Peasant Food: A Love Story

The first time I met my now best friend, she had dropped off her son for a playdate, and I invited her to stay for dinner. Somehow apologetically I said "I'd love for you to stay for dinner but I am afraid I only have peasant food to offer- it's lentil soup and home-made olive bread for us tonight".

My friend smiled with a deep warm smile and said "But, Anna, this is a real delicacy, and honestly, the best kind of food! I love lentil soup!". That evening, as we enthusiastically shared a bowl of soup and broke bread, our friendship was sealed.

My friend, Ella, is of Mediterranean descent like me, and the warm smells of cumin and oregano warmed up before lentils and tomatoes are added to create the staple household meal of lentil soup, paired with a humble loaf of bread were part of her childhood. Such and similar dishes; peppers with rice, eggs and tomatoes, lemon roasted chicken, fried burekas. Meals that echoed happy feet hungrily returning to safta's table to eat before heading back outside on the dirt roads to play till late in the evening to rest just enough so that we could play from sun up to sun down all day again tomorrow.

These were our summers and days off. When life was simple.

Simple, peasant, swiftly-made food was happy food for us-food from a time of innocence. Our caregivers were queens of multi-tasking, juggling myriads of homesteading needs, yet still they nourished us. And we, secure in that provision, believed our friends and our back yard (or the dirt road) were our kingdom, and we were the masters of our fate.

Many years after these happy times, I found myself a 29-year-old mother picking up my young child and moving across the Atlantic to the vast New World. That's where I met Ella. Both of us had left our sun-drenched countries and moved to New England for many reasons.

Mine was survival. Economic survival.

Part of that meant managing tight finances while staying true to the deep spirit of hospitality—philoxenia, as the Greeks call it—and raising a rambunctious little boy who loved to bring six friends over after school on Fridays (we walked home), as well as all our neighbors on Saturdays and Sundays, asking whether they could stay for lunch, for dinner, or really just the whole day.

I also wanted to extend that same hospitality to our new friends. To have a home filled with joy and laughter and glasses clinking, forks and plates being passed, and the sweet groaning sound of the oven door opening to reveal a large pan of something soothingly delicious for us all to share.

By going through cook books from other old cultures, I realized that I wasn't alone in this hard quest.

Abuelas and nonas and mammas and ammas and babuskas had faced similar realities: large families, tight budgets, and a deep urge to keep happiness flowing. To keep the song going. To keep the friends coming and the feast of life raging, with no end in sight. For the end would mean giving up.

And these women did not know what giving up meant.

me family-oriented meals that won't break the bank. Here are some of our most favorite all-natural, pantry-leaning meals that are typically under $10 total to make (prices vary by region, but these are built to stay frugal). Each one assumes you’ve got basics like salt, pepper, olive oil /butter, and garlics/onions.

1) Lentil Soup with Lemon

You need: dry lentils, onion/garlic, carrot (optional), bay leaf (optional), lemonHow: Sauté onion/garlic, add lentils + water/broth, simmer 25–30 min. Finish with lemon and olive oil.Why it’s gold: filling, clean, and even better the next day.

2) Pasta Aglio e Olio + Greens

You need: pasta, garlic, olive oil, chili flakes (optional), spinach/kale (or any green)How: Toast garlic in oil, toss with hot pasta + a splash of pasta water. Wilt greens in at the end.Tip: Add lemon zest or parsley if you have it.

3) Chickpea “Tuna” Salad Sandwiches

You need: canned chickpeas, mayo or olive oil, mustard, pickle or lemon, celery/onion (optional)How: Mash chickpeas, season well, add creamy element, pile onto bread with lettuce.Feels like: lunch-counter comfort, but brighter.

4) Black Bean & Rice Bowls

You need: rice, canned (or cooked) black beans, onion, cumin/chili powder (optional), salsa (optional)How: Warm beans with onion + spices. Serve over rice. Stretch it: top with cabbage, a fried egg, or a squeeze of lime.

5) Shakshuka-ish Pantry Eggs

You need: canned tomatoes, eggs, onion/garlic, paprika/cumin (optional)How: Simmer tomatoes with aromatics until thick. Make little wells, crack in eggs, cover till set.Serve with: toast, pita, or rice.

6) Sheet-Pan Potatoes & Cabbage (with Sausage if you want)

You need: potatoes, cabbage, onion; optional kielbasa or chicken sausageHow: Roast potatoes/onion until browned, add cabbage ribbons to char at the edges.Brighten: vinegar or lemon at the end makes it sing.

7) “Pantry Puttanesca”

You need: pasta, canned tomatoes, olives, capers (optional), anchovies (optional), garlic How: Simmer tomatoes with garlic, stir in olives/capers, toss with pasta.Old-school trick: a pinch of sugar if tomatoes are sharp.

8) Oat & Banana Pancakes

You need: oats (or flour), banana, egg (or milk), cinnamon (optional) How: Blend/mash into batter, cook like pancakes.Dinner version: add a spoon of peanut butter; serve with fruit.

9) Peanut Sesame Noodles

You need: noodles/spaghetti, peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, a little sugar/honeyHow: Whisk sauce with warm water to loosen. Toss with noodles. Add: shredded carrot/cabbage or leftover chicken if you have it.

10) White Bean & Herb Toast (or Warm Skillet Beans)

You need: canned white beans, garlic, olive oil, lemon/vinegar, bread How: Warm beans with garlic + oil, smash slightly, season, spoon onto toast. Optional: rosemary, parsley, or a shower of parmesan.

A simple $10 pantry “starter kit” that makes these easy

If you want to keep your kitchen ready like a lantern trimmed for winter:

• Rice + pasta + oats

• Lentils + 2–3 cans beans

• Canned tomatoes

• Garlic/onion

• Eggs

• Lemon or vinegar

• Olives/capers/anchovies

  

  (optional but powerful)