A little imagination and confidence in the kitchen can turn remnants into treasures – just try my ‘dregs of the peanut butter’ salad dressing
“Leftover roast potatoes? There’s no such thing!” exclaimed people on social media when I shared a suggestion for using up surplus spuds. “Not in my house – they just get eaten!”
This sentiment is common whenever I propose ideas for ingredients considered “delicious” or a treat: wine, hot cross buns, Easter eggs, clotted cream. One person’s trash is another person’s treasure and all that – but the way we handle leftovers has to change.
Because of my work creating recipes, I am constantly dealing with leftover food. I live alone, work from home and relish the challenge of transforming remnants into new culinary delights. If I didn’t, a lot of food would get wasted and I will absolutely not let that happen. Not on my watch. For me, leftovers are a goldmine of possibilities and inspiration: whether it’s turning the end of a loaf into croutons or making some delicious little snacks from a pile of potato peelings.
Leftovers appear for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes, there really can be too much of a good thing. Sometimes you want a break from eating the same thing three days in a row. Single-person households in areas where buying loose items is nigh-on impossible end up having to buy more than they need. Maybe you got a veg box delivery and you need ideas for a vegetable you’re not familiar with (celeriac or kohlrabi, anyone?), or a neighbour shared a glut of apples from their garden and you don’t want them to go to waste. Did a two-for-one offer suck you in at the supermarket before you realised that, actually, two was too many? I promise you, it’s an opportunity, not a burden.
Facing the leftover scrapings of peanut butter at the bottom of a jar that are virtually impossible to get out? Add a few things (soy, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil and sriracha), shake like mad and use it to dress a cold noodle salad. A small amount of condensed milk at the bottom of the can that’s not enough for any recipe? Why not whip yourself up a Vietnamese-style coffee? Used all the leaves from a bunch of coriander? Stop before you even consider binning the stalks: they contain so much flavour and can be finely chopped or blended up and used anywhere you’d use the leaves. Maybe not as pretty, but just as delicious (if not more so).
During lockdown I witnessed in people a growing understanding of having to make do with what was already in the cupboards, fridge and freezer. This led to an increasing confidence around making substitutions and understanding food safety issues (such as the difference between “best before” and “use by”). I learned everything I know about food safety during my professional life working in hospitality since the age of 17 and owning a cafe for more than a decade, but I don’t recall picking up anything particularly useful during food technology lessons at school. It would be better for pupils to take even basic level 1 food hygiene exams: then we would leave school understanding the basics of safe food storage and the rules around freezing and reheating leftovers, and a lot less food would be wasted.
While sharing food with neighbours, friends and the wider community is one way to deal with surplus ingredients (and community fridge projects or sharing apps such as Olio can help here), managing random bits and open packets requires a different approach. So in May 2022, I started a series on Instagram called Rollover Leftovers, showcasing daily short videos of my home cooking. I try to demonstrate simply how my leftovers seamlessly transition from each meal to the next. Explaining simple concepts such as reviving rock-hard bread, freezing leftover chip-shop chips or creating a “clear out the fridge” traybake garnered millions of views – a much bigger audience than I would expect for anything using tricky methods or fancy ingredients.
Food is precious, and using every last bit is an act of respect for everyone in the food chain and on the planet. And personally, I’m intrigued by the concept of constrained creativity. Constraints prompt us to think outside our comfort zone and find innovative solutions. The best ideas often emerge from these limitations.
So this Boxing Day (my own personal leftovers patron saint day), instead of sweeping the leftovers into the bin, try these simple ideas.
Grate or chop anything left on a cheeseboard and tip it all into one bag or freezer-safe container. You can then use the mixed cheese (directly from frozen) to make a cheese sauce for macaroni cheese or cauliflower cheese.
If you have cream left, use it to finish off a homemade vegetable soup, either alone or with a little milk. Never boil it, just add it at the end and simmer gently to avoid splitting the cream. Or make leftover creme fraiche or sour cream into a dip – just stir in some chopped leftover herbs, some garlic or the last of a jar of pesto.
Do you have an open bottle of wine or some flat champagne but can’t face it the morning after? Freeze the dregs in an ice tray and you’ll have perfect small portions to drop into sauces in the future.
Use your imagination and trust your instincts, and I guarantee you’ll discover that leftovers can be a joy, not a chore. And if you find you have the remnants of a great big turkey but are fed up with the sight of it, or you have more cranberry sauce and honey-glazed parsnips than you could possibly eat alone, why not try joining forces with neighbours or friends? Not so much bring a bottle as bring a loaf. Because a post-Christmas leftovers sandwich is truly the best bite of the year, no?
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Elly Curshen is an author, columnist and content creator
Source: The art of leftovers: here’s how to make your turkey fly again | Elly Curshen | The Guardian