What to Cook When You Think There's Nothing in the House to Eat

Don't let Schwartz's title — What to Cook When You Think There's Nothing in the House to Eat —fool you: His recipes might suit the deflated aspirations of the '90s, but his cupboard isn't bare. The message here is simple: Keep enough pantry staples on hand and you won't have to send out for pizza. Says Schwartz, ''My feeling is, you have a box of spaghetti, you have dinner.'' And by extension, if you have canned tuna, dried mushrooms, and about 60 other items inventoried here, you can turn out minimally demanding food for supper anytime. Schwartz cooks this way at home as a relief from the dining out he does as restaurant critic for the New York Daily News. Others might use his file as a primer on the new frugality or a recovery program for culinary burnout. B