With few fresh vegetables and fruits in season, wintertime calls for a new approach to cooking. Look into the pantry for inspiration; if your supplies are running low, our list of pantry basics will help you complete your winter larder.

To extend your winter pantry beyond the shelves of dried and canned goods, stock your freezer with the flavorful homemade broths and sauces that are elemental to winter cooking; make double or triple batches of these staples to last you through the season.

STOCKING THE PANTRY
Make sure you have the basics.

Dried and canned beans: cannellini, chickpeas, black, pinto
French green and brown lentils
Arborio and basmati rice
Assorted pasta shapes
Couscous
Quick-cooking polenta
Kasha
Dried porcini mushrooms
Dried chiles
Sun-dried tomatoes
Capers
Olives
Olive paste
Marinated artichokes
Canned tomatoes: whole, diced, crushed, pureed
Anchovies
Imported oil-packed tuna

Homemade Staples
Store these items in airtight containers in the freezer for up to three months.

Homemade Chicken Stock

Homemade Beef Stock

Homemade Vegetable Stock

Versatile Tomato Sauce

Don't Throw Out...
Keep these flavor boosters in the freezer, and add them to a pot of simmering soup or beans; discard before serving.

The rinds of hard cheeses like Parmesan and Pecorino Romano
Scraps of smoked meats: prosciutto, bacon, and smoked turkey
Fresh herbs that have begun to wilt

RECIPES FROM THE WINTER PANTRY

Butternut Squash Risotto

French Lentil and Swiss Chard Risotto

Tuna and Farfalle Puttanesca

Couscous with Spiced Red Sauce, Chickpeas, and Almonds

Wild Mushroom Ragout with Creamy Polenta

Three Bean Ribollita

Pasta e Fagioli

Pork and Pinto Bean Chili