The ever-widening availability of ingredients from around the world has been a game-changer in home kitchens everywhere. Imported condiments and seasoning blends once found only in specialty markets can be purchased online and at mainstream supermarkets. Ideas and instructions for incorporating them into everyday cooking abound on TV, in publications and across the internet.
The challenge is sorting through the morass of options and information to figure out which products are worth the investment and shelf space, in terms of both taste and versatility. Ann Taylor Pittman and Scott Mowbray are well equipped to help.
The two longtime food writers and recipe developers are the authors of “The Global Pantry Cookbook: Transform Your Everyday Cooking With Tahini, Gochujang, Miso, and Other Irresistible Ingredients” (Workman, $35). Pittman, the daughter of a Korean mother and an American soldier, grew up in Mississippi. Mowbray, the son of a doctor who worked for CARE, spent part of his childhood living in Indonesia and Afghanistan, leading him to a life of food-obsessed travel. Working together as editors in the test kitchens of Cooking Light magazine, they took great delight in devising “cross-cultural mash-ups” with the diverse array of flavor-makers at their disposal.
In this inspiring collaboration, they focus on 65 versatile pantry items, from anchovies to za’atar seasoning, providing detailed descriptions of each and creative recipes designed to accentuate their virtues.
Chapters begin with “Wow-a-Crowd Snacks and Apps” and end with “Seductive Sweets and Frozen Treats,” with mains and sides for every menu type in between.
Chicken-Fried Mississippi Potato Logs reminiscent of Pittman’s childhood are served with chili crisp-spiked mayonnaise for dipping. Quick Pan-Fried Fish Curry with Coconut Milk and Curry Leaves conjures a trip Mowbray took to Kerala, India. That half-used container of Korean chile paste languishing in my fridge may soon find a home in Honey-Glazed, Gochujang-Spiced Baked Chicken Wings. And I’ve got everything but the Haagen-Dazs to whip up Salty Tahini Pine Nut Ice Cream.
With this guide, a world of flavor is as close as your cupboard.
Susan Puckett is a cookbook author and former food editor of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Follow her at susanpuckett.com.
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