My Perfect Pantry: 150 Easy Recipes from 50 Essential Ingredients by Geoffrey Zakarian and Amy Stevenson and Margaret Zakarian

  • Grilled salmon with almond tarragon romesco

    Grilled salmon with almond tarragon romesco

    from My Perfect Pantry: 150 Easy Recipes from 50 Essential Ingredients My Perfect Pantry by Geoffrey Zakarian and Amy Stevenson and Margaret Zakarian

    • Categories: Grills & BBQ; Quick / easy; Sauces, general; Main course; Picnics & outdoors; Spanish
    • Ingredients: almonds; basil; tarragon; piquillo peppers; sherry vinegar; salmon fillets; black peppercorns
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Notes about this book

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Notes about Recipes in this book

  • Barley with green tahini vinaigrette

    • TrishaCP on May 30, 2022

      Easy and tasty barley salad. My jalapeño was very mild- I wish it had been spicier because the heat would have gone very well in this salad. The briny pops of capers and olives were the best part.

  • Fried chickpea salad

    • crandall57 on April 04, 2025

      We really enjoyed this salad. It's a great combination of flavors. We didn't use all of the dressing.

  • Hanger steak and chickpea salad with arugula pesto

    • bwhip on November 02, 2017

      Really tasty. Simple prep, really great flavor, from the marinade on the steak, and especially the arugula pesto. We'll have this again for sure.

    • TrishaCP on March 09, 2019

      This was quick and easy but I wasn’t a huge fan of the salad. I think I really just didn’t like the pesto.

  • Grilled maple-mustard chicken skewers

    • averythingcooks on July 07, 2020

      This made some really nice chicken skewers for the BBQ. I cut it in 1/2 using 2 breasts and used parsley in place of cilantro (soap tasters!) HOWEVER, as I clicked here to make the note, I glanced at the ingredients list and just realized I forgot the ginger :) They were STILL really good!

    • TrishaCP on May 30, 2021

      This is probably the best grilled chicken breast that I have made. The flavor is really nice (not too sweet) and the chicken was so moist, including the next days’s leftovers.

  • Honey-mustard vinaigrette

    • coldcutcorner on February 15, 2023

      I think I'm not the biggest fan of the taste of grapeseed oil. It's got a subtle astringency to it. This gets the job done, though. I'm not complaining too much. Doused over lettuce with a generous grating of parmesan? Cool!

  • Elbow macaroni with pine nuts, lemon, and fennel

    • crandall57 on February 15, 2025

      Great dish, easy and fast, as well as delicious. Very light. I changed the quantities for two people, used gluten free pasta and Locatelli cheese.

  • Brown rice pilaf

    • averythingcooks on December 02, 2020

      We really liked this version of pilaf. I used basmati rice and added celery to the veg. This was easy to adapt to making in my pampered chef rice cooker and ultimately was a delicious side to a pan roasted pork tenderloin and its flavourful sauce.

  • Mushroom soy turkey burger

    • julesamomof2 on September 07, 2018

      These burgers tasted a whole lot like meatloaf. Moist certainly, but a little heavy.

  • Pork adobo with coconut

    • mamacrumbcake on July 09, 2017

      The coconut milk was an unusual choice for this adobo but it was nice and helped temper the sourness of the vinegar.

    • Hydrangea on February 14, 2021

      Pg. 271.

  • Avocado and grapefruit salad

  • Spinach salad with tomato vinaigrette

    • averythingcooks on June 29, 2021

      With a chunk of tomato to use up, I made a 1/2 recipe of the dressing. I do like that it use less oil than usual but we felt that it was a little "one-note" so I added a squeeze of lemon & a shot of Dijon and the result was very nice over a simple salad (ie simpler than called for here) of baby spinach & thinly sliced red onion. Also, I started it my mini food processor (based on the small amts) but quickly transferred to my large blender to get the smooth thick dressing expected.

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Reviews about this book

  • Boston Globe by T. Susan Chang

    Geoffrey Zakarian is one of those chefs that seems to be at the center of everything [but] you'd think this was another weeknight dinner blog book with some surprisingly thoughtful flavor exchanges.

    Full review
  • ISBN 10 0385345666
  • ISBN 13 9780385345668
  • Linked ISBNs
  • Published Oct 09 2014
  • Format Hardcover
  • Page Count 304
  • Language English
  • Countries United States
  • Publisher Random House
  • Imprint Clarkson Potter

Publishers Text

Chef, restaurateur, and Food Network Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarian knows that the pantry is the backbone of any kitchen and the place from which every great meal starts.

Forget exotic condiments and specialty foods. With a working base of 50 readily available ingredients, from oats and honey to almonds and canned chickpeas, you will always have the makings of a delicious home-cooked meal. Whether cooking in his world-class restaurants, on Iron Chef, or judging the offerings on Chopped, Geoffrey knows every great meal starts with a trip to the pantry first for inspiration. In The Perfect Pantry, Geoffrey shows you how to use your pantry to jumpstart any meal. When you bring home your fresh produce and proteins, you’ll have 150 recipes at the ready, and many of these can be made with pantry ingredients alone.

You’ll see a simple can of beans as a Smoky Black Bean Bisque or coconut milk as Spicy Coconut Tempura Shrimp. Standard back-of-the-cupboard fare like almonds become crispy crust on a broiled pork chop; peanut butter lends itself beautifully to a spicy slaw, cider vinegar gives great flavor to a chicken main as well as to donuts, and mustard transforms a a pot roast. Throughout, you’ll find quick but ingenious tips for each of the 50 ingredients, like how to use Earl Grey teabags to infuse ice cubes or a syrup for French toast.

The Perfect Pantry makes it so easy for your everyday staples to lead, rather than support, the creation of extraordinary meals. Geoffrey gives you the shopping list you need, as well as the road map for making the most of what you have on hand.

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