Coronavirus: Congrats, you’re a chef

Hello Quartz readers,

Today we come to you from our kitchens, where we (like many of you) have been spending more time recently, and not just because it’s also the home office. Going into this weekend, we wanted to examine how coronavirus is changing what we eat—from everyone’s newfound obsession with bread, to the inevitable impact on the food supply chain.

It’s worth saying upfront: Food security is a privilege, and thinking about fun recipes right now is a luxury. In the coming months, many people around the world will struggle with access to meals. We’ll be telling those stories also. But so many of you are stuck at home turning lemons into lemonade—better yet, a lemon tart—that it felt right to briefly turn our eyes toward our stomachs.

Let’s get started.

Get your bread up

While crusty loaves of homemade bread are the clear social-media winners of this pandemic, even the most dedicated sour bros cannot live on bread alone. Here are a few bread-adjacent ways to use ingredient odds and ends:

• 🥧 Pie crust doesn’t require hard-to-find yeast, and can be turned into a pot pie, galette or quiche using pretty much any combination of leftovers.
• 🍕 Pizza dough is almost as fun to master as sourdough, and can be quickly transformed into a meal.
• 🍞 Focaccia can serve as a pizza base, sandwich bread, or make a bowl of soup a substantial meal.

The producers

In many grocery stores these days, the most robust section is the produce department. So it’s good to know how to put your produce away like a pro:

1. Don’t wash anything until you’re about to start cooking.
2. Remove the tops from carrots, beets (beet tops are delicious and can be used in salads, soups, and as a side), and radishes.
3. Establish two different crispers: one for things that wilt—greens, herbs, carrots, peas—that is set on the highest setting, if adjustable; the other for things that will rot—fruit, and firm veggies like zucchini and peppers—set on low, or left cracked for slightly less humidity.
4. Store berries in a single layer on a tray, if at all possible—it extends their life considerably.
5. You can extend the life of your leafy greens—along with parsley, cilantro, green onions, and celery—by trimming just a tiny bit off their stems every few days, soaking them in warm water for about 10 minutes, and soaking again in cold tap water for five minutes.

You can also prep vegetables for freezer storage. This process is called blanching, and you only need some basic kitchen items and freezer-friendly Ziplock bags to do it.

Recommended pairings:

• Reader Asta K. wrote in sharing a veggie-heavy recipe for braised coconut spinach and chickpeas with lemon. “We’ve been eating quite well—taking the time to try new recipes,” she writes. “This one is easy but tasty.”
• Margaret W. turned lemons into lemonade, but the lemons were a can of chopped clams. “Today I wanted that comforting feeling so I found this white clam pizza recipe,” she wrote. “It made great use of those canned clams, whole wheat pizza dough I’ve had in the freezer and my last bits of cheese.  No arugula, no problem–I substituted parsley and some spinach.”
• When reader Jill B.’s library closed a few weeks ago, she was lucky to have in hand Pasta Grannies, plus a cookbook by Anna Jones that she’s “making my way through, one root veggie at a time.” Jill recommends trying your hand at pasta with Etruscan sauce, and ribollita, both of which could be customized to use up whatever is lingering in the crisper.

✉️ What cookbooks are serving you well?

Protecting our roots

So far, food supply chains have proven resilient in the face of Covid-19. But in the US, the virus hasn’t yet reached many of the rural farming communities that sit at the root of the larger food infrastructure.

And there’s evidence that not all farmers are being proactive, or changing the workflows that gather many laborers in the same place. “As of [March 30], 77% of workers are reporting that nothing has really changed,” says Armando Elenes, secretary treasurer of United Farm Workers, a California-based union with 8,000-plus members. Half of a US farm’s labor force also tends to be undocumented, and those workers won’t have any access to government safety nets.

If farmers don’t take the virus seriously, they risk disrupting the larger food economy. Consider the fact that two carrot farms supply about 85% of total US carrots. It’s a stark reminder that the people who pick our fruits and veggies are closely connected to our dinner plates.

There can be only one

We asked some of our favorite chefs the same question: “What’s one ingredient you always have on hand in the kitchen, and why?”

• Cathy Erway, author of The Food of Taiwan, Not Eating Out in New York. “Black vinegar is kind of rocking my world right now. It makes a pile of noodles (hot or cold, and even with soup) a little more slurp-able and of course gives it that kiss of acidity that really wakes a dish up. I’ve been adding it to frozen and reheated dumplings, crispy, pan-fried blocks of tofu, and salted cucumber chunks, along with a splash of soy sauce and sesame oil, usually.”
• Kristen Miglore, creative director of Genius at Food52. “Just about everything tastes better with a few drops of lemon juice (or, often, a lot more). They’re cheaper if you buy by the bag, and they keep really well in the fridge.”
• Adeena Sussman, author of Sababa. “Tahini! It is a quick-change artist, can go from sweet to savory, is shelf-stable, a superfood, protein-packed, filled with good fat, delicious off a spoon, poured directly onto protein or veggies, or incorporated into any number of recipes.”
• Lukas Volger, author of Start Simple. “I *need* to always have greens on hand—baby spinach, kale, swiss chard, beet greens, collard greens, whatever. No meal feels complete without a good chunk of green stuff, even if it’s salad or just a heavy-handed herby garnish. In these stay-at-home times, I’ve been really leaning into one key concept in my book, which is for marinated greens. Hearty greens are cooked, drained, seasoned with salt and whatever spice  like, and marinated with olive oil, then packed up in a container in the fridge for later use. Shopping only every 10-14 days, it’s been an incredibly helpful way to make the greens last, and to rescue those that are threatening to turn.”

In the mood for dessert?

Good. Because a lot of you told us you’re doubling down on baking sweet treats. Here’s one quick-and-easy recipe, no baking skills required, from Meg C.

6 cups Rice Krispies
1 cup peanut butter
1 package butterscotch morsels

Pour the Rice Krispies in a large mixing bowl. Melt peanut butter and butterscotch morsels in a saucepan. When melted, pour over Rice Krispies. Mix until coated.

Place mixture into a greased 11×9 inch pan. Press mixture into place. Let cool and firm up. Slice and enjoy.

Essential reading

• The latest  figures: 1,066,706 confirmed cases; 223,697 classified as “recovered.”
• SNAP to it: Food stamps will be key to the US coronavirus response.
• Going local: In Hong Kong, supporting local farms is a form of resistance.
• Takeout tips: What you need to know about food safety and coronavirus.
• Must-read: Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, by Samin Nosrat—more handbook than cookbook.
• Structure buffs: A New Way to Dinner will help you plan, shop, and cook.
• Miss dining out? Read this 2004 New York Times profile of a Brooklyn man who had never eaten in a restaurant.

Our best wishes for a healthy day. Get in touch with us at needtoknow@qz.com, and live your best Quartz life by downloading our app and becoming a member. Today’s newsletter was brought to you by Annaliese Griffin, Chase Purdy, and Kira Bindrim.