BON APPETIT- EASY PANTRY MEALS DURING QUARANTINE

I took the challenge from my supervisor to put my culinary skills to the test but with a twist – cook a meal using pantry staples that most of us have during these cabin fever days of self isolation. Opting for the immediacy of online recipes tailored for home cooks during these quaratine times, I left my trusted cooking books on the shelf for another day.  My first take away – I’m a visual learner so I was disappointed to find  that few chefs or bloggers post videos opting instead for pretty pictures with accompanying recipes. But there are some delightful exceptions.  Candian chef  Antoni Porowski posts daily ‘quarantine’ recipes from his kitchen. His basic recipes are easy to follow and he’ll definitely make you chuckle more than once. Popular TV Chef Michael Symon is doing the same.  Canadian food coumnist Lucy Waverman is posting her tried and ested recipies along with tips to give life to boring leftovers.

I settled on gnocci, side caesar salad  and of course, a glass of my stockpiled red wine with recipes shared below.

Personal note: growing up in a very large family, we always ate dinner together with no distractions of phones or TV. Just food and conversation. In these anxious times, I’m finding comfort in doing this again.

Chef Antoni Porowski Instagram

Chef Michael Symon Instagram

Lucy Waverman Twitter

Potato Gnocci recipe ( use less flour )

Sauce: a jar of pre-made sauce is fine, but once you discover how easy it is to make a good quality sauce using jar of strained tomatoes and throw in spices. I use Mutti brand.

Caesar Salad Recipe  ( simple, fresh and will always wow your guests )

Dessert: simple apple crumble with old bruised apples, flour, oatmeal and butter. It was consumed before I took a pic ! Find many easy recipes online.