The Franken-Pantry

Keltin

New member
Gold Site Supporter
Here's something I think might be interesting to try. I call it Franken-Pantry, you know, like Frankenstein (well, Frankenstein's Monster that is) who was made up of a bunch of different parts.

The idea is that there is a mystery Pantry filled with 10 items. You then take as many or as few of those items and make a dish. Any dish. Make it up. Be creative.

The first order of business though is to stock that Pantry. So each person should post an ingredient that goes into the Pantry. Once there are 10 ingredients, the Pantry is full, and cooking can commence.

A few rules.

1. Salt, Pepper, Water, and Oil are staples and considered stove-top items and are always available and need not be suggested. You are free to use those 4 items no matter what is in the Pantry.

2. You can post multiple times, but not in a row. If you post an ingredient, you have to wait till someone else posts another ingredient before you can post again.

3. Try not to be too outlandish. The hope here is that we'll actually make up a really cool recipe. So posting caviar or sheep's brain probably isn't a great idea and could break the Pantry. There are a lot of creative cooks here, so I'm sure we can stock this Franken-Pantry with some worthy and approachable items. If you were cooking this, what would you realistically want or need in that Pantry?

4. Once 10 items have been posted, the Pantry will be locked and recipes can be made using as many or as few items from the 10 in the Pantry as you deem needed. But, other than the 4 staples (Salt, Pepper, Water, & Oil), you can ONLY use items in the Pantry. So if flour isn't listed, then you can't use it. Same goes for spices, if Cumin or Thyme isn't listed, then you can't use it.

5. This mysterious Pantry has a walk-in cooler, so perishables like beef, chicken, crab, fish, milk, eggs, cream, butter, etc, can be posted.

6. Since we also have the Cooks Challenge going on, feel free to suggest the item used in the challenge if you so desire. This would allow you to kill two birds with one stone.

7. There's really no time limit. If you get around to making something, then post what you did. A month from now, someone may bump into this thread and want to cook from this pantry, so go ahead.

8. Cooking method is entirely up to you. Grill it, bake it, steam it, boil it, microwave, serve it raw, etc.

9. It's just for fun! Some great recipes may come out of this, if not, no big deal. If it does work, then we could do it again if there is interest. I'm just curious as to what could happen, and I am personally up for the challenge. I can actually see learning something from this since the mystery Pantry could have me pairing ingredients that I never thought to pair before.

So, give it a shot and post an ingredient to go into the Franken-Pantry. Remember, spices (other than salt and pepper) have to be posted in order to be used, so think of posting spices as well. I'll start….

The Franken-Pantry

1. Egg Noodles
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
 

Keltin

New member
Gold Site Supporter
Excellent!!

The Franken-Pantry

1. Egg Noodles
2. Mushrooms - fresh or dried
3. Whipping Cream
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
 

Keltin

New member
Gold Site Supporter
This pantry is shaping up nicely! Oh, and if you do decide to cook from the Pantry, you can make more than one dish. If you can figure it out, you can make a whole meal from the Pantry.

The Franken-Pantry

1. Egg Noodles
2. Mushrooms - fresh or dried
3. Whipping Cream
4. Russet Potatoes
5. Broccoli
6. Onions
7.
8.
9.
10.
 

Keltin

New member
Gold Site Supporter
Nori huh?? :w00t: I'll add some red wine.

The Franken-Pantry

1. Egg Noodles
2. Mushrooms - fresh or dried
3. Whipping Cream
4. Russet Potatoes
5. Broccoli
6. Onions
7. Nori
8. Red Wine
9.
10.
 

GotGarlic

New member
I think we need a protein!

The Franken-Pantry

1. Egg Noodles
2. Mushrooms - fresh or dried
3. Whipping Cream
4. Russet Potatoes
5. Broccoli
6. Onions
7. Nori
8. Red Wine
9. Pork loin
10.
 

Keltin

New member
Gold Site Supporter
That's it, we're there!!!

The Franken-Pantry

1. Egg Noodles
2. Mushrooms - fresh or dried
3. Whipping Cream
4. Russet Potatoes
5. Broccoli
6. Onions
7. Nori
8. Red Wine
9. Garlic
10. Pork Loin
 

GotGarlic

New member
Oops, Karen beat me! :wink:

The Franken-Pantry

1. Egg Noodles
2. Mushrooms - fresh or dried
3. Whipping Cream
4. Russet Potatoes
5. Broccoli
6. Onions
7. Nori
8. Red Wine
9. Garlic
10. Pork Loin
 

MexicoKaren

Joyfully Retired
Super Site Supporter
We must have been submitting our reply at the same time, GG! Well, I'm glad we have some protein...a pretty good meal can be assembled here, if a little bland.
 

Keltin

New member
Gold Site Supporter
It was looking vegetarian right up to the end there! :lol:

Got some really good stuff in the pantry, so mull it over and see what you can come up with. I've got a few ideas bouncing around. Can't wait to see what you guys can come up with. :thumb:
 

SilverSage

Resident Crone
Keltin, please clarify.

Are we supposed to actually make something and photograph it or just think it up and post it?
 

Keltin

New member
Gold Site Supporter
Keltin, please clarify.

Are we supposed to actually make something and photograph it or just think it up and post it?

I was thinking actually cook something and take a pic, then tell us how you did it. A picture isn't required, but it's nice. If nothing else, just cook something using the Pantry, then post the recipe and give us your thoughts.

That's what I'm planning to do. There's a couple of entrées and some nice sides in there. I can imagine cooking a few things from this. I think I'll do a (rather obvious) side dish tonight and post the recipe and pics later.

The Nori has me stumped though. Can't figure out how to use that one yet! :lol:

There's an Asian Market in town that sells it, so I think I may dabble with it this weekend. I know it's typically used for Sushi rolls, but I'm wondering if you could some how use it to add flavor to a dish. Maybe soak in water then use the flavored water somehow. I may not get anywhere with it, but I'll be thinking about it. :lol:
 

MexicoKaren

Joyfully Retired
Super Site Supporter
Hmmm. Now, I understand better, and I'm really glad that I got some garlic in there! BUT, I can't buy russet potatoes, nor can I buy nori. So that limits my options a little. I'm grateful to luvs for adding some heavy cream, though....and the red wine might make a huge difference as well. Wait....we don't have any BUTTER.
 

lilbopeep

🌹🐰 Still trying to get it right.
Site Supporter
NO BUTTER or broth!! That limits saucing ideas to cream based.
 

MexicoKaren

Joyfully Retired
Super Site Supporter
lilbopeep said:
NO BUTTER or broth!! That limits saucing ideas to cream based.

Well, we can make a red wine/cream sauce with garlic and onions...and nori. :yuk::yuk::yuk:

Next time we do this - somebody add broth....
 

Keltin

New member
Gold Site Supporter
As for the potatoes, I’m of the opinion that any potato will work. Just like onion…..any will work: red, yellow, Vidalia, Spanish, pearl, scallion (green), etc.

Imagine the pantry as an Iron Chef type room. In the spot where potatoes are stored, all potatoes are there, Idaho, Russet, Red, Fingerling, etc. But NOT sweet potatoes as that is a different animal (in a savory sense).

I imagine in this mystical pantry that the potatoes or onions are stored in hanging wire baskets like the attached pic. Grab a Russet, Red, or Idaho and go to town.

Had someone put up chicken, I’d imagine several whole chickens that you could cut away the parts that you want. Legs, thighs, wings, breast, oysters, etc.

For the egg noodles, they could be strips, bowties, dumplings, curls, etc.

Mushrooms are Shitake, Oyster, Bellas, White, etc. There are different types of garlic, so all of those are there.

So each entry is something of a category unto itself if that makes sense?

Some things are pretty much singular though. Nori is Nori. Heavy Cream is Heavy Cream. Pork Loin is Pork Loin. Broccoli is Broccoli.

Yeah, that kind of bites about no butter! But, that’s the point of the Franken-Pantry!! Think about the dish before you add a Pantry item. Think about what you want or need to cook. I wanted to add butter, but I used my turn to get Red Wine in.

If this works and we do Franken-Pantry 2, I’m sure it will make more sense!

As for stock, you could make stock from the fat and some meat on the pork loin, or a vegetable stock with the onions and garlic, or a soup base with the potatoes, or possibly Nori stock……oil of any kind is a staple, so a Broccoli or Onion pesto base isn’t out of the question. Get creative!!


Hmmmm…..vinegar would have been nice! Flour too! :lol:
 

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VeraBlue

Head Mistress
Gold Site Supporter
If anything is left unused, does it carry over to the next pantry? Does only one person have to create something in order to get another pantry?
 

Keltin

New member
Gold Site Supporter
If anything is left unused, does it carry over to the next pantry? Does only one person have to create something in order to get another pantry?

This Pantry is stand alone. Technically, as long as NCT is up and this thread is here, this Pantry is here. It can be revisited months or years from now if someone wants.

If this is going to catch on, then we can start a new Franken-Pantry each week…..or 7 full days after the last Pantry got filled. So if we do a Franken-Pantry 2, I could kick it off next Tuesday if this one works and there is interest.
 

Keltin

New member
Gold Site Supporter
Oh, and duplicate dishes are perfectly fine. If we all make the same thing, then that is actually cool. We get to see individual interpretation of the same dish. So that can be a good thing! :thumb:
 

Keltin

New member
Gold Site Supporter
Well, you probably saw this one coming! :lol:



Red Wine & Cream sauce with Mushrooms over Egg Noodles

Ingredients I found in the Franken-Pantry

Egg Noodles
1 package Mushrooms (Baby Bellas)
1 small Onion
1 Tbsp Minced Garlic
3/4 - 1 cup Red Wine (Shiraz)
1/2 - 3/4 cup Heavy Cream
Salt, Pepper, & Oil

Procedure

Boil the noodles till done and set aside in a covered dish. If the noodles get too cold before serving, put them in a colander and run hot tap water over them to warm them up.

In a skillet, add some oil and then sauté the onions and mushrooms till the mushrooms have released all of their liquid, about 8 minutes. Add the Garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add the wine and reduce by half. Add the cream and warm through just to boiling.

Ladle some sauce on a plate, add noodles, then ladle more sauce over the noodles. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then serve.

Notes
Not bad at all, especially considering the limited ingredients allowed. It had a really nice flavor, and that final dash of S&P really sealed this one. If I were free to take it over the top, I can imagine a dab of sour cream, some chives, and even crumbled bacon. A dash of flour during the cooking to help thicken may have been a nice touch. Butter certainly wouldn’t have hurt anything! :lol:

I could see scallops or shrimp in a sauce like this.

Overall though, as is, I liked it.

Oh, and isn’t that the real point of Franken-Pantry? Work with what you have, make something tasty, and then look back and say, you know, if I had this or that, I could have……….and now you’re on your way to expanding your horizons and thinking outside the box! :thumb:

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Hey, I found it in the Franken-Pantry, ok??? :lol:
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Before adding the cream.
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