This probably has been covered somewhere, but I've been Googling around on
the Web and in Usenet for a few hours and haven't found it.

I'm cooking for one. I've found some stuff on that -- here and elsewhere --,
but it's not quite what I'm looking for.

I am very rigid in my thinking, aka anal retentive. What I am trying to find
is something like this:

1. Here are the (making up the numbers) 5 dry spices you need. (garlic
powder, ... )
2. Here are the 5 condiments you need. (mustard, ... )
3. Using this stuff you can make one of the following 50 main course
dishes.

TIA,

P.S.
Btw, it seems like all good cooks prefer fresh spices to powdered, but when
I am cooking for one and buy, say, a thingy of parsley I end up using a
small fraction, watch the rest rot and have to throw the rest away. Is there
a workaround for this?

GinoK wrote:
>
> This probably has been covered somewhere, but I've been Googling around on
> the Web and in Usenet for a few hours and haven't found it.
>
> I'm cooking for one. I've found some stuff on that -- here and elsewhere --,
> but it's not quite what I'm looking for.
>
> I am very rigid in my thinking, aka anal retentive. What I am trying to find
> is something like this:
>
> 1. Here are the (making up the numbers) 5 dry spices you need. (garlic
> powder, ... )
> 2. Here are the 5 condiments you need. (mustard, ... )
> 3. Using this stuff you can make one of the following 50 main course
> dishes.
>
> TIA,
>
> P.S.
> Btw, it seems like all good cooks prefer fresh spices to powdered, but when
> I am cooking for one and buy, say, a thingy of parsley I end up using a
> small fraction, watch the rest rot and have to throw the rest away. Is there
> a workaround for this?


Google for the thread "stocking the spice cabinet".

http://www.google.com/groups?q=group...UTF-8&filter=0

K.


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GinoK wrote:

> Btw, it seems like all good cooks prefer fresh spices to powdered, but when
> I am cooking for one and buy, say, a thingy of parsley I end up using a
> small fraction, watch the rest rot and have to throw the rest away. Is there
> a workaround for this?


Sure. Frozen herb cubes.

Buy a bunch of parsley. Chop it by hand or in the cuisinart or blender.
Add enough wine to cover. Freeze in ice cube trays. Remove to a
sealed plastic bag. With the next bunch, use vinegar instead of wine.
Label the bags.

Every recipe will benefit from either wine (tomato sauce, beef
bourginonne) or vinegar (marinated mushrooms, salad dressing).

This works with tarragon, dill, basil, and most other green herbs.

--Lia

"GinoK" wrote in message
ink.net...

> I'm cooking for one. I've found some stuff on that -- here and
elsewhere --,
> but it's not quite what I'm looking for.
>
> I am very rigid in my thinking, aka anal retentive. What I am trying to
find
> is something like this:
>
> 1. Here are the (making up the numbers) 5 dry spices you need. (garlic
> powder, ... )
> 2. Here are the 5 condiments you need. (mustard, ... )
> 3. Using this stuff you can make one of the following 50 main course
> dishes.

It seems as though you believe that cooking/eating should be treated like
some sort of manufacturing exercise. It just isn't that way.

I live by myself and here's what I do:

I buy spices/herbs/seasonings as I need them. There is no magic formula for
what makes a properly stocked pantry. It depends mostly on your taste. With
a few exceptions, I buy in as small a quantity as I can, especially with
spices/herbs.

I feed my neighbors. I could eat the same thing over and over again, but
that gets boring and doesn't feed my cooking jones. When I give food away to
my neighbors the minor expense to me, which otherwise might be waste, is far
exceeded by the payback I get in friendship.I'll invite them over for dinner
or give them the leftovers of something that came out particularly good. I
give away more bread than I keep. It may cost me a few pennies, but it is
money well spent.

I go food shopping just about every day. I try to buy what I need just for
the meal I'm making and nothing more. If something I need comes in a larger
quantity than I need at the time, I try to plan a meal in the near future
that will include it as an ingredient. Maybe a pay a little more because I
don't buy some things in bulk, but I cut down on waste.

> Btw, it seems like all good cooks prefer fresh spices to powdered, but
when
> I am cooking for one and buy, say, a thingy of parsley I end up using a
> small fraction, watch the rest rot and have to throw the rest away. Is
there
> a workaround for this?

You'll never get completely away from having some waste. I just try to
minimize it.

-Mike

"GinoK" > wrote in message
ink.net...
> This probably has been covered somewhere, but I've been Googling around on
> the Web and in Usenet for a few hours and haven't found it.
>
> I'm cooking for one. I've found some stuff on that -- here and
elsewhere --,
> but it's not quite what I'm looking for.
>
> I am very rigid in my thinking, aka anal retentive. What I am trying to
find
> is something like this:
>
> 1. Here are the (making up the numbers) 5 dry spices you need. (garlic
> powder, ... )
> 2. Here are the 5 condiments you need. (mustard, ... )
> 3. Using this stuff you can make one of the following 50 main course
> dishes.
>
> TIA,
>
> P.S.
> Btw, it seems like all good cooks prefer fresh spices to powdered, but
when
> I am cooking for one and buy, say, a thingy of parsley I end up using a
> small fraction, watch the rest rot and have to throw the rest away. Is
there
> a workaround for this?
>
>
>
IMHO - Salt and pepper, of course. Garlic is a must - powder, not salt. I
also would keep some seasoned salt and seasoned pepper on hand. Works great
sprinkled over meat before cooking - I love that little zing as it cooks
into the meat. I also keep some dried parsley and oregano on hand. The
die-hards will say that you should NEVER use dried herbs, but IMHO I see
nothing wrong with it - if it simmers a bit in the sauce, it's fine.

I would always keep butter, mayo, catsup, mustard, and lemon juice on hand.
I also keep a jar of prepared diced garlic in the fridge. Sometimes I don't
want to take the time to crush fresh garlic, and this works okay. (I know
I'll hear from someone on that!) I'll also keep a small bottle of Magi and
Kitchen Bouquet in the pantry.

Beyond that, follow the advice of someone else that said they buy their
spices as they need them. It's a good way to stock up your pantry. Start
with some basics and expand as necessary.

On Sun, 07 Dec 2003 00:59:34 GMT, "GinoK" > wrote:

>I am very rigid in my thinking, aka anal retentive. What I am trying to find
>is something like this:
>
>1. Here are the (making up the numbers) 5 dry spices you need. (garlic
>powder, ... )

Extensive thread on this. Another poster kindly supplied the reference

>2. Here are the 5 condiments you need. (mustard, ... )

I believe this was included

>3. Using this stuff you can make one of the following 50 main course
>dishes.

No can do. Cooking isn't this rigid. You might be interested in
looking up "5 ingredient" or "3 ingredient" recipes or cookbooks.

The bottom line is that one person's 'essential' is another's 'never
use.' Most here would say garlic was essential -- usually fresh. If
you don't like garlic, it won't be on *your* list.

>Btw, it seems like all good cooks prefer fresh spices to powdered, but when
>I am cooking for one and buy, say, a thingy of parsley I end up using a
>small fraction, watch the rest rot and have to throw the rest away. Is there
>a workaround for this?

Grow your own. There was a nifty recipe here some time ago for a
simple pasta dish that used mostly parsley (a lot) and olive oil. I
think. You can try freezing. However, it *is* a common problem. Dried
parsely is (sort of) ok when it's cooked *into* a dish, but for say,
parsley-butter sauce for fish, fresh is necessary.

"GinoK" > wrote in message link.net>...
> This probably has been covered somewhere, but I've been Googling around on
> the Web and in Usenet for a few hours and haven't found it.
>
> I'm cooking for one. I've found some stuff on that -- here and elsewhere --,
> but it's not quite what I'm looking for.
>
> I am very rigid in my thinking, aka anal retentive. What I am trying to find
> is something like this:
>
> 1. Here are the (making up the numbers) 5 dry spices you need. (garlic
> powder, ... )
> 2. Here are the 5 condiments you need. (mustard, ... )
> 3. Using this stuff you can make one of the following 50 main course
> dishes.
>
> TIA,
>
> P.S.
> Btw, it seems like all good cooks prefer fresh spices to powdered, but when
> I am cooking for one and buy, say, a thingy of parsley I end up using a
> small fraction, watch the rest rot and have to throw the rest away. Is there
> a workaround for this?


Do you eat salad? I often treat parsley as salad greens. It's strong
flavored (for salad), so you'd want it to augment regular lettuce with it
rather than use it alone--probably no more than 25% of the salad should be
parsley.

The principle works for other herbs, but the percentages should be even
lower. Salad enhanced with parsley, cilantro, and mint, dressed with
a lemon-juice based dressing is very good.

Cindy Hamilton

"GinoK" wrote:
>
>I am cooking for one and buy, say, a thingy of parsley I end up using a
>small fraction, watch the rest rot and have to throw the rest away. Is
>there a workaround for this?

Search: <parsley recipes>

1 of 15201
http://www.jacobsfarm.com/parsley.html

LINGUINE WITH PARSLEY-PECAN PESTO SAUCE
An excellent twist on a favorite sauce

1/2 cup pecans
2 cups packed fresh flat-leafed parsley leaves
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan (about 1 1/2 ounces)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound linguine

Preheat oven to 350°F. On a baking sheet toast pecans in one layer in middle
of oven until fragrant and one shade darker, about 7 minutes. Cool pecans and
in a blender purée with parsley, Parmesan, lemon juice, and oil. Parsley-pecan
pesto may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. In a 6-quart kettle bring 5
quarts salted water to a boil for linguine. Cook pasta in boiling water until
al dente and ladle out and reserve 1 1/2 cups pasta cooking water. Drain pasta
in a colander and in kettle toss with pesto, 1 cup reserved pasta cooking
water, and salt and pepper to taste, adding as much of remaining €š cup pasta
cooking water as necessary for desired consistency. Serves 4 to 6.
---

SICILIAN FISH STEW WITH TOMATO AND PARSLEY
Serve with good crusty bread to soak up the juices

6 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
2/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 cup chopped tomato ( about 1 medium)
1 1/3 cups cold water
2/3 cup dry white wine
2 pounds mixed fish fillets (such as sea bass, shark, orange roughy,
cod and snapper), cut into 2-inch pieces

Heat olive oil in heavy large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add
chopped onion and garlic and sauté 4 minutes. Add parsley and stir 2 minutes.
Add tomato and cook 2 minutes longer. Add 1 1/3 cups cold water and dry white
wine and simmer until fish is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Season stew to
taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and serve. Serves 4.
---


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