Magic leftovers
Katerina 
Leftovers can be useful. And a little bit like magic.
Leftovers can be really useful - that's nothing new.
Using up leftovers is also a challenge cooks around the world have had to solve since the dawn of time.
No wonder every cuisine has its own specific leftover dishes - arancini rice balls call for leftover risotto, and bubble and squeak calls for the leftover trimmings of a Sunday roast, to name just a couple! And many traditional Greek dishes from either the pot or the oven are actually meant to be eaten over several days.
And it's not just a practical skill: Food waste is a massive global issue - about one third(!) of food produced globally goes to waste every year. And way more than half of that is actually wasted in households: in the UK alone, this adds up to 95kg per year per person.
If sustainability and affordability of your food is a concern to you, then the best place to start is in your kitchen, and you'll make the most impact by simply learning to love your leftovers.
Personally, I rarely find myself trying avoid leftovers, on the contrary!
Leftovers can be many things, and all of them are a little bit like magic:
- No cooking (or much less cooking) required. I do love cooking but it's nice to get a day off sometimes too! (This also means we get to eat earlier than usual :)
- Many types of dishes actually taste better the next day. Stews, curries and soups most definitely develop a deeper, rounder flavour once everything has had time to infuse a bit longer.
- Using up leftovers is also the sustainable and responsible thing to do for obvious reasons.
- Last but not least, intentionally cooking with leftovers in mind is a real lifesaver when you are short of time, or when you are cooking just for yourself. Plan your cooking with that in mind (i.e. cook for leftovers the day before your crazy busy day(s).
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But what to do about the looming boredom of the 'same again'?
Well, it doesn't have to be the 'same again'.
Not at all, in fact!
Here are some of my favourite ways of either upgrading or recycling leftovers:
Jazz it up: Use different toppings and flavourings to get a new taste experience out of the same dish. For example, you can have a soup or a stew finished with cream or yoghurt one day, and with pickles or sauerkraut the next. Or a curry topped with herbs one day and topped with toasted seeds & coconut shreds the next. Or a stir fry with a miso based sauce one day, and a creamy tahini sauce the next.
Get saucy: Make a sauce for dry leftovers, for example falafels, meatballs or roasted veggies. Say a yoghurt sauce, a peanut sauce, or even a tomato sauce.
Add to it: Chuck in a tin of beans, lentils or chickpeas to add volume and substance, and change the character of the dish. Or add some greens.
Hide it: Fried rice, a pasta bake, a frittata, a noodle soup, stew or curry are great ways to use up all kinds of odds and ends, from leftover veggies to leftover Sunday roast.
Cover it up: Add a crust or topping to turn your leftovers into a pie that's even good enough for guest: use a pastry crust, a mash, a layer of thinly sliced veg, or simply a thick later of grated or crumbled cheese and bake until golden.
Upcycle it: Leftover mash can be turned into potato cakes or veggie flatbreads. Leftover rice/risotto into rice balls. Stale bread into the many variations of bread soup. The list goes on!
Layer it: I often use small portions of leftovers (i.e. not enough for a full meal) as an extra layer of flavour in the next meal. Basically, I just chuck it into the next meal (depends on the type of meal, of course). I usually look for a matching consistency. I don't worry about matching flavours... it always matches once all the layers come together.
Plate it up: Or if you don't want to 'chuck it all in' you could have a tapas night: Plate up different bits of leftovers, maybe add a salad or a piece of cheese and some olives and off you go, Spanish style!
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I'm sure there are many many other ways of using leftovers.
What is your favourite? I'd love to find out!
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PS. Hot tip: If you're stuck for ideas just type in your ingredients into a search box. You can be sure that there will be plenty of recipe inspiration for any combination, even the oddest.
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