Your Spice Rack Is the Only Thing You Need to Make These Easy Vegetarian Recipes
From side dish to star component, Erin Alderson inspires us to dive into a flavor-forward world of dried ingredients.
Excerpted with permission from The Yearlong Pantry by Erin Alderson, published by Hardie Grant Publishing, 2024. Photographs by Erin Scott.
When it comes to navigating the depths of your kitchen cabinets, you might feel more confused than inspired. To help remedy this pantry paralysis, vegetarian cook and author Erin Alderson takes us on a deliciously delightful adventure in her new The Yearlong Pantry: Bright, Bold Vegetarian Recipes to Transform Everyday Staples (Hardie Grant; $35), in which pantry staples become a playground of plant-based possibilities. Equal parts experimentation guide and cookbook, Erin gives grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds a bit of seasonal wonder with a California-inspired twist.
Photo courtesy of Erin Alderson
Erin’s website Naturallyella.com and her self-published zine Cook Casual turned me on to her diverse palate, unexpected combinations, and unique layering of ingredients. Her recipes inspire me to both use and preserve vegetables fresh from the garden while also incorporating forgotten pantry staples into my cooking in new ways.
The Yearlong Pantry was created to expand the familiarity of flavor profiles, encouraging home cooks to try new ingredients. Erin’s hope is to encourage people to think beyond the obvious and to move side dishes to center stage; to grill beans, pickle grains, and turn nuts into creamy dips! This cookbook proves that the more you play and explore, the more you’re able to build your pantry into an arsenal that’s bold and not boring. Here, Erin shares a few radiant recipes perfect for winter that will have you reimagining your stockpile of dry goods on your way to building pantry perfection.
Get the Book
Excerpted with permission from ‘The Yearlong Pantry’ by Erin Alderson, Published by Hardie Grant Publishing, 2024. Photographs by Erin Scott.
Curating the Cupboard
Excerpted with permission from ‘The Yearlong Pantry’ by Erin Alderson, published by Hardie Grant Publishing, 2024. Photographs by Erin Scott.
Erin shares her start-up strategy to create a limitless larder.
Cataloging Is Key
Erin borrows a trick from professional kitchens and keeps an inventory list on a piece of paper taped to the inside of her cabinet and on an Excel spreadsheet that can be tapped into from the grocery store. The last thing any of us needs is yet another bag of Rancho Gordo beans left to expire in the back of the abyss.
Nutrition in Numbers
When it comes to starting your dry goods journey, Erin recommends keeping five or so varieties each of grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds on hand to allow you to make a wide range of plant-based meals. Feeling overstocked and overwhelmed? Pare that down and focus on one pearled grain, such as barley or emmer, a medium-size bean, such as pinto or black beans, and a useful nut, such as peanuts or almonds. This combination allows for a lot of explorative cooking while still being an easy and satisfying place to start within the book.
Excerpted with permission from ‘The Yearlong Pantry’ by Erin Alderson, published by Hardie Grant Publishing, 2024. Photographs by Erin Scott.
Garden to Galley
It’s no surprise that Erin’s inspiration stems from the food she grows in her own garden. Getting to know your ingredients in a more intimate way will expand your creativity while providing access to fresh spices and legumes, which have a much fuller flavor and texture. Erin’s journey cultivating her own food has expanded from growing heirloom vegetables to harvesting and processing her own wheat, inspiring us to cultivate our own plot-to-pantry lifestyle.
Seasoning School
Pantry-forward cooking invites big flavors. In addition to grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds, Erin encourages cooks to experiment with a number of vinegars, oils, spices, dried chiles, and fermented sauces to bring dishes to life. She also suggests using her recipes as guides and to embrace your inner child, allowing yourself to push boundaries while learning what tastes good to you by experimenting on small portions first—even if it means overdoing it on the first try.
Make Magic from Your Own Pantry
Sesame-Gochujang Cauliflower Lettuce Wraps
In the realm of fermented foods, especially grain- and soybean-based ones, gochujang is one product that has Erin’s heart. The balance of sweet, savory, and heat is a winning combination. Perfect for satisfying a craving for something fresh-feeling during the cooler months.
Lentil Croquettes with Za’atar and Labneh
This croquette recipe was inspired by a love for happy hour and the fresh Syrian oregano Erin grows and uses to make her own za’atar blend.
Pipián Rojo–Braised Winter Squash
Erin finds squash to be one of the “meatier” vegetables that can really hold its own in a rich sauce. Her favorite combination is kabocha squash with a hearty mole. While a truly good mole is a labor of love and time, this Pipián Rojo is an adjacent, flavor-packed sauce that really shows the power of seeds but is not as technically involved.
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