Essential foods for a delicious kitchen

My rule of thumb is that the food should taste like itself, but enhanced, sort of like its best self, not like salt, pepper, hot spice, or herbs and spices. They are all simply ways to bring out the natural flavors of foods; you don’t want a hostile takeover of your dish.

In the spirit of keeping things simple and luscious, this is my stuck-on-a-desert-island list of ingredients that allows me to put a meal on the table on any day, in any situation, and never, ever worry about the results.