Common Provisions
After the Feast, Part 2
What is common provision? I recently heard the phrase used in the context of social safety nets. But hearing it made my mind go immediately to making the most of what we have on hand. Like anything stashed in our cupboards, fridge, or freezer. What was once called a larder—cool, dry places to store food.
This year I introduced two seasonal cooking workshops at a regional folk school. I tagged them “modern pantry” classes, running in the summer and fall. Also hard to define, I think of a modern pantry as a nod to the concept of what’s old is new again. We explored far ranging methods of transforming the harvest of gardens, foraged wild foods, or farmers market bounty into condiments, preserves, pickles, and jars of fermented stuff that enhance meals. Ready and waiting, at your fingertips for whatever you deem important staples for your cooking.
There’s elbow grease & patience required to make your own pantry staples—that broth I hope you made after Thanksgiving qualifies, waiting in the freezer for the next feast or winter soup. But you may be lucky enough to be gifted the creative efforts of other makers. A jar of Armagnac plum jam, a bottle of herb & garlic (or my mom’s favorite cranberry-rosemary) vinegar, some vibrant elderberry syrup to splash into cocktails, or a lavender-infused liquor. But your pantry can be just the basics—cans of cooked beans and tomatoes, canisters of rices and other grains, bottles of good oils. Or more exotic items found in global markets, usually grabbed to make a new recipe. A pantry can explode like a family of rabbits (how many jars of mustard do you need?) My own pantry shelves hold stacks of dry goods, in very cozy style, that I need to cull periodically.
We’re all victims of our condiment acquisitions, which topple from inside the doors of our fridges. Or the far reaches of the top shelf. So I challenge you to do a deep dive (and maybe cleaning) in the next few weeks, tapping into your own bounty for quick suppers or impromptu get-togethers. Here’s a dish I really like, a nice antidote to some of the richer foods on holiday menus. Don’t be wary of the ingredient list—you probably have many of them on hand!
LEMONGRASS MUSHROOM-CHICKEN LETTUCE WRAPS
Serves 6 as an appetizer
for mushroom-chicken filling
2 cups (2 ounces) dried mixed mushrooms
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
2 tablespoons finely chopped lemongrass (from the tender, fleshier inner part from the lower part of the stalks)
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon grated fresh gingerroot
1 lb. boneless/skinless chicken thighs
1 tablespoon tamari or coconut aminos
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame sauce
Cracked black pepper to taste
1/3 cup sliced green onions
for the sauce
½ cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons tamari or coconut aminos 1 tablespoon grated fresh gingerroot
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce or hot pepper sauce (such as Sriracha)
2 small heads butter or Bibb lettuce, broken into individual leaves
Fresh torn cilantro or mint leaves, bean sprouts, or shredded carrot to taste
Fresh lime wedges, if you’d like
DIRECTIONS
1. Just cover the mushrooms with warm tap water in a medium bowl; let stand for 20 to 30 minutes or until plumped and softened. Scoop the mushrooms out, squeezing out any excess water. Finely chop them and strain the soaking liquid through a double-folded piece of cheesecloth or clean coffee filter.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the lemongrass and half of the garlic for 2 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms; sauté for 2 minutes, then pour in the mushroom soaking liquid. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and continue cooking until all the liquid is nearly evaporated. Scrape the mushrooms into a medium bowl.
3. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the skillet over medium heat. Sauté the remaining garlic and ginger for 1 minute. Add the chicken thighs to the pan; sauté 8 to 10 minutes, turning once, until no longer pink in center. Remove pan & chop into bite-size pieces. Return to the skillet.
4. Stir in 1 tablespoon tamari, fish sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, cracked pepper, and green onions, along with the mushroom mixture. Heat through.
5. Meanwhile, for the serving sauce, mix the hoisin, vinegar, 2 tablespoons tamari, 1 tablespoon ginger, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, and the chili garlic sauce in a small dish.
6. To serve, spoon the chicken-mushroom mixture into a bowl. Arrange the lettuce leaves on a plate or tray with the dish of dipping sauce. Each person can spoon some of the chicken and mushrooms into a lettuce leaf, topped with some cilantro, a squeeze of lime, and a spoonful of sauce.
Cook’s Tip: Make the chicken mixture and dipping sauce up to a day ahead. Gently reheat the chicken before serving.