I will write about the importance of what I refer to as “pantry produce,” which is the kind of produce that keeps for so long it can/should effectively be treated as a pantry item. Case in point: cabbage, the king of pantry produce, which in my experience has lasted as long as three weeks in the fridge. I made cabbage and shrimp okonomiyaki for a cabbage-themed potluck (topped with all-important Kewpie mayo and Bulldog sauce), a hot sausage and cabbage stir-fry with garlic and ginger a couple of nights later, and I still have half a head leftover. Nothing makes me feel more fridge-rich than a hunk of cabbage in the crisper.

That’s all for this week! See you later this week for the usual Gentle Foods dispatch.

–Chaey