Seasonal Pantry: Time to restock your pantry

Early November is a good time to survey your pantry, toss out-of-date items and restock for both the winter holidays and cold-weather cooking. This is, of course, an optimistic view, assuming we will actually have some cold weather. But there's nothing to lose should the weather be like last year's.

Even if you don't do a lot of cooking, a reasonably well-stocked pantry makes life easier.

We should all be able to pull together weekday meals based on what we have on hand. With a good pantry, all you need to do is fill in with the fresh foods you prefer, something that can be done at local farmers markets once or twice a week.

A pantry is both a concrete thing and an abstract idea.

Not all that long ago, it was a spacious room adjacent to the kitchen filled with staples of all kinds, from foods canned in late summer to spices and herbs, pasta and other noodles, rice, beans and other legumes, aromatics like onions and garlic, potatoes and winter vegetables like winter squash and cabbage that keep well.

Today, it is more of an abstract idea that expresses itself in a variety of small cupboards, baskets and even freezers and gardens.

But just because the space itself has changed, the concept really hasn't. A pantry is a cook's support system, no matter where the items are stored.

The first thing to do when you're surveying your pantry is to pull all your herbs and spices out of the cupboard and discard those you haven't used for several years. We all have them.

When you replace them, select sizes that you'll use within a year.

Don't buy a big jar of turmeric, for example, if you use it infrequently. And if you use a lot of cinnamon, buy it in bulk so you're not paying for multiple containers.

Sage is an essential fall and winter herb, and I recommend having at least two kinds on hand.

First, if you have any garden space at all, grow one or two sage plants. Second, have a jar of rubbed sage (not ground) for emergencies, such as needing it the day after a freeze has killed your plants.

It's essential in turkey dressing and also is excellent with winter squash, potatoes, sweet potatoes and other foods we enjoy at this time of year.

Nutmeg, too, is a spice of the season. The best way to buy it is whole, not ground, which loses flavor quickly.

A whole nutmeg is easy to grate on a standard grater; the whole spice lasts much longer.

If you are an enthusiastic cook, it is a good idea to keep a supply of homemade stock in the freezer. It's not difficult. Find links to recipes at pantry.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.

When it comes to the fresh part of your pantry, it is essential to store onions, garlic and shallots away from potatoes. Stored together, they spoil quickly.

Neither belong in the refrigerator.

This dish is an example of how you can pull together a simple dish based on what you have on hand. It is flexible, and you'll get good results even if you omit certain ingredients, such as the anchovies or the breadcrumbs.

If you have cherry tomatoes, quarter about a cup of them, season them with salt and pepper and toss them with the pasta in place of the breadcrumbs, immediately before serving.

As far as the fusilli lunghi goes, don't be put off by its name. Most of us know the curly-cue pasta known as fusilli; fusilli lunghi is simply longer, the length of spaghetti and other noodles.

Pasta with Tuna Sauce

Serves 4

— Kosher salt

12 ounces spaghetti, spaghettini or fusilli lunghi

2 tablespoons olive oil

3-4 garlic cloves, minced

3 anchovy fillets, minced, optional

— Zest of 1 lemon

6½- ounce can tuna in olive oil, drained

— Juice of 2 lemons

¼ cup chopped olives of choice

¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

— Pinch of crushed red pepper

— Black pepper in a mill

¾ cup lightly toasted homemade breadcrumbs, optional

Fill a large pot about two-thirds full with water, season generously with salt and bring to a boil over high heat.

Add the pasta, stir until the water returns to a boil and cook according to package directions until just done. Drain the pasta but do not rinse it.

Meanwhile, put the olive oil into a small sauté pan set over medium heat, add the garlic and anchovies, and sauté gently until the anchovies have nearly dissolved. Add the lemon zest, tuna, lemon juice and olives, cover and heat through for about 2 minutes. Uncover, break up the tuna into chunks, add the parsley, crushed red pepper and several turns of black pepper. Tip the mixture into a wide, shallow bowl.

Tip the drained pasta into the bowl, use two forks to gently mix by lifting the pasta over and over. Add breadcrumbs, toss, divide among individual plates and enjoy right away.

Michele Anna Jordan has written 24 books, including the new 'Good Cook's' series. Email Jordan at michele@saladdresser.com. You'll find her blog, 'Eat This Now,' at pantry.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.