What Is a Capsule Pantry Anyway?

If like me you live with little space but a big appetite, listen up

Welcome to The Sauce, deep travels through food and drink culture written by me, Charlie Brown, founder and former owner of what was once named Britain’s best independent wine store.

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When I started to travel full-time a few years back, one of my biggest concerns was how I was going to cook on the road.

I know for some people, cooking is a daily inconvenience but for me, it was life. In the UK, I had a kitchen I loved, complete with a 6-burner hob and a dining table for 8 which was filled by friends and family at least twice a month.

That and I was a supper club chef who would regularly host events at my wine store and bar for 20+ people.

And I was going to give it all up for Airbnb kitchens?

I had to change my approach to cooking. I couldn’t lug about a whole pantry around, only a few essentials. I couldn’t read a recipe and buy everything in it, I had to make substitutions.

Little did I know how much of an opportunity this was.

The more I traveled, the more convinced I became about this approach. About how much stuff we keep in our kitchens that we never use or need. About the simplicity and creativity of versatile recipes.

This approach eventually became The Capsule Pantry. Much like a capsule wardrobe, it’s an approach that champions using everything in your kitchen as much as possible. No ingredient left behind. It’s an approach to cooking where a recipe is a guideline, so long as you know when and how to substitute ingredients.

Even when I stopped traveling and settled in Porto, I moved into an apartment with a tiny kitchen. As I live a more stationary life now, I could buy more than my original capsule pantry ingredient list. But as I rummaged earlier today in the solitary cupboard where I store my food, I realised I’ve hardly expanded it at all.

This is an approach that works. It’s cheaper. It’s less wasteful. It’s creative. And I doubt I’ll ever stock my pantry another way again.

So! What does this have to do with you?

Well, it’s officially a new year so it seemed as good a time as any to remind all 3000+ beautiful people who subscribe to The Capsule Pantry that this is how it works around here.

Every week I give you a versatile recipe and teach you how to adapt it to your own pantry. I’ll teach you how and where to substitute. What to do with leftover ingredients. How to consider your fridge and pantry as one big ecosystem that works together so very little is wasted.

Almost all the ingredients you need are relatively easy to find where most of my subscribers live in the likes of the US, Canada, or the UK. I try to keep it seasonal. Cheap. And always, always, delicious.

Last year I wrote about exactly what is in my capsule pantry and how to make one for yourself. Once you’ve finished here, I’d suggest you head over there:

However nice it would be to write for free, we still live within a capitalist construct so I do paywall a lot of my recipes (but guarantee at least one for free subscribers every month).

I’d love to have you on board for 2024 as I grow and expand the remit of this project. And I promise, I’ll save you much more money than the $5/month or $50/yr cost.

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One more thing I like to do is fine-tune recipes and send you updated versions.

So for today, I’m going back to a recipe from last year:

Portuguese Tomato Rice

Portuguese tomato rice is similar to an Italian risotto but contains more broth. The name of the rice is Carolino which is a short-grain variety grown here in Portugal. As it’s very specific to the country, most people agree that Arborio risotto rice is a good substitute. You could, in a pinch, also use a long grain rice but bear in mind it won’t be as creamy as the original recipe.

This is one of those deceptively simple recipes whose success lies in the quality of the ingredients you use. As it’s the middle of the winter in the Northern Hemisphere, I’m making it with the best quality jar of pulped tomatoes I can find. You can also make it with squishily-ripe tomatoes when they’re in season.

Last year I gave you all a recipe for tomato rice with cabbage and cheese dumplings but after a few more months of living in Portugal, I’ve come to appreciate the simplicity of the dish without accoutrements. Give me a big bowl of this soupy rice for lunch and I’m happy as a clam.

That’s not to say you can’t jazz it up. Roasted cherry tomatoes, chopped nuts or even swirls of pesto would be excellent.

I just spent New Year’s Eve with a group of Portuguese winemakers and one of them gave me her grandmother’s tips for arroz de tomate from her grandmother, so you know this is legit.

This is a great recipe to start the year. It’s warming, it’s made with storecupboard ingredients, and gets some much-needed vitamin C into your system.

Serves 4

• 1 cup / 240g arborio risotto rice (or Carolino rice if you can find it)

• 1 small brown or white onion finely chopped

• 3 large garlic cloves finely chopped

• 2-3 cups / 720ml stock (I used chicken but vegetable works too)

• 1 cup / 300g pulped tomatoes or passata

• A small sprinkling of parsley or cilantro

Heat a glug of cooking olive oil in a saucepan and fry the onions gently until translucent and soft — around 5-7 minutes.

Add the garlic and fry for a few minutes longer.

Tip in the rice and stir to coat with the onions and garlic.

Pour in the first two cups of stock and tomato pulp.

Turn the heat down until the rice simmers. Stir frequently (every few minutes) for around 20 minutes. The stirring will encourage the release of the starch.

Depending on the saltiness of your stock you may need to season with salt. Try the sauce once it’s half-cooked to determine if you need extra seasoning or not.

Once the initial liquid has been soaked up, taste the rice and add more stock if it isn’t yet cooked. Continue to add until it’s the consistency of wet risotto. The Portuguese like to say you should cook your rice until it’s malandrinho which literally translates to naughty but in this case, means saucy.

When the rice is ready, stir in the chopped herbs and serve.

TIP: Most people I’ve spoken to agree that the best tomato rice in Porto can be found at a restaurant called Oficina de Rissois. I spoke to the chef there who said he sticks in a knob of butter at the end of cooking which enriches the sauce. If you’re not averse to a bit of butter, then go right ahead, my friend.

RICE: There is no reason you can’t use long grain in this dish if that’s all you have to hand. Like I say it’ll be less creamy and you will likely need a lot less stock because it won’t absorb as much liquid.

TOMATOES: Unless you happen to have some excellent quality tomatoes growing in your area at this time of year, use quality canned tomato pulp. If you’re using fresh, be sure to skin, deseed, and blitz the tomatoes with a hand blender.

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Here’s that subscription button again for any of you who wants a year of versatile, seasonal recipes:

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