RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—The problem: You're tired, you've had a busy day, and your family (or spouse, or grumbling stomach) is asking for dinner. The fix: a few pantry staples and a touch of creativity. Mix the two and you've got a great template for a nourishing quick and easy meal. There’s a lot of history behind the method; after all, Italian cooks have been doing it for centuries. It’s called cucina povera, meaning “the poor man’s kitchen." Cucina povera is all about making use of what’s already in the pantry to prepare deliciously simple, flavorful, and satisfying dishes. Rather than letting anything go to waste, try taking this time-tested approach from Italy’s home kitchens; with a few simple guidelines, you can turn often-overlooked ingredients into something spectacular, no recipes required.
The foundation of these meals is a well-stocked pantry. Have on hand a variety of dried or canned beans (Eden Organic brand, preferably, to avoid the harmful bisphenol A), an assortment of dried pastas, good extra-virgin olive oil, and canned fish, such as sardines or wild Alaskan salmon. When it comes to pantry veggies, it’s essential to have good-quality canned tomatoes on your shelf (to avoid BPA, look for tomatoes in glass jars); Italian ones are super-flavorful. Jars of capers and olives add tangy top notes, and onions, garlic, and dried herbs round out your dishes and give them depth.
Fill your fridge with copious amounts of sturdy local greens from the farmer’s market or produce aisle. Dark leafy greens, such as kale, cabbage, Swiss chard, and mustard and turnip greens, are packed with cancer-fighting antioxidants, as well as lutein and zeaxanthin that protect your eyes. And their texture is sturdy enough to add substance to your cucina povera creations. Buy them at your local farmer's market, and they're also likely to stay fresh all week long. Frozen greens will work well, too, in these recipes, and the bonus is reduced prep time—no washing or chopping. Just be sure to buy frozen organic greens without any added salt.
For some great cupboard combinations, we turned to chef Cathy Whims of Portland, Oregon’s Nostrana and the upcoming pizza restaurant Oven & Shaker, who serves cucina povera menus at her restaurants. Try her favorite ways to make delicious dishes out of humble ingredients, with no recipes required. When it comes to quantities, it’s quanto basta—as much as you like!
Salmon Bean Salad: Combine high-quality canned salmon or other canned fish, canned beans, red onion, some kind of pickle (if desired), really good quality olive oil, and red wine vinegar.
Pappa al Pomodoro Soup: Simmer canned tomatoes (ideally good Italian tomatoes), fresh sage, stale bread, garlic, and olive oil.
Ciabatta and Bean Soup: Simmer beans, onion, garlic, your choice of greens (kale, Swiss chard, cabbage, or spinach), and stale ciabatta bread.
Black Cabbage Soup: Boil black cabbage (also called black kale) and reserve the cooking water to use as your broth; sauté garlic in olive oil, toast some stale bread to make bruschetta, and pour everything over the bruschetta.
Pasta con Pane Grattugiato: Top spaghetti with dried bread crumbs, sautéed garlic, olive oil, and fresh parsley or dried oregano.
Italian Kitchen Pantry Pasta: Top farfalle (butterfly-shaped pasta) with a sauce made of sautéed sun-dried tomatoes, currants, garlic, capers, olives, anchovies and/or tuna, and olive oil.