Home Chef. Neven Maguire
Garlic
Onions
Potatoes
Celery
Carrots
Oranges and lemons
Bread: soft flour tortillas; sliced bread; longer-life part-baked breads such as Italian ciabatta
Bottles and jars
Sunflower oil
Olive oil
Extra virgin olive oil
Toasted sesame oil
Duck/goose fat
White wine and red wine vinegar
Balsamic vinegar
Soy sauce (light and dark)
Tomato ketchup
Wholegrain and Dijon mustard
Worcestershire sauce
Tabasco sauce
Sweet chilli sauce
Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
Sun-dried tomato paste
Tomato purée
Roasted red peppers
Horseradish sauce
Capers
Mayonnaise
Clear honey
Nutella
Toffee sauce
Jam
Vanilla extract (not essence)
Wine: red; white; sherry; port; brandy
In the fridge
Milk
Eggs
Butter
Double cream, crème fraîche and Greek yoghurt
Mascarpone cheese
Parmesan
Mature Cheddar
Smoked streaky bacon
Parma ham Wild rocket
Chilli Jam (for homemade, see page 215)
Red Onion Marmalade (for homemade, see page 209)
Port and Balsamic Syrup (for homemade, see page 214)
In the freezer
As well as buying ready-frozen items, I like to freeze these handy time-savers:
Root ginger: much easier to grate when frozen. Peel 2.5cm (1in) pieces and wrap in freezer film before freezing
Herbs: leftover fresh herbs can be put in strong plastic bags and stored in the freezer. They’re ready for cooking with at any time, so when you need them, just pull off a handful and crumble into the pan – no need to chop
Bread: most bread freezes very well, particularly in individual slices ready for putting straight into the toaster
Stock: freeze stocks in 600ml (1 pint) rigid plastic containers and allow to thaw before using
Galangal, kaffir lime leaves and curry leaves: freeze any leftovers in small strong plastic bags and use straight from the freezer
Garden peas
Vanilla ice cream
Pastry: puff, shortcrust, filo and kataifi (for more info see pages 70 and 216)
Spring roll wrappers
Wonton wrappers
Dried goods
Baking powder
Bicarbonate of soda
Flours: plain, strong plain, self-raising and wholemeal
Dried yeast sachets
Spaghetti
Pasta shapes e.g. penne / tagliatelle (I prefer the De Cecco brand)
Egg noodles
Rice: long grain, basmati, risotto and organic brown
Couscous
White beans, such as haricot
Polenta
Dried mixed wild mushrooms
Popcorn kernels
Digestive biscuits
Plain chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids)
Sugar: caster, light muscovado and icing
Stock cubes (The Kallo brand are good and also low in salt)
Maldon sea salt
Herbs and spices: black peppercorns, ground cumin, coriander, paprika, cinnamon, Chinese five-spice, cayenne, dried chilli flakes, curry powder and paste, cloves, saffron and vanilla pods
Dried fruit: raisins/sultanas, apricots, prunes
Nuts: flaked almonds, pine nuts and pecan nuts
Sesame seeds
Fresh Herbs
Herbs contribute hugely to my enjoyment of food. I use them to add scent, flavour and colour to almost every dish that I produce in the kitchen. It’s hard to imagine cooking without them. The flavour of each herb comes from the essential oils stored in its leaves, stems and flowers, which are released as the leaf is cut, torn or heated. To illustrate this, pick a leaf of basil, sage or tarragon and crush between your fingers. Notice how much more pungent and powerful the smell becomes. I’d like to say I grow all my own herbs, but I am lucky enough to have two local organic growers who deliver to me regularly. They pick the herbs at about 6.30am, when the plants are holding the most moisture. However, I do grow some mint in the garden and always have a pot of basil on the windowsill in my kitchen. Always add chopped herbs right at the end of the cooking or they will discolour and their flavour may change. I keep herbs in a bowl of water until the last minute to prevent them wilting.
Basil
No other herb brings the flavour of Mediterranean cooking into your kitchen in quite the same way. Its warm, spicy smell and flavour livens up a tomato salad, or it can be pounded with Parmesan, pine nuts and olive oil to make pesto (see page 208). If you are using it raw, it is better to shred the leaves by hand as this helps retain the flavour. There are several varieties: sweet, which I cook with; purple for garnishing; Napolina, which has leaves nearly the size of your hand and is best for pesto; and Thai holy basil (basil in name only, as not technically from the same family), which is perfect in oriental dishes.
Bay leaves
The strong and distinctive flavour of bay is best released by lengthy cooking. It is part of the classic bouquet garni. We use bay leaves in court-bouillon (see page 34), stocks (see pages 218-19), casseroles and pot roasts.
Chervil
Its delicate anise flavour is ideal in salads, soups, stews and sauces. Use in any recipe calling for ‘fines herbes’, and with white meat. Excellent in herb butter. Avoid prolonged cooking