We’re often guilty of forgetting the contents of our kitchen cupboards, especially those hard-to-reach corners that end up being full of surprises. So, in the spirit of back-to-school cleaning, we have been plundering our disorganised kitchens and rediscovering the not-perishable-any-time-soons that we probably moved house with. That strange nut paste we bought cos we loved the packaging, or those dried flowers for sprinkling on dips (just why?) may still cause us to scratch our heads, but other whimsical purchases are an enjoyable chance to use things up and get creative. Here’s our guide to making lunches from dusty storecupboard treasures: just take one tin ...
• Salmon: delicious with a little red onion, blanched green beans, celery and soy, lime, ginger and honey dressing. Alternatively, you could also niçoise-ify it with a garlic vinaigrette (olive oil, red wine vinegar, and crushed or grated garlic) and a couple of semi-soft-boiled eggs (6 minutes from boiling). Even more alternatively, you could mix it with 1 tsp Thai red curry paste and two sliced spring onions, shape into little balls and fry in a small amount of oil until crisp. Eat at lunch with some sweet chilli sauce and a shredded cabbage salad.
• Chickpeas: fry in olive oil with a little cumin, cayenne pepper and garlic. Add some tomato puree and fry, then follow with sliced chard and cook until the leaves are wilted (add a splash of water if it’s a bit dry). Works well with rice or on its own.
• Coconut milk: make a batch of vegetable curry. Fry onions and garlic in cumin, garam masala, and cayenne pepper before adding potatoes, cauliflower, vegetable stock, seasoning and the coconut milk. Simmer until the veg is tender, then add lemon juice.
• Petit pois: be inspired by Fergus Henderson’s famous braised peas and lettuce. Fry a little finely chopped red onion and some lardons until starting to crisp (no need for oil with the bacon fat) then add tinned peas, liquid and all, and one little gem lettuce, cut into quarters. Cook until softened. Delicious as it is, or cook 70g of small pasta – something similar in size to the peas, like ditalini – and mix through the pea pan with a small splash of the pasta cooking water. Leave on the heat, stirring, for a minute, until amalgamated. A sprinkle of parmesan and some freshly ground pepper would be unorthodox but good.
