EVERYDAY COMFORT FOOD
Chinese stir fry into scrambled eggs
“I love stirring leftover Chinese stir fries into scrambled eggs for a savory breakfast. Fried rice is another great way to use up leftovers. Just about any cooked meat can be made into a delicious salad, as can cooked pasta - if you don't put it into a frittata first.” (Mitchell Davis of The James Beard Foundation, New York City)
Hashes from doggie-bagged meats
“For me, creating new ways to use up leftovers is one of my favorite cooking challenges. Some of the simplest are hashes, for which I will save small pieces of leftover meat (from a steak in a restaurant or a roast of pork) in the freezer until I'm ready to have a brunch.” (Mitchell Davis of The James Beard Foundation, New York City)
Frittata sliced into sandwiches
“Another favorite is frittata, which I make all the time. You can chop up spaghetti, leftover vegetables, cooked hamburgers, cheese, and all sorts of things and cook them into a frittata that will make guests swoon. And then I slice the leftover frittata of leftovers and put it in sandwiches.” (Mitchell Davis of The James Beard Foundation, New York City)
PARTY FOOD
Savory pastries from bits of leftovers
“Let’s say you’ve got two tablespoons of Bolognese sauce or chili, and maybe some roasted red peppers and a small piece of cheese that won’t be enough for two portions or even one in its own right. I’ll turn these into what I call “free party food” by placing them on a base of some sort. I use white bread but you can use any kind of bread (even bread going stale) just so long as you cut off the crusts. Roll the bread out with a rolling pin to about 2mm thick. Take a pastry cutter and cut out a disk the size that will fit into a mini muffin tin - just like you would make a pastry. Add seasoning and a touch of olive oil (with a pastry brush) and place a spoonful of the Bolognese, the chopped red peppers and the cheese (now grated) on top of the bread “dough.” Pop it in the oven for 10 min at 180-degrees until golden brown. You can freeze these finger foods after baking, or store them in an air tight container.” (Chef Richard Fox, Love Food Hate Waste Roadshow)
Roasted asparagus-filled raviolis
“Ravioli is another one of our ‘clean-ups.’ Doesn’t take much to fill ravioli. We’ll fill raviolis with purée of roasted asparagus (after no one has eaten it once it’s cold), along with Mascarpone or Fontina.” (Bobbi Marstellar, recipe developer, Chicago)
Scramble condiments into eggs on toasted rounds
“Cut a stale baguette into thin slices, roast those in the oven or toast them. These then become lovely little bread bases for scrambled eggs into which you can stir anchovies and roasted red peppers, olives, chiles, whatever condiments you have that are coming close to their due date.” (Chef Richard Fox, Love Food Hate Waste Roadshow)
