Chapter 1 The Sustainable Pantry Home cooks have lost the habit of cooking ahead, of setting aside a block of time--perhaps 2 or 3 hours on a weekend afternoon--to cook for the coming week. Not only can this be enjoyable and relaxing, it also sets you up for nutritious and satisfying meals all week long. There are two other benefits to this kind of cooking as well, both of which I particularly champion. First and foremost, it is a good way to bring the family into the kitchen to work together. As a father of five, I know how rewarding this can be. Second, it saves money and valuable resources, something that appeals to every household in these uncertain times. Super- market checkout tallies rise when you buy a lot of packaged, canned, frozen, and processed foods; they decline as you buy food in the most natural condition offered in the market. (Yet another benefit: You''ll have less packaging to dispose of.

) I am not suggesting you prepare full-blown meals on Sunday afternoon and freeze them. Instead, I urge you to prepare foods that can serve as your own convenience food, the building blocks of quick, nutritious meals. Cook legumes, grains, and vegetables in ways that make them easy to use throughout the week. Make large quantities of stock every now and then, and freeze it for later use in soups, braises, and sauces. Bake a few loaves of bread, and freeze them for sandwiches, French toast, and snacks. If the season is right, put up tomatoes or make jam for future consumption. Believe me, when this kind of cooking becomes part of the family routine, everyone wins. Meals will be more healthful as you rely more on whole grains, roasted fresh vegetables, and legumes and less on convenience and processed foods.

You and your kids will come to take pleasure in the time in the kitchen, chopping, measuring, and stirring--all easy and basic cooking chores that nonetheless teach useful life skills. I am not such an idealist that I think every child and every adult will love this idea, but try it before you dismiss it. You may be surprised. We are gung ho about attending every soccer and softball game our kids participate in, and why not? It''s fun! I urge you to give equal time to cooking together to feed the family well and do a small part to save the planet at the same time. As you read through the recipes in this chapter, you will note that many are for grains, which are crucial to a healthful diet. I thank the heavens that we''ve left the foolhardy era of no-carb, low-carb diets behind. Countless studies indicate that complex carbohydrates are essential and that we are genetically hardwired to eat them. The trick is choosing the right carbohydrates.

Very few "good carbs" are readily available in the supermarket, where you are more likely to find the highly processed carbohydrates that have added inches to our waistlines over the years. Think high-fructose corn syrup (found in hundreds of products), white bread, white pasta, white rice, and breakfast cereal. Ancient grains like farro were agricultural discoveries that allowed humans to convert from wandering bands of animal-seeking nomads to civilized cultures that could build settlements and eventually towns and states. Known as staples, grains like farro, spelt, rice, wheat, and beans (which I group with grains because of their culinary status, healthful properties, and similar cooking requirements) allowed civilizations to feed growing populations. Ancient grain staples were the very first foods to provide growing cultures with "food security." They can do the same for our families. You will also see a few recipes for hash here. While neither the pork nor beef hash is a staple, the recipes are so versatile and delicious I had to include them.

These are examples of how I suggest you use leftovers to create totally new dishes that taste as good as or better than the originals. The hash recipes are great with eggs, pasta, or grains or on their own for a quick and easy meal. As you wander through your farmers'' market, supermarket, natural foods store, or any other food market, think about what you could prepare easily (roasted vegetables, simply cooked barley) to use later in the week. What do your kids like? What would you like them to develop a taste for? What are your favorites? As you prepare meals, think about how you could use the leftovers. Take the time to bake bread and let the kids witness the miracle of active dry yeast, or make some jam to keep in the refrigerator for a few weeks to eat with the bread. Yes, it takes some planning, but in the long run, your family will be better fed, healthy, and happy. The Sustainable Pantry Roasted Carrots Roasted Parsnips Dried Heirloom Beans Cooked Farro or Black Barley Black-Eyed Peas Old-Fashioned Honey-Wheat Bread Pork Hash Beef Hash Savory Vegetable Stock Put-Up Tomatoes Savory Blackberry Jam ROASTED CARROTS You can fill whole baking sheets with carrots or parsnips--or beets, for that matter--for roasting. They are wonderful eaten as soon as they are roasted, with butter or a little oil, but because they taste good at any temperature, they are great to have on hand for all sorts of uses.

Add these roasted vegetables to farro or hash, eat as a snack--kids like them-- or use them for crudites platters. Serves 4 to 6 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil 6-8 carrots, washed and peeled Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly oil the carrots. Season with salt and pepper. Spread the carrots on a baking sheet. Roast for about 25 minutes, turning once, until they are lightly browned and tender and you can easily insert a toothpick or fork. ROASTED PARSNIPS Serves 4 to 6 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature 4 large parsnips, peeled and cut in half lengthwise (cut out any cores that seem tough or woody) Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly spread the butter on the cut side of each parsnip half.

Arrange cut side down on a baking sheet. Roast for about 35 minutes, or until they are browned and softened and you can easily insert a toothpick or fork. For moister parsnips, cover lightly with foil. DRIED HEIRLOOM BEANS When you can''t get fresh beans, dried beans are a good option. Cooked properly, these legumes taste wonderful added to any number of dishes, such as soups, spreads, and sides. Don''t be tempted to open a can of beans when it''s so easy to cook dried beans and have them on hand when you need them. Take your time when you cook the beans; turning up the heat won''t make anything go faster--it will just cause the beans to break apart. Serves 6 2 cups dried beans, such as cranberry, Indian woman, appaloosa, or lima beans 5-6 fresh thyme sprigs 2 garlic cloves, peeled or unpeeled 1/2 fresh bay leaf Pinch of baking soda Sea salt 1-2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1-2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves Put the beans in a bowl and cover generously with cool water.

Let the beans soak for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours. Change the water several times during the soaking process, if you can. Transfer the beans to a large saucepan and cover generously with water. Add the thyme, garlic, bay leaf, and baking soda. The baking soda helps soften the beans'' skin. (Do not add salt to the water; salt toughens the beans.) Bring the water to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer very gently, partially covered, for about 2 hours, or until the beans are nice and tender.

Sprinkle enough salt into the water until the water tastes as salty as seawater. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Let it stand for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the beans are perfectly salted. At this point the beans can be drained, cooled, and refrigerated for up to 5 days or used in recipes that call for cooked dried heirloom beans. To serve right away, drain the beans and serve hot, tossed with the butter and thyme. COOKED FARRO or BLACK BARLEY This recipe is a very basic one for cooking two grains you may be unfamiliar with. The process is similar to cooking rice, but the grains benefit from being soaked for several hours first. Makes about 5 cups 2 cups raw farro or black barley Cover the farro or barley with boiling water in a large stockpot.

Cover and set aside to soak for 3 to 4 hours. Drain and rinse the grain. Return to the pot. Cover the grain with 8 cups of cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the grain is tender but not splitting open. Drain and use as directed. The cooked grain will keep in a covered container for up to 1 month in the refrigerator.

BLACK BARLEY Black barley is one of my favorite whole grains because of its beauty when raw as well as cooked and also because of its meaty, filling, and comforting flavor and texture. The great news about this and any healthful whole grain is that it needs only to be simmered until tender, and then you can use it any way you want: Add it to a soup or stew or cook it pilaf- style, as in the recipe on page 196. It''s so easy, so good for you, and so, so good. Fortunately, more people are beginning to discover how delicious these healthful.