This black bean soup saved me during a recent attack of, “Oh my God, there is nothing in kitchen to cook with!” Even
though it sometimes seems that way, there's rarely, literally nothing
to cook with. I quickly found a few slices of bacon, a couple cans of
beans, and an onion, and with the help of a spicy lime and green onion
relish, turned it into a very decent bowl of soup.
It
got me thinking about all those long shelf life, must-have pantry and
fridge staples you can count on to produce a meal when lacking supplies.
My short list is olive oil, beans, pasta, bacon, Parmigiano-Reggiano,
eggs, tomato sauce, anchovies, salami, capers, garlic, onions, potatoes,
and fresh citrus. As long as those things are close by, I can still
look forward to a great meal no matter how sparse the rest of the
provisions.