Pantry Raid: Sash Restaurant chef and owner Sash Simpson’s five essential kitchen supplies
We’re asking chefs to peer into their pantries and tell us their top shelf-stable essentials. Here are five staples that Sash Restaurant chef and owner Sash Simpson made sure to stock up on before we went into lockdown.
More Pantry Raids
Madras curry
What kind: Lalah’s
Where he bought it: Danforth Food Market
What he does with it: “I use this to make concentrated curry oil. I roast one cup of Madras curry at 350°F for just under five minutes. Then I add two cups of hot vegetable oil to it, let it sit for 48 hours and then strain it. I might drizzle the oil on something like cumin-roasted cauliflower, or incorporate it into any type of curry.”
Garganelli pasta
What kind: La Bottega Della
Where he bought it: Harvest Wagon
What he does with it: “If you know me, you know I love pasta—especially garganelli or spaghettini in a pomodoro sauce with preserved chilis, lots of grated parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil.”
Rice and black-eyed peas mix
What kind: Grace
Where he bought it: Danforth Food Market
What he does with it: “I keep this in my pantry because I have a lot of late nights, and—as many chefs will understand—sometimes I don’t eat all day. When I get home, I’ll just put this in a pot to simmer. It’s ready in five minutes and it’s delicious.”
Vegetarian biryani
What kind: Shan
Where he bought it: Iqbal Halal Foods
What he does with it: “The best biryani I’ve ever had was in India and I’ve been a huge fan ever since. I make lots of different kinds—chicken, beef, goat, fish—but my wife loves vegetarian ones. I just sauté vegetables with the seasoning mix and a bit of ghee before folding everything into some basmati rice.”
Instant polenta
What kind: Vita Sana
Where he bought it: F & C Food Importing Inc.
What he does with it: “I love instant cornmeal polenta with some sort of braised meat. I usually make this on Sundays in the winter when it’s really cold. It goes perfectly with a glass of red wine.”
![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://torontolife.com/food/pantry-raid-sash-restaurant-chef-and-owner-sash-simpsons-five-essential-kitchen-supplies/&title=Pantry Raid: Sash Restaurant chef and owner Sash Simpson’s five essential kitchen supplies&picture=https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/sash-2.jpg&description=We’re asking chefs to peer into their pantries and tell us their top shelf-stable essentials. Here are five staples that Sash Restaurant chef and owner Sash Simpson made sure to stock up on before we went into lockdown.
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Madras curry
What kind: Lalah’s
Where he bought it: Danforth Food Market
What he does with it: “I use this to make concentrated curry oil. I roast one cup of Madras curry at 350°F for just under five minutes. Then I add two cups of hot vegetable oil to it, let it sit for 48 hours and then strain it. I might drizzle the oil on something like cumin-roasted cauliflower, or incorporate it into any type of curry.”
Garganelli pasta
What kind: La Bottega Della
Where he bought it: Harvest Wagon
What he does with it: “If you know me, you know I love pasta—especially garganelli or spaghettini in a pomodoro sauce with preserved chilis, lots of grated parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil.”
Rice and black-eyed peas mix
What kind: Grace
Where he bought it: Danforth Food Market
What he does with it: “I keep this in my pantry because I have a lot of late nights, and—as many chefs will understand—sometimes I don't eat all day. When I get home, I'll just put this in a pot to simmer. It’s ready in five minutes and it's delicious.”
Vegetarian biryani
What kind: Shan
Where he bought it: Iqbal Halal Foods
What he does with it: “The best biryani I've ever had was in India and I’ve been a huge fan ever since. I make lots of different kinds—chicken, beef, goat, fish—but my wife loves vegetarian ones. I just sauté vegetables with the seasoning mix and a bit of ghee before folding everything into some basmati rice.”
Instant polenta
What kind: Vita Sana
Where he bought it: F & C Food Importing Inc.
What he does with it: “I love instant cornmeal polenta with some sort of braised meat. I usually make this on Sundays in the winter when it's really cold. It goes perfectly with a glass of red wine.”
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