Recipes from Apocalypse Chow

Welcome to Pantry Cuisine

Try these sample recipes

(They cook in 15 minutes or less!)

Almost-Instant Black Bean Chili

This hearty chili made with canned beans and a jar of salsa couldn’t be easier. Cook it over any heat source, just long enough to heat through and marry the flavors. Serve over quick-cooking rice or noodles or eat it plain right out of the pot.

2 (15.5-ounce) cans black beans, drained (and rinsed, if possible)

1 (16-ounce) jar salsa (hot or mild)

2 to 3 tablespoons chili powder, or to taste

1 tablespoon dehydrated minced onion

1 (8-ounce) can corn kernels, drained

1 cup water, or as needed

1. Combine the ingredients in a saucepan, reserving half the corn. Cover and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally. Add as much water as needed to create a sauce and prevent sticking to the bottom of the pan.

2. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring frequently, until heated through and long enough to cook off any raw taste from the chili powder, about 10 minutes. Garnish with the remaining corn kernels.

Makes 4 servings

Pasta Improv

Sure, a jarred pasta sauce is easier, but if you feel like improvising your own tomato sauce, here’s an easy way to do it. This flavorful sauce is made with pantry ingredients, however, fresh ingredients, such as an onion, tomatoes, or fresh herbs may be used if you have them on hand. Be sure to use fresh garlic, if you can, since garlic bulbs are fine at room temperature. If you don’t have fresh, substitute a small amount of garlic powder.

1 pound pasta of choice

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon dehydrated minced onion

2 tablespoons dry red wine

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 tablespoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried parsley

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling salted water according to package directions. Drain well, toss with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, and set it aside while you make the sauce.

2. Heat the remaining oil in the same pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes, onion, wine, red pepper flakes, basil, and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper and simmer until hot.

3. Stir in the cooked pasta until heated through, tossing gently to combine. Serve hot.

Makes 4 servings

Fire-Roasted Blueberry Cobbler

It sounds improbable, but you can really make a darn good cobbler over an open flame. The heat bubbles up through the filling to cook the cake-like topping. Keeping a lid on things retains the heat. In a matter of minutes, you have a fresh hot cobbler. During the last hurricane, I recommended blueberry cobbler three meals a day every day, but the request was turned down.

1 (16-ounce) can blueberry pie filling
1 pinch cinnamon

1 teaspoon lemon juice or lemon zest
1 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder

1 pinch salt

1 cup milk or soy milk

2 tablespoons canola oil

1. Combine the pie filling, cinnamon, and lemon juice or zest in a 10-inch skillet and place over a medium flame.

2. In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the milk and oil, mixing until just combined.

3. Spread the batter evenly over the blueberry mixture. Cover and cook until the batter becomes firm and cake-like, about 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let stand covered for another 5 to 10 minutes.

Makes 4 servings