The Essential Items You Need in Your Pantry According to Rocco DiSpirito
The chef shares tips from his new cookbook, Everyday Delicious
Rocco DiSpirito may be a multiple James Beard Award-winning author and chef, but he’s just like us when it comes to cooking at home. When it comes to preparing food for family and friends, DiSpirito would rather spend less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying food and conversation with loved ones.
His latest book, Everyday Delicious, is the chef’s answer to the age-old question, “What do I eat?”. Each recipe uses ten or fewer ingredients and takes no more than 30 minutes from the time you walk into the kitchen until the meal is plated. “Everyday Delicious was conceived during the pandemic when we didn’t have a lot of access to fancy chefs’ stuff,” DiSpirito tells Broken Palate.
The book, according to DiSpirito, includes recipes for dishes that people want to eat, prepared in a way that makes it easy to create at home. “I think people want to eat a lot of pasta, foods from Southeast Asia, Japan, South America, and Eastern Europe,” says the chef. Recipes in the book include Mama Nicolina’s cavatelli with broccoli rabe and sweet sausage, linguine vongole, pesto crzo Caprese salad, salmon with miso marmalade, tuna avocado furikake crudo, hot chili BBQ ribs, and a perennial favorite that’s simpler than most people think to prepare. “One of my favorite recipes is fettuccine alfredo and it only calls for three ingredients: butter, parmigiano, and fresh fettuccini,” says DiSpirito, noting that the creaminess comes from the emulsion of pasta water and cheese.
DiSpirito also says that, despite higher food prices at the grocery store, cooking at home is still cheaper than dinner at a restaurant. The chef says he also worked to find the most budget-friendly ways to create each dish featured in his book.
As for the people who still don’t like cooking? “The book will provide at least 100 reasons to step into the kitchen. For me, most of the recipes are easier than ordering takeout,” says DiSpirito.
DiSpirito says a key factor in making cooking at home easier, is to stock your pantry with staples. The chef lists about 40 essentials in the book, but shares the pantry items that he can’t live without with Broken Palate readers:
Chicken bullion powder - Remember when our grandmothers would peel the foil off that little cube? Well, this is the same thing — dehydrated chicken stock. This adds a full range of flavor to soups, stocks, stews, marinades, and dressings. A pinch of bullion powder will take a dish from a six to a nine.
Rooster sauce - This is a chili garlic sauce that’s basically chili and garlic crushed together. It’s something that will get you five steps ahead in flavor.
Kewpie mayo - Chefs have been using Kewpie mayo for a long time, and now it’s available everywhere. Without question, it’s a great-tasting mayo that’s greater than the sum of its parts. It has a little sweetness and it’s a little richer than conventional mayos. It’s so tasty, that it’s treated more like a finishing condiment than an ingredient.
You’re going to need a beverage to pair with your meal, and DiSpirito predicts watermelon cocktails will once again dominate summer. He’s also a fan of rosé: “Out in the Hamptons, we drink rosé like water. The fact that there’s a wine called Hampton Water says it all,” says DiSpirito, who also likes Pinot Grigio, Pinot Gris, and Grüner Veltliner. “They’re pretty available and they’re thought of as a friendly wine.”
DiSpirito is also hosting Dan’s Taste of Two Forks on Saturday, July 6 at Southhampton Arts Center in Southhampton, New York. From 6:30 to 9 p.m., guests will be able to sample food from the best chefs of the Hamptons. There will also be a friendly competition to see whether the North Fork or South Fork has the best food. Tickets cost $125 for general admission and include food and drinks. VIP tickets cost $179 and include an afterparty. “The event brings the best chefs from the North Fork and South Fork together. There isn’t another opportunity to sample all their food like it — you’d need ten summers,” says DiSpirito.
Visit danstaste.com to find out more about Taste of Two Forks and to purchase tickets.