One key to being a profitable residence prepare dinner is having a well-stocked pantry. However to be actually well-stocked is to grasp that your “pantry” ought to stretch past the cupboard to the fridge and freezer.
This month’s recipe — a brothy tortellini with pancetta and spinach — makes use of three substances I at all times have saved in these areas.
A fast word on every: Any respectable model of tortellini ought to do the trick; it may possibly keep frozen for a lot of months. As for the broth, nonetheless, there’s just one option to go. Higher Than Bouillon is a concentrated paste constituted of roast hen, beef, or greens that you just dilute in water. It would final actually a few years as soon as opened, so long as you place it within the fridge. Lastly, there’s the pancetta. The shelf lifetime of this final one varies a bit. If you happen to purchase the prepackaged diced cubes, the expiration date could be as much as a number of months. However even the type you get from the butcher will final a few weeks as a result of it’s cured.
All of those substances are staples. I take advantage of the tortellini for fast weeknight meals — topped with butter and Parmesan, say, or tossed with tons of arugula, lemon, and olive oil. The Higher Than Bouillon offers soups, stews, and pan sauces extra depth than you get with water. For its half, the pancetta provides a chewy, meaty chunk to different pasta dishes, rice pilafs, frittatas, and extra.
For this dish, begin by dicing ½ of a small white or yellow onion. (In actual fact, I additionally think about onions to be a pantry staple. I at all times have a bowl of them piled within the fridge, which helps mellow their tear-inducing enzymes and extends their life even longer than when you had been to go away them on the counter. It takes months, I discover, for the feel to degrade.) Weigh 2 ounces of pancetta. If you happen to purchased the prepackaged form (which often is available in 4 ounces), retailer the leftovers in an hermetic container within the fridge. If you happen to purchased an entire chunk, cube it into small items, not that a lot larger than your diced onion.
Place a two- or three-quart pot over medium warmth and drizzle in a couple of tablespoon of olive oil. Add the onion and pancetta on the identical time and let it sizzle, stirring often, till the pancetta has taken on a deeper colour and the onion has softened, about seven minutes. (Though my recipes typically name for including salt in levels, it is a uncommon occasion the place, between the meat and the Higher Than Bouillon, you don’t want any greater than the substances carry on their very own.)
Add 2 cups of water to the pot, together with 2 teaspoons of Higher Than Bouillon. I feel the meat bouillon is just too intense on this recipe, so I take advantage of hen, however be at liberty to go along with vegetable, too. Flip up the warmth to medium-high and stir till the paste is dissolved and evenly distributed. Let the liquid come to a simmer. Place the lid on the pot to maintain the water from evaporating, and let it go for about 10 minutes, till the flavors meld.
Add 3½ ounces of cheese tortellini (or a little bit bit greater than a wholesome handful). You’ll have leftovers from any customary bundle, however simply seal these in an hermetic bag and put them again within the freezer. Prepare dinner the tortellini for about 3 minutes whole, or in line with the directions on the bundle. Within the final minute, add 3 ounces of spinach, stirring so it wilts. If you happen to don’t need to weigh it, you may simply measure this with a few large handfuls; it shrinks so rapidly you may eyeball an quantity that appears good to you as you go.
You’ll discover that the broth-to-tortellini ratio is shut right here. It resembles the traditional Italian dish tortellini en brodo, the very best of a soup and a pasta, with all of the warming, comforting qualities of each — and with every part you want proper at hand.
Emma Wartzman is the kitchen and eating author at New York Journal’s the Strategist.
Extra photograph illustration credit: bowl photograph by Emma Wartzman