When you find yourself in the lovely haze of vacation, the last thing you want to do is hunt down bottles of sauces, spices, and oils that you’ll use only to prepare one meal. Neither do we. But, we also love good cooking. Our compromise is the list that follows: an Away Cafe pantry essentials list. You can prepare a world of dishes with the following happy few. Rarely will an Away Cafe recipe call for pantry items beyond these - and if it does, we’ll warn you. (P.S. if you have to choose only one herb or spice to bring along, make it oregano.)
THE LIST
Two vinegars (that sounds like a lot, but we love the flavor magic vinegars bring to salads, soups, and other main courses. Plus, the vinegars we use on vacation are inexpensive—apple cider, red wine, white—so why not indulge?). Full disclosure—since vinegars don’t expire, we tend leave them at the family cabin, which we visit every year. And we leave all three—don’t judge.
Two oils (Canola or vegetable oil and extra virgin olive oil)
Oregano
Chili powder
Cumin
Coriander
Taco or fajita seasoning
Nutmeg (we throw in a one of these whole seeds and grate it on our microplane zester. The seeds will maintain their quality for years, so if there’s a place you return to each year, leave it there)
Kosher salt (have you ever stayed in an AirBnB that didn’t have salt? We have! When it happens, we recommend buying a box of modest kosher salt. If a recipe calls for table salt and you have none, use a little extra kosher. If it calls for sea salt, kosher can also provide the punch of larger crystals that you’re looking for.)
We go a little rogue with the last one—maybe you already noticed it in the photo: whole wheat pastry flour. We LOVE this flour. You can always replace it with all-purpose flour—we’re often replacing all-purpose flour with this, which simply adds deliciousness to any already good recipe. Some, but not all, of our local grocery stores carry it. We also sometimes order it in bulk strait from Bob’s Red Mill. One of our babysitters used to put a ribbon on a bag of it and hide it under the Christmas tree for us each year. It’s big, it weights five pounds, and it’s absolutely worth it.