It's easy to be sniffy about food in tins. We hide them in the cupboard like so many brightly labelled larder louts. Not for them the on-the-kitchen-counter decorative status of jars of fancy pulses, pasta shapes and bottles of posh oils. But sometimes tinned food will save our supper, particularly when we find ourselves slap-bang in the middle of the wretched hungry gap, when the roots, tubers and brassicas of winter are dwindling and it seems aeons until spring's leafy, juicy, sprightly bounty will make an appearance.
Things in tins have been around for more than 200 years, and we have Napoleon to thank for them. He realised that almost as many of his soldiers died from scurvy and malnutrition as at the hands of theenemy. Napoleon (he did say, "An army marches on its stomach," remember?) offered a 12,000-franc prize for anyone who could come up with a method of preserving food to feed his men. One Nicolas Appert, aconfectioner and brewer, was determined to scoop the loot, so he invented a method of storing food in glass jars, sealing them with corks and heating them in water. He didn't know why it worked (Louis Pasteur didn't discover that harmful micro-organisms could be destroyed by heat until 1864), but it did and he pocketed the prize.
In 1810, Englishman Peter Durance patented a method of sealing food in tin-plated containers, and in 1812 Britain opened its first commercial canning factory. Ultimately, the soldiers who defeated Napoleon's troops at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 were fighting fit in part due to an excellent supply of canned food. Ever since, our armies have marched on an extensive supply of the stuff, from bully beef to Spam and baked beans. And during the lean years of rationing, housewives were very glad indeed to get their hands on tinned tomatoes and fruit.
They've seen us through tough times, so it's not that big a stretch toexpect a few tins to get us through the gustatory tedium of late winter, too. I might not be rushing out to stock up on tinned potatoes, flabby green beans, greasy corned beef and super-sweet evaporated milk, but there are some storecupboard heroes I'd never want to be without.
Of course, I always have lots of tinned tomatoes in my cupboards. They have so much more flavour than watery, imported winter specimens – though you might want to add a pinch or two of sugar to soups and sauces in which you use them, to tone down the acidity a bit. Istock up on all manner of tinned beans and pulses, too – practically my own 57 varieties. Though I like to use dried ones when I have the time, you can't beat the instant gratification of being able to throw together a quick soup or salad at a moment's notice.
Tinned pulses are great for adding body to stews or for whizzing up into flavoursome dips. We always have lots of tinned fish tucked away, too, to stir into , spoon on to toast and mash into spreads. I like the Fish-4-Ever brand for sustainably caught mackerel, anchovies and sardines.
Just like the tin man in the Wizard of Oz, these shiny metal boxes of food turn out not just to have a long life. They also have a big heart.
Ribollita
This hearty winter soup is even better if made the day before you want to eat it. Serves six to eight.
4 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for thebread
2 onions, diced
1-2 carrots, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 leek, white and pale green part only, trimmed and finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
100ml red wine
400g tin chopped tomatoes (or 5-6 fresh tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and chopped)
400g tin cannellini beans
1 litre vegetable (or chicken) stock
1 small sprig rosemary and 2-3 small thyme sprigs, tied together
200g kale, cavolo nero or Savoy cabbage, tough stalks removed, leaves shredded
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 slices slightly stale country- style white bread
1 garlic clove, halved
To serve
3-4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Parmesan (optional)
In a large saucepan, warm the olive oil and sauté the onions over a medium-low heat until softened, about 15 minutes. Add the carrots, celery and leek, and sauté for a further five minutes, stirring. Add the garlic and stir for another minute. Pour in the wine and simmer for a minute. Add the tomatoes, beans, stock, rosemary and thyme, season and simmer gently, partially covered, for about an hour.
Add the greens and cook for 10 minutes more. Remove the herb bundle and adjust seasoning.
Rub the bread with garlic, brush with oil and toast until golden. Put one slice in the base of each bowl, ladle over the soup and trickle some more oil on top. Shave over some Parmesan, too, ifyou like.
Sardine temptation
Jansson's temptation, the comforting Swedish dish of potatoes with sprats or anchovies, is one of my favourites, but I love this version with tinned sardines, too (pictured overleaf). Serves one to two.
20g butter, plus more for greasing
1 small onion, or ½ medium onion, peeled and finely sliced
2-3 medium-sized waxy potatoes (about 400g), peeled and cut into matchsticks
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
120g tin sardines in oil, drained
A dash or two of milk
Heat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5. In a small frying pan, melt the butter over a medium-low heat and gently fry the onion until softened and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the potatoes, fry for afew minutes, stirring, and season.
Grease a small gratin dish or oven-proof dish with a little butter, then tip in half of the potato and onion mixture. Top with the sardines, then tip over remaining potato mixture. Trickle over a little milk, cover with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Uncover and bake for a further five to 10 minutes, until golden on top.
Black bean soup
This dramatic-looking soup is simple to make and has a great depth of flavour. Serves four.
2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, peeled and finely diced
1 small red chilli, halved, membrane and seeds discarded, then diced
4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
400g tin black beans, drained andrinsed
400g tin chopped tomatoes
500ml chicken, ham or vegetable stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
Sour cream
Coriander leaves
A little finely diced red onion or finely sliced spring onion
Warm the oil in a saucepan over a medium-low heat. Sauté the onion until soft and translucent, about 15 minutes then add the chilli, garlic, ground cumin and ground coriander, and stir for a couple of minutes. Add the beans, tomatoes and stock, season and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Tip half the soup into a food processor or blender and purée, return it to the pot and warm through. Season to taste, and serve topped with a dollop of sour cream, coriander and chopped onion.
Warm borlotti bean salad
This makes a great quicklunch. It also works well withtinned cannellini beans. Servestwo.
4 tbsp olive oil
1 small red onion, peeled, halved and finely sliced
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 small garlic clove, peeled, halved and finely sliced
400g tin borlotti beans, drained andrinsed
A couple of handfuls fresh rocket (orbaby spinach leaves)
Juice of ½ lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Warm half the oil in a frying pan over medium-low heat. Sauté the onion with the thyme until the onion softens slightly, about five minutes. Add the garlic, stir for a minute, then tip in the beans. Stir until warmed through, remove from the heat and stir in the rocket. Spoon into bowls, squeeze over the lemon, trickle over the remaining oil and season
