Sequestration Meal #312

 

I found a recipe for walnut and lentil Bolognese at Modern Proper I had to try, because I had everything on hand and it would help me reduce some of the pantry stocks (my ongoing quest, as you know). This was almost entirely a pantry meal. The perishable veggies it required were the sort you can have around for semi-long term storage (onions, carrots, and celery). I only made a half-recipe, but it still made a ton of sauce--plenty for at least four servings. It went well with the egg-free pappardelle I had bought who knows when as a substitute for my favorite vegan noodles and a sprinkling of shredded Violife parmesan and some dried parsley.

Though this is good, I like TVP better than the lentil-and-walnut mixture, so that's more likely to show up on my pasta in the future. But I was still really happy with this, because it used up the last bit of a bag of lentils and quite a few walnuts, as well as that half a jar of pasta sauce I had in the fridge.

My past self, who was squirreling away lentils and nuts and things for an unknown future, might well have needed to do it. Heck, I don't know the future even now, but I do feel more secure about running out of things than I felt a year ago (although I probably had less food around a year ago, because I had yet to develop so many methods for getting food delivered). Pandemic shopping was terrifying for a while. It is gradually becoming a lot less so for me. It was not irrational to collect all this stuff. I keep reminding myself of these things so I won't get too annoyed with myself as I go through the process of clearing out the COVID pantry. Having so much is a good thing. It means our fragile society (sort of) made it through a hard season. More importantly in terms of my pantry, perhaps, it means that my own fragile self is making it through.

In a way, this may be a repeat of eating down my family's Y2K stockpile. That was a lot of canned soup and beans for a while, long ago. I seem to remember the meals made with all that being a lot less interesting, though. So here's to new adventures, and making room for them.