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A shared cookbook

Tuesday Night
Pantry.

Twelve recipes I actually cook. No nonna. No olive grove. No newsletter popup. Cook any of them straight from this page, no app required.

12 recipes 3 chapters Curated by Kyle Last cooked Apr 28
About this book Every recipe in here got cooked at least four times in my own kitchen before it landed in this Book. The matches show what percent of each recipe is in my pantry tonight, but on your phone it shows yours. Tap a card to expand the recipe inline. No paywall, no signup.
Chapter 01

If the chicken's defrosted, cook this.

Four ways through a thigh. None of them require a special pan, a stand mixer, or a trip to the store. Twenty to forty minutes start to finish.

Filipino100%

Eggplant Adobo

Soy, vinegar, garlic, eggplant turning glossy in a dark pan.

35 m4 servings$1.80/srv
Italian83%

Spaghetti Bolognese

Grated onion, slow simmer, parmesan grated last. Allergen sub: oat for dairy.

1 h 10 m4 servings$2.08/srv
Canadian92%

Chicken & Bean Quesadillas

Crispy edges, melty middle, salsa verde on top. Freezes well.

25 m10 servings$0.25/srv
Thai76%

Pad Krapow Gai

Holy basil, fish sauce, jasmine rice, fried egg crowning the plate.

20 m2 servings$3.40/srv

Ingredients

  • 2 large eggplants, cubed
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/3 cup white vinegar
  • 6 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
  • 2 tbsp neutral oil
  • Steamed jasmine rice, to serve

Method

  1. Heat oil in a heavy pan over medium-high. Sear eggplant cubes in two batches until deeply browned on at least two sides. Set aside.
  2. Drop garlic into the same pan. Cook 30 seconds until fragrant.
  3. Pour in soy sauce and vinegar. Add bay leaves and peppercorns. Bring to a simmer.
  4. Return eggplant to the pan. Reduce heat, simmer 12 minutes, turning occasionally. Sauce thickens and coats.
  5. Spoon over rice. Eat hot.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground beef chuck
  • 1 yellow onion, finely diced
  • 2 carrots, finely diced
  • 2 stalks celery, finely diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup whole milk (or oat milk for dairy-free swap)
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 28 oz canned San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand
  • 1 lb fresh tagliatelle or dried spaghetti
  • Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated, to finish

Method

  1. Cook the soffritto (onion, carrot, celery) in olive oil over medium-low until softened, about 12 minutes.
  2. Add ground beef. Break it up. Cook until no pink remains and a fond starts to build.
  3. Pour in milk. Reduce until almost dry. Repeat with white wine.
  4. Add tomatoes. Simmer uncovered, lowest heat, 1 hour. Stir every 15 minutes.
  5. Cook pasta in salted water. Reserve a cup of pasta water. Toss pasta into sauce, add a splash of pasta water, finish with parmesan.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups shredded cooked chicken (rotisserie works)
  • 1 can black beans, drained, rinsed
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella (or lower-fat mozzarella)
  • 10 large flour tortillas
  • 1 cup salsa verde
  • 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp salt
  • Neutral oil for the pan

Method

  1. Mix chicken, beans, half the cheese, and the spices in a bowl.
  2. Spread filling on half of each tortilla. Top with remaining cheese. Fold in half.
  3. Heat a dry pan over medium. Brush with a little oil. Cook quesadillas 2-3 minutes per side until golden, cheese melted.
  4. Cut in wedges. Serve with salsa verde.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground chicken (or pork)
  • 1 cup holy basil leaves (or sweet basil)
  • 4 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 4 Thai bird's eye chiles, sliced
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • Steamed jasmine rice + 2 fried eggs to serve

Method

  1. Pound garlic and chiles to a rough paste in a mortar.
  2. Heat a wok over high. Add oil. Add garlic-chile paste. Stir 15 seconds.
  3. Add ground chicken. Stir-fry, breaking up, until cooked through and a little crisp.
  4. Add fish sauce, oyster sauce, sugar. Toss.
  5. Off heat: stir in basil. Serve over rice with the fried eggs on top.
Chapter 02

Tonight's pantry, nothing fresh.

Four recipes that never need a grocery run. Dry goods, canned things, frozen vegetables. The ones that show up on Tuesdays when the fridge is bare.

Italian100%

Aglio e Olio

Garlic, chili, parsley, the best 12 minutes of any pantry week.

15 m2 servings$0.85/srv
Indian88%

Dal Tadka

Yellow lentils, tempered with cumin, mustard seed, garlic. Comfort in a bowl.

40 m4 servings$1.10/srv
Mexican75%

Sopa de Frijoles

Black bean soup, smoky, finished with lime and crumbled cheese.

30 m4 servings$1.40/srv
American95%

Skillet Cornbread

Cast iron, butter pre-melted, edges crisp, middle still tender.

30 m8 servings$0.40/srv

Ingredients

  • 1 lb spaghetti
  • 1/2 cup good olive oil
  • 8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 1 tsp red chili flakes
  • 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
  • Salt, generously

Method

  1. Boil pasta in heavily salted water. Reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining.
  2. While pasta cooks, warm oil in a wide pan over low. Add garlic. Cook slowly, never browning, until softened and fragrant.
  3. Add chili flakes. Off heat for 30 seconds.
  4. Add drained pasta to the pan with a splash of pasta water. Toss vigorously to emulsify.
  5. Stir in parsley. Plate. Eat immediately.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup yellow split peas (toor dal), rinsed
  • 3 cups water
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp ghee or neutral oil
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 fresh chili, sliced (optional)

Method

  1. Simmer dal with water, turmeric, and salt in a covered pot until tender, 25-30 minutes.
  2. Heat ghee in a small pan. Add cumin and mustard seeds. When they pop, add garlic, onion, and chili.
  3. Cook tempering 4-5 minutes until onion is soft and garlic is golden.
  4. Pour the tempering over the dal. Simmer combined for 5 minutes.
  5. Serve with rice or flatbread.

Ingredients

  • 2 cans black beans, with their liquid
  • 1 white onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 chipotle in adobo, chopped, plus 1 tsp adobo sauce
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 lime
  • Crumbled queso fresco or feta
  • Cilantro, chopped

Method

  1. Sauté onion in oil until soft, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, cook 1 minute.
  2. Add cumin, chipotle, adobo sauce. Toast 30 seconds.
  3. Add beans (with liquid) and broth. Simmer 15 minutes.
  4. Blend half the soup, return to pot. Or leave fully chunky.
  5. Finish with lime juice. Serve topped with cheese and cilantro.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F with a 10-inch cast iron skillet inside.
  2. Whisk dry ingredients in one bowl. Whisk eggs and buttermilk in another. Combine wet into dry until just mixed.
  3. Carefully remove hot skillet. Add 2 tbsp butter, swirl to coat.
  4. Stir remaining melted butter into batter. Pour into hot skillet.
  5. Bake 22-25 minutes until top is golden and edges pull from the sides.
  6. Cool 5 minutes. Cut in wedges. Serve warm.
Chapter 03

If you're going to drink, drink right.

Four cocktails. Two from before Prohibition, two from this century. Not impressive, just good. The kind you make for one person on a Wednesday.

1908 · Boothby82%

Scotch, Hot

Sugar cube, hot water, scotch, lemon peel, grated nutmeg. Drink with a fork.

4 m1 serving$2.20/srv
1917 · Ensslin100%

Aviation

Gin, lemon, maraschino, crème de violette. Pours pale lavender if you do it right.

3 m1 serving$3.10/srv
2008 · Modern75%

Penicillin

Blended scotch, ginger, honey, lemon, smoky float. Sam Ross at Milk & Honey.

5 m1 serving$3.80/srv
2007 · Modern90%

Paper Plane

Bourbon, Aperol, Amaro Nonino, lemon. Equal parts. Foolproof.

3 m1 serving$3.50/srv

Ingredients

  • 2 oz Scotch whiskey
  • 1 sugar cube
  • 4 oz boiling water
  • 1 strip lemon peel
  • 1 whole clove
  • Fresh-grated nutmeg

Method

  1. Dissolve sugar cube in boiling water in a heatproof glass.
  2. Add Scotch.
  3. Drop in the lemon peel and clove. Stir.
  4. Grate nutmeg over the top.
  5. Drink while it's hot. (Quoted straight from Boothby's The World's Drinks & How to Mix Them, 1908.)

Ingredients

  • 2 oz London Dry gin
  • 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 oz maraschino liqueur
  • 1/4 oz crème de violette
  • Brandied cherry, to garnish

Method

  1. Add all ingredients to a shaker filled with ice.
  2. Shake hard until very cold, 12 seconds.
  3. Double-strain into a chilled coupe.
  4. Garnish with the cherry.
  5. (Original recipe from Ensslin's Recipes for Mixed Drinks, 1917, the last bartender's manual published before Prohibition.)

Ingredients

  • 2 oz blended Scotch
  • 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
  • 3/4 oz honey-ginger syrup (3:1 honey to fresh ginger juice, simmered)
  • 1/4 oz Islay single malt, to float
  • Candied ginger, to garnish

Method

  1. Shake the blended Scotch, lemon, and honey-ginger syrup with ice.
  2. Strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass.
  3. Float the Islay single malt over the back of a bar spoon.
  4. Garnish with candied ginger.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 oz bourbon
  • 3/4 oz Aperol
  • 3/4 oz Amaro Nonino
  • 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
  • Lemon twist, to garnish

Method

  1. Combine all liquid in a shaker with ice.
  2. Shake hard until cold.
  3. Double-strain into a chilled coupe.
  4. Express the lemon twist over the surface, drop it in.

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