Meals for two (or more) made with pantry, refrigerator staples

I felt bad, then, seeing his messy hair and the hopeful face that gave way to disappointment. I made up for the lack of decent breakfast food by calling the corner market and ordering up a breakfast sandwich. I was forgiven, but thoughts of that empty refrigerator and how it’s filled at different times of our lives has stayed with me. 

There’s quite a difference in what we stocked for a houseful of kids (and even just a houseful of the youngest kid), and the food we eat as people with no children in the house. Even though we don’t regularly stock most of what Elliot was looking for that Saturday morning, we do make meals, and pretty good ones, too. They’re just different. 

Dinner in the nest that doesn’t feed children is often late, off-the-cuff, and unhurried. Sometimes, Paul and I take our plates to comfy chairs, pull on a blanket and eat while we talk about the day. No dinner table required. I didn’t think I’d like the empty-nest thing and, in many ways, I’m still adjusting. But those late, quiet and cozy dinners are a perk of having no children in the house. 

Paul and I have gotten good at making up dinners. We are experts at looking in the refrigerator, pushing around the olives, hot sauce and mayonnaise, and making a decent meal.The nice thing about feeding two people? There’s no pressure for a balanced meal. Without young people, without mouths that demand carbohydrates, and without feeling guilty if there aren’t the proper amount of vegetables, we are free. We are free to have cheese for dinner. Or a sandwich. 

One meal Paul and I ate recently, which was born of necessity and which turned out to be a keeper centered around mushrooms. They were bought on a whim, left in a little brown bag, and nearly forgotten in the back of the fridge. We also had a wheel of cheese, the kind you might pick up for guests or to go to a party. (And here’s a happy life tip: You shouldn’t wait for a party to eat a wheel of creamy cheese. You can do that on say, a Tuesday night.) Anyway, with very few options, I sautéed the mushrooms with herbs until they released their liquid and darkened and became crispy. I warmed the cheese and then tumbled the cooked mushrooms over top. We scooped the cheese with spoons, working hard to be sure there was exactly enough cheese to divide it equally among each bite of mushroom. It was a dinner born of what-we-haves, and turned into a food lover’s dream: rich, creamy cheese, crisp, chewy mushrooms, herbs, just a touch of salt. Use spoons to get it all from plate to mouth, as we did, and pile it up on crusty bread. Just do it when it’s late and quiet and you’re very hungry. It tastes best this way. 

I’m adding here a recipe that is good for serving to young people (read: it has carbohydrates and meat) and all the other generations, too. This is a mostly pantry staple meal, made with simple ingredients and with big rewards. I’m practicing for food like this because Elliot will be home from college soon. The cool thing about this dish is that it’s all cooked together: pasta, tomatoes, pancetta and all. Doing so creates a deeply flavorful dish, where the pasta is infused with the tomato, rather than just sitting in it. The pancetta adds a salty, meaty dimension and it’s all finished with a touch of butter — just a bit — for a silky and slightly creamy finish. You’ll notice this recipe calls for dried herbs. I use plenty of dried herbs all winter and into spring, while I wait for my garden to blossom and give the flavorful bits. Until then, there are lots of flavor to be found in jars of herbs. Dried basil has a soft, sweet taste, just right with tomatoes and salty meat. 

Paul and I both love to have a little bit of baked something around the house, a plate on the counter of something buttery and sweet. It’s usually something that’s good with coffee or tea, and OK to nibble on late at night, too. I like to bake scones, because they come together easily and are indulgent enough — but not over the top (no bellies filled with butter cream.) We all are coconut lovers here, and what I love best about it is its ability to go with anything. It’s equally at home with sugar and chocolate as it is with chiles and herbs. It’s kind of like the friend you admire, who can talk to and get along with anyone, from any walk of life. In these scones, unsweetened coconut is lightly toasted and mixed with lemon, sugar and butter to make a tender, sweet and moist treat, perfect for mornings, later afternoons or as a light dessert. You’ll notice the recipe calls for grating cold butter into the flour mixture, a technique taught to me and which I use for anything I want to be flaky and tender, like pie crust, biscuits and scones. 

Elliot is coming home soon. By the time this page is in print, there will be exactly 25 days until he comes home for the summer. Then, he’ll be home for about 60 days. That’s 60 mornings where he will be searching the fridge for bagels and juice, and 60 nights when I’ll be making square meals with grains, protein, vegetables and dessert. 

Yes, I am counting the days. Once he’s home, I’ll savor those days and nights and try hard to keep the fridge stocked with young people food: all the bread, meat, juice and sugar he can eat. 

Crispy Mushrooms and Melty Cheese

Serves 4

Olive oil

4 cups mixed mushroom caps, sliced

Kosher salt

1 large garlic clove, sliced

2 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 heaping teaspoon dried)

Black pepper

1 4-ounce wheel brie

Crusty bread, for serving

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees and place the cheese in a small, oven-proof dish. Bake the cheese for 15 minutes. 
• In a cast-iron or other sturdy skillet, heat a swirl of olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until they release their liquid. Stir in the garlic, thyme and black pepper. Continue cooking until the liquid evaporates and the mushrooms become browned and crisp, 10 minutes. 
• Remove the cheese from the oven and scrape the mushroom mixture over top. Serve right away, with bread for scooping. 

Pasta In Tomatoes, Pancetta and Herbs

Serves 4

4 ounces pancetta, chopped

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

2 (14-ounce) cans cherry tomatoes, with their juices

3 cups water

Kosher salt

Pinch crushed red pepper

12 ounces pasta, about 3/4 of a standard box

1 tablespoon dried basil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

• In a medium-sized pot set over medium-low heat, cook the pancetta for a few minutes, until it’s rendering its fat and softening up. Add the rosemary and cook until the pancetta is  just beginning to brown around the edges. Remove to a plate and set aside, leaving the rendered fat in the pan. 
• Add the tomatoes and water, season with salt and bring to a simmer. Add the pasta and stir, cooking for 9 minutes, or just 1 minute less than directed on the pasta package. Stir in the butter and the basil, add the pancetta back to the pan, taste and season with more salt if desired. 
• Serve right away with plenty of cheese. 

Lemon Coconut Scones

Makes 8

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ cup sugar

½ cup unsweetened, finely shredded coconut, toasted

Grated zest of one lemon 

1 stick very cold unsalted butter                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
½ cup half-and-half, plus 1 tablespoon

1 egg

2 tablespoons raw sugar, for topping

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees and cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, coconut and lemon zest. Use the large holes of a box grater to grate the stick of butter, then stir it into the flour mixture. Use your fingers to distribute evenly. Pour in the ½ cup half-and-half, add the egg and mix until the dough is just combined.  
• Turn the dough out onto a work surface and gather it into a ball. Place the dough on the prepared pan and press to a disc that is about 8 inches wide. Use a sharp knife to cut the disc into eight equal pieces (you could also make two smaller discs and create 16 mini-scones.) Separate each piece, just a bit. Brush the tops with the tablespoon of half-and-half and sprinkle the raw sugar over all. 
• Bake for 20 minutes, until the scones are spongy on top and golden brown on the bottom. If you choose to make smaller scones, bake for 18 minutes.