Day 3: Stocking the Pantry

So, here we are at Day 3 of the preparatory weeks before Great Lent.  We have already accomplished a few of our goals.  Granted,  there are more preparations to come, but one by one we will be ready for filling our souls, our hearts, and then, our stomachs.  Today was productive.  As you can see in the pictures, we have our dry beans almost ready to go.  We try to use glass Mason jars*, which fit nicely in the kitchen cabinets, and we can see through them to see how much supply we have and the type of bean or legume inside (*we also prefer glass jars out of concern that some plastic containers may also impart unwanted flavours). Some of these we buy in the larger bags, knowing that we are going to use them over time.  Our main choice for dried beans and legumes is Goudas Foods' "Mr. Goudas" label, a Canadian brand which dominates the domestic rice, dried and canned bean market with a wide variety of excellent dry legumes and rices. We also like to support Goudas Foods because the owner of the company, Mr. Peter Goudas has been a generous supporter of many Greek and non-Greek community groups for several decades.  This brand's products are generally very affordable; for example, a 2 kg (about 4.5 lbs) bag of Giant Lima Beans (γίγαντες) sells for about $7 (Canadian).  At our home we cook γίγαντες throughout the year.  They are good to eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snack.  They are low in fat, high in protein and fiber, are healthy for you, plus, they keep well in the fridge for about a week (if they last that long!).  In a few days, we'll have step by step directions for making your own γίγαντες dish, with some variations that can make it a different dish every time!

From left to right: Black Beans, Dried Green Peas, Marrowfat Peas, Red Kidney Beans

From left to right: Converted Rice, Brown Rice, White Basmati Rice, North American Wild Rice, Rice and Grain Blend, Medium Couscous, Orzo (Μανέστρα) 

From left to right:  Giant Lima Beans (Γίγαντες), Green Lentils, Chickpeas (Ρεβίθια), Black-Eyed Peas, Black Beans, 9-Bean Soup Blend

Back to the pantry... Our beans and legumes collection include green lentils which are a staple food in any good Greek kitchen; chick peas (garbanzo beans and ρεβίθια in Greek) which we can use for Greek and Indian foods, dips and soups; black-eyed peas which make excellent soups, stews and salads; black beans which are good for salads, soups, Mexican dishes and rice dishes; kidney beans which can be made into a simple vegetarian chili any cool evening; 9-bean blend which we use for salads and soups; and then the various grains -- including converted rice, basmati rice, North American wild rice, quinoa, orzo (μανέστρα) and couscous (orzo and couscous are actually members of the pasta family but due to their resemblance to grains, we'll refer to them as such for now).  We recently bought brown rice, but are not too keen on it really, so that has not made a permanent home in the pantry just yet.  If someone could tell us how to make brown rice where it would taste good, we would be happy to include your recipe(s) and knowledge here and give you credit where credit is due.  You must realize that we are very interested in learning from all of you, in addition to us sharing our tips and tricks.

OK, with the dry goods in place, we now have to assemble our canned goods, spices and  tomato products.  There are many parts of Greece that use tomatoes when cooking just about everything!  We enjoy the classic tomato with oil (λαδερά) dishes like arakas (αρακάς, peas with dill) and any food yiachni (γιαχνί) -- especially cuttlefish or cauliflower!  But, for these, you need the right tomato products -- paste, puree, or even pre-made sauce.  If you have the luxury of time, perhaps you will make your own, or you already made your own and stored it for the winter.  Either way, the right tomato sauce matters.  We'll organize those for you this week, and will specify which one to use when cooking.

Just a note, though - any of the products that are mentioned or noted by brand is done simply because we enjoy using them for ourselves, our family and our friends. Your own brand preferences may differ, and we welcome other opinions in the comment sections.

Well, that is it for tonight.  Tomorrow we'll finish our pantry (spices and canned items).  We are opening our hearts and our minds to try a few new things and hope you are, too!

Writings Of Saint Nectarios Of Aegina Selected Passages From The Writings Of Orthodox Saints, Compiled by Father Demetrios Serfes Fasting is an ordinance of the Church, obliging the Christian to observe it on sepecific days. Concerning fasting, our Savior teaches: "When thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father Who is in secret: and thy Father, Who seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly." From what the Savior teaches we learn (a) that fasting is pleasing to God, and (b) that he who fasts for the uplifting of his mind and heart towards God shall be rewarded by God, Who is a most liberal bestower of Divine gifts, for his devotion. In the New Testament fasting is recommended as a means of preparing the mind and the heart for divine worship, for long prayer, for rising from the earthly, and for spiritualization.