What's in the chef's pantry at home?

What's behind the doors of a chef's home pantry? One imagines a cornucopia of fancy ingredients: jars of colorful exotic salts, nun-massaged pastas, and the handpicked stamens of rare plants.

In reality, the professional chefs you know and love probably cook with Morton's Kosher, De Cecco spaghetti, and Hellman's mayo when they're off-duty.

The irony is that consumers are heading in the other direction. With so much attention being paid to every detail of our restaurant meals, and food celebrities pointing out the merits of gray salt and pomegranate molasses, consumers are looking for the same quality at home, shelling out big bucks for international preserves, artisan condiments, and heirloom grains. Americans spend more than $720 million a year on olive oil alone, according to the California Olive Oil Council.

Yet in the quest for better home cooking, amateur chefs tend to forget the amazing potential in ordinary, affordable pantry items.

"Great ingredients will always make a great product. But you can still make a great product with simple ingredients - it's what you do with them that matters," says Mark Tropea, chef/owner of Sonata, a BYOB in Northern Liberties.

The secret to maintaining a smart, serviceable pantry is keeping versatile, affordable items on hand. Chef Terence Feury of Fork has a supply of Wegman's unsalted butter in the freezer. Hellman's mayonnaise and a few types of mustard ranging from coarse to Dijon to good old French's yellow are required keep-arounds for adding to dressings, sauces, and sandwiches. There's nothing fancy about them, but they do the trick.

For his house olive oil, Feury prefers Trader Joe's. "For the money, it's the best extra virgin oil out there. I use it for everything, whether it's to finish a potato puree or to fry an egg as a quick snack."

Chef Erin O'Shea of Percy Street Barbecue also buys a budget olive oil. "I might spend more in the restaurant kitchen, but I definitely have lower standards for myself at home. You can pay a lot of money for olive oil, and I don't need that in my salad," she says. She might pay a bit more for her other staples, which include good cheese and salted almonds - these get tossed together with Olivia's organic greens for an easy weeknight meal.

Like olive oil, vinegar is a must-have, and while most chefs tend to stock more than one bottle, it doesn't need to be expensive. Feury keeps red wine vinegar and malt vinegar in his kitchen. "I like to cook caramelized onions and add red vinegar and cook it down into an onion jam. I'll also use it to glaze pearl onions and in my vinaigrette."

Nick Macri, chef de cuisine at Southwark, favors sherry vinegar, which he deems the most versatile variety. "It's a mild taste, not too sweet or too acidic," Macri says. "You can add a splash of it to almost anything and it will brighten the flavor."

Bistrot La Minette chef/owner Peter Woolsey prefers white wine vinegar, but his wife's favorite family vinaigrette employs red wine vinegar plus a secret ingredient - water. "That dressing is a classic in our household," he says. "A regular meal for my wife is fried potatoes and a green salad."

When Tropea is at home, he tends to make home-style Italian food such as spaghetti and meatballs, and Tuttorosso brand tomatoes are his go-to. "You can get the canned whole tomatoes or the puree at any supermarket." Other Tropea household staples are peanut butter, which he uses in Thai-style dressings, and miso, for glazing a fish or making a marinade.

Canned tuna in olive oil can be used for many quick meals, says Brinn Sinnott, chef at Noble restaurant, but he'll skip the expensive Spanish tunas for Cento, the Italian supermarket brand. "I'll throw some capers in there for a salad or I will make a Mediterranean tuna melt on a pita with manchego cheese. Capers are also great for a grenobloise sauce for fish, with brown butter and lemon." Tinned anchovies are a favorite for his homemade pizzas, and they're the basis of a composed condiment for grilled meats that Sinnott makes in the style of a tarte pissaladière.

Chef Lou Campanaro of Village Belle always has a jug of maple syrup around to sweeten baked beans, marinades, and vegetable purees. "I like it in place of sugar or honey because it adds a twist of flavor," he says. He also blends it with bourbon for a subtly sweet panna cotta. Campanaro keeps Thai sriracha sauce around to brush on roasted vegetables or to make a mayonnaise for sandwiches. And because there are always bacon, eggs, and Parmesan in his refrigerator, he's always prepared for a last-minute dinner of spaghetti carbonara.

Not all great ingredients can be bought, however. Lamenting the scarcity of good boxed beef stocks, Feury has his own solution: "Beef stock is laborious to make at home. I braise beef pot roast or oxtails and keep the braising liquid in my freezer. That's my secret weapon for sauces."

Other favorite staples of local chefs? Kosher salt and whole black peppercorns are de rigueur. Lemons, shallots, and garlic are necessary for all manner of dishes and last in the refrigerator for weeks. And dried pasta - De Cecco brand seems to be the popular choice - is the universal foundation for a quick after-shift meal, to be tossed with plenty of Parmesan or pecorino cheese and black pepper. Simple? Sure, but its appeal is undeniable. "That's my guilty pleasure late at night," Woolsey says. "I even buy the cheese pre-grated."

Makes 10 to 12 servings

EndTextStartText

For the meatballs:

2 pounds mixed ground beef, pork, and veal

3 eggs

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup minced onions

1/4 cup minced garlic

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup grated Romano cheese

For the tomato sauce:

2 pounds Italian sausage cut into 2-inch pieces

3 tablespoons olive oil

3/4 cup minced onion

1/4 cup minced garlic

4 cans Tuttorosso tomato puree

1 small can tomato paste

2 cups water

2 tablespoon dry basil

1 teaspoon dry oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

2 pounds pasta (I prefer DiCecco or Barilla)

 EndTextStartText

1. Make the meatballs: To prepare the meatballs, in a mixing bowl, mix all ingredients into a homogenous mixture and let sit in the refrigerator for one hour. This will allow the bread crumbs to soak up moisture and make the meatballs firm enough to roll. Roll meatballs to desired size (I prefer golf-ball size) and pan-fry until brown all over.

2. In the same pan, brown the sausage; set aside.

3. To begin preparing the tomato sauce, place a tall pot on the stove over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, sweat the onions and garlic until soft and translucent, but not brown. Add the rest of the ingredients, mix well, and bring to a simmer. Add the meatballs and sausage to the sauce. The sauce isn't considered gravy until meat has been cooked in it.

Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring frequently, for at least 5 hours (I recommend 7 hours).

4. Cook pasta, and enjoy with the gravy and meat.

Per serving: 775 calories, 51 grams protein, 62 grams carbohydrates, 9 grams sugar, 35 grams fat, 245 milligrams cholesterol, 827 milligrams sodium, 4 grams dietary fiber.EndText

Makes enough for about 4 servings (as a topping)

EndTextStartText

2 ounces extra virgin olive oil

2 large Spanish onions thinly sliced

Salt and fresh ground pepper

2 tablespoons garlic chopped

1 teaspoon ground coriander seed

1 sprig fresh lemon thyme (or regular)

2 ounces red wine vinegar

Vegetable or chicken stock

2 bottles Victory Lager

(optional)

EndTextStartText

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or braiser big enough to fit the onions. They will cook down considerably so its OK if they are stacked up.

2. Sweat?? the onions over medium heat, season with salt and pepper in the beginning because this will help the onions break down and caramelize.

3. Open one of the lagers and put on some music and enjoy the beer while the onions cook. (This is optional but highly recommended if you want to cook like a professional chef at home.)

4. When the onions are translucent and tender, add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes; this should just begin to caramelize but not too much.

5. Add the coriander and cook for a minute. Add the thyme and the vinegar and let the vinegar cook all the way down until it is almost dry.

6. At this point you can add a little vegetable stock or chicken stock or even a little water just to moisten and let it cook down until dry again.

7. If needed, open the second lager and enjoy.

Note: "Use this as a condiment for almost anything grilled or roasted. I love to add a little ketchup and chopped pickled hot peppers to put on sausages or hot dogs," says chef Terence Feury.

Per serving: 191 calories, 2 grams protein, 15 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams sugar, 14 grams fat, no cholesterol, 31 milligrams sodium, 3 grams dietary fiber.

EndText

Makes 12 servings

EndTextStartText

1/2 cup olive oil

2 medium sized Spanish onions, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

6 anchovy fillets, minced

Pinch (or more) of red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped

1 cup Taggiasca olives or other oil-packed black olives, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Sherry vinegar to taste

 EndTextStartText

1. In a heavy casserole, heat the olive oil and cook the onions slowly until caramelized, sprinkling with water as needed to prevent burning. Drain the onions from the oil and reserve in a bowl at room temperature.

2. Cook the garlic, anchovy and red pepper flakes in the oil, mashing the anchovy as it cooks. Add to the caramelized onions, along with the herbs and olives. Mix well and season with salt and pepper as needed. Add drops of sherry vinegar as needed to sharpen the flavor. Serve with grilled beef.

Per serving: 192 calories, 12 grams protein, 5 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams sugar, 14 grams fat, 32 milligrams cholesterol, 1,486 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber.

Makes 16 servings

EndTextStartText

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1 shallot, minced

1 branch tarragon, leaves finely chopped

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard 1 cup olive or vegetable oil

2/3 cup water

Sea salt and cracked pepper to taste

EndTextStartText

Combine all ingredients in a blender or whisk together by hand.

Per serving: 126 calories, trace protein, 1 gram carbohydrates, 14 grams fat, no cholesterol, 34 milligrams sodium, no dietary fiber.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

EndTextStartText

1 pound dried spaghetti

3 eggs

1/2 pound sliced bacon

1/4 pound Parmesan cheese, grated

EndTextStartText

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

2. While waiting for the water to boil, slice across the bacon to make smaller pieces about 1/2-inch wide. Cook bacon slowly in a frying pan with a little olive oil until it's just brown and crisp. Whisk the eggs with a little water and reserve until the spaghetti is ready.

3. Once the salted water is boiling, add dry pasta and stir to make sure that it doesn't clump together. When the spaghetti is cooked to desired texture, remove from the water, reserving a bit of pasta water.

4. While pasta is steaming hot, slowly add the cooked bacon and rendered fat and alternately add the egg and water mixture. Remember to continue to stir. For a lighter alternative, use some of the cooking water from the pasta. Sprinkle and coat the spaghetti with the grated cheese to your liking and season to taste. Serve immediately because as it sits and continues to cook, it will tighten up. You can add more pasta water to loosen.

Per serving (based on 6): 535 calories, 33 grams protein, 43 grams carbohydrates, 25 grams fat, 206 milligrams cholesterol, 1,213 milligrams sodium, no dietary fiber.