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🛒 Shopping List — Block 9–10: Seasoning & Flavor Building

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How to use this list: These weeks are about salt, acid, and umami — meaning you'll be building your pantry more than stocking up on proteins. Buy the three types of salt before anything else. The miso-marinated cod/salmon (Service 10) needs 24–48 hours in the marinade — start it Thursday.

⚠️ Pre-Week Check

  • [ ] Three types of salt you must have: Kosher (Diamond Crystal or Morton), flaky Maldon or fleur de sel, fine sea salt. They are not interchangeable.
  • [ ] Pantry umami builders (Block 10): Anchovies/anchovy paste, miso paste (white or red), soy sauce, fish sauce. You need all of these by Session 38.

🥩 Proteins — Block 9

  • [ ] Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs — 6 pieces (Session 34 dry-brine)
  • [ ] White fish fillets — halibut or sea bass, 2 pieces (Session 36 pan-sear)
  • [ ] Whole branzino or red snapper — 1–2 fish (Service 9 PROJECT — ask fishmonger to gut and scale). Alternatively: whole sea bass or trout works.
  • [ ] Guanciale or pancetta — 4 oz (Session 35 amatriciana)

🥩 Proteins — Block 10

  • [ ] Chicken breasts or thighs — 4 pieces (Session 38 Marsala)
  • [ ] Pork tenderloin — 1 lb (Session 39)
  • [ ] Black cod or salmon fillets — 2 pieces (Service 10 — start miso marinade Thursday)
  • [ ] Tinned anchovies — 2 cans (Session 41 pasta + any remaining salads)

🥦 Produce — Block 9

  • [ ] Broccoli — 1 large head (Session 34)
  • [ ] Arugula — 3 bags (Session 34 salad + Session 37 salad + general use)
  • [ ] Romaine lettuce — 2 hearts (Session 35 Caesar salad)
  • [ ] Cherry tomatoes — 2 pints (Session 36 sautéed)
  • [ ] Cauliflower — 1 head (Session 37, with crispy capers)
  • [ ] Radicchio or bitter greens — 1 head (Session 37 salad)
  • [ ] Fennel — 2 bulbs (Service 9 salad)
  • [ ] Navel oranges — 3 (Service 9 fennel orange salad)
  • [ ] Fingerling potatoes — 1.5 lbs (Service 9)
  • [ ] Fresh parsley — 1 bunch
  • [ ] Garlic — 2 heads

🥦 Produce — Block 10

  • [ ] Mushrooms (cremini or mixed) — 1 lb (Session 38 Marsala sauce)
  • [ ] Lemons — 4 (acid finishes, multiple uses)
  • [ ] Carrots — 4 (Session 39 roasted with cumin)
  • [ ] Asparagus — 1 bunch (Session 41)
  • [ ] Arugula — 2 bags (Session 41 salad + Sat salad)
  • [ ] Fennel — 1 bulb (Service 10 salad)
  • [ ] Blood oranges or navel oranges — 2 (Service 10 salad)
  • [ ] Yukon Gold potatoes — 1.5 lbs (Session 38 creamy mashed potatoes)
  • [ ] Russet potatoes — 3 lbs (Session 40 potato gnocchi — bake them, don’t boil)
  • [ ] Green beans — ½ lb (Session 40 fat-experiment lesson — three small batches in different fats)
  • [ ] Fresh sage — 1 bunch (Session 40 brown butter gnocchi with crispy sage)

🧀 Dairy

  • [ ] Parmesan (block) — 8 oz (cacio e pepe, pasta, salads)
  • [ ] Pecorino Romano — 4 oz (cacio e pepe — do not skip, it's different from parmesan)
  • [ ] Unsalted butter — 3 sticks
  • [ ] Heavy cream (optional) — ½ cup (Session 38 Marsala finishing)- [ ] Eggs — 1 dozen (Session 35 Caesar raw egg yolks; Service 9 salt-crust needs 6–8 egg whites for the crust paste)

🌾 Pantry & Dry Goods

  • [ ] White miso paste — 1 container (Service 10 — also useful forever after)
  • [ ] Fish sauce — 1 bottle (Session 41 pasta + future use)
  • [ ] Anchovy paste or whole tinned anchovies — 2 cans (Session 41 mushroom pasta)
  • [ ] Soy sauce — 1 bottle (already have? check)
  • [ ] Saffron — 1 small tin (Service 10 risotto — the good stuff, not the cheap powder)
  • [ ] Marsala wine (dry) — 1 small bottle (Session 38 — use dry, not sweet)
  • [ ] Balsamic vinegar — 1 bottle (Session 39 pork glaze)
  • [ ] Sherry vinegar — 1 bottle (Session 39 lentil salad — different from balsamic)
  • [ ] Mirin — 1 bottle (Service 10 miso marinade)
  • [ ] Sake or dry sherry — small bottle (miso marinade)
  • [ ] Cumin, ground — for Session 39 roasted carrots
  • [ ] Canned white beans — 2 cans (Session 36 white bean salad)
  • [ ] Tonnarelli or spaghetti — 1 lb (cacio e pepe)
  • [ ] Bucatini or rigatoni — 1 lb (Session 35 amatriciana)
  • [ ] Canned whole tomatoes — 1 can (amatriciana)
  • [ ] Arborio rice — 1.5 cups (Service 10 saffron risotto)
  • [ ] French green lentils (Puy lentils) — 1 cup (Session 39 lentil salad)
  • [ ] Chicken or vegetable stock — 64 oz (risotto + Marsala deglazing)
  • [ ] Capers — 1 jar (Session 37 cauliflower + general use)
  • [ ] Extra-virgin olive oil (good quality — it will be tasted directly this week)

📝 Notes

Session 34 dry-brine: Do this in the morning. Salt the chicken thighs, place uncovered on a rack over a sheet pan, and refrigerate until dinner. This 6–8 hour window is the minimum; overnight is better.

Service 9 salt-crusted fish: You'll need 3–4 cups of kosher salt for the crust. Mix it with egg whites (about 2 per cup of salt) to form a pliable paste that seals around the fish without falling off. The crust should not be eaten.

Service 10 miso-marinated cod: Mix 3 parts white miso, 2 parts mirin, 1 part sake, 1 part sugar. Coat the fish completely, cover, and refrigerate 24–48 hours. Wipe off excess before broiling or pan-searing — the sugar burns.

The umami experiment (Session 41): Before you add the anchovies to the pasta, taste the plain sautéed garlic and tomato. Then add 2–3 anchovies and stir until dissolved. Taste again — notice it doesn't taste like fish; it just tastes deeper. That's umami at work.