Italian culture is known for its cuisine. Therefore, it is a priority to create an Italian pantry equipped with all the essentials. A packed pantry will make weeknight dinner preparation quick, easy and of course, tasty! Sansone Market has all the essentials you need to keep your pantry stocked and ready to go.
Italian Must-Haves
Whether you’re trying to make a quick pasta al
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
No Italian dish is complete without a little olive oil. When picking your oil off the shelve you want to make sure your getting the best. A good Italian olive oil is usually stored in dark glass bottles or aluminum containers. You’ll notice Sansone Market offers true Italian olive oil straight from the motherland. Olive oil also loses its flavor over time, so be sure to look at the harvest date. You want your olive oil to taste fruity, grassy and even a little bitter. This will add a nice flavor to any meal.
Balsamic Vinegar
Who doesn’t love a tasty salad? It’s the perfect quick side dish for any meal. Balsamic vinegar is most known for its use as a delectable salad dressing (along with some olive oil). However, Italian dishes use balsamic for much more. You can drizzle it on top of your favorite chicken dish or use it as a dip for a tasty sandwich. If you want your pantry done right, you’ll want to buy traditional balsamic vinegar labeled Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale.
Pasta
Who has time to make fresh pasta every day? Most people don’t. Therefore, keeping boxes of pasta in your pantry is important. What’s an Italian dinner without some spaghetti or maybe a side of penne with your chicken parmigiana? Different pasta shapes hold the sauce in different ways so it’s best to keep a variety. Durum wheat pasta produces high-quality semolina which allows the pasta to keep its consistency and flavor.
Canned Tomatoes
You’re going to need something to put on top of your pasta. Keeping canned tomatoes in your pantry is great for making a quick homemade sauce. Your best bet is to buy canned whole tomatoes and chopping or pureeing them until they are to your liking. If you don’t have time to make sauce, Sansone Market offers their own variety of sauces. They range anywhere from marinara to vodka sauce. Keeping a couple jars of these in the pantry can lead to quick and easy weeknight dinners.
Italian Spices
If you want your dishes to taste Italian, you have to season like the Italians do. Italians seldom cook without their seasoning essentials like oregano, basil, sage, rosemary, parsley, hot pepper, and thyme. Basil is great for a fresh summer taste. Adding fresh basil can make any dish taste gourmet. Parsley is also added to many sauces to add a refreshing tang. Along with these two herbs, sage and rosemary are great for potatoes and roasts.
Coffee
Coffee is a huge part of the Italian culture. Of course, most Italians drink espresso rather than coffee. Many Italians cannot function properly without a strong freshly-made espresso in the morning. However, they continue to take espresso shots throughout the day for a burst of energy. A good Italian pantry will always have a quality coffee blend stocked and ready to go.
Breadcrumbs
You can’t make chicken cutlets without breadcrumbs. Not only are breadcrumbs great for chicken cutlets, but they make a great coating to a sole filet and a great topping to pasta or casseroles. You can buy a beautiful Italian breadcrumb blend from Sansone Market or you can make your own at home.
Cooking Wine
This wine is not what you drink while you cook. Although you could! You should buy the best wine you can afford. A good rule of thumb is if you wouldn’t drink it, don’t cook with it. Cooking wine can be red or white. It’s usually used at the end of many Italian dishes to deglaze ingredients like onions, celery and carrots while still keeping their delectable flavor. It’s also used in many sauces like scampi and francese.
Bonus: Nutella
This is not a joke! Italians enjoy Nutella with their morning coffee inside a croissant or as a midday snack spread across a slice of bread. If the Italians can have this chocolatey spread for breakfast than so can you!
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No matter what you stock your pantry with, as long as you have these Italian must-haves, you’ll be bringing Italy to your kitchen. Sansone Market imports the best quality, authentic Italian essentials for your enjoyment and will help to keep your pantry fully stocked.
