Leftover Maintenance

None of us want to waste food, yet we do. A big culprit when it comes to wastefulness is your fridge, notably leftover dishes or ingredients that get pushed to the back and forgotten about until they're inedible. People simply don't get excited about eating the same thing two days in a row, especially when it's likely to have suffered from time spent in the fridge. So instead they figure they'll get to the leftovers later, and that day never comes.

How did generations of grandmothers who never wasted a scrap of food get around this? They'd transform leftovers from one meal into an entirely different meal the next day. They had a whole repertoire of dishes created for the sole purpose of using up leftover this or that. Some of these were on the humble side, but humble and delicious are not mutually exclusive! Here are a few of my favorite leftover transformations:

Italian Bread Soup

This is something to do with leftover Italian (or French) bread that's gone stale overnight. Cut the bread into cubes and fry in olive oil with a pinch of crushed red pepper. Throw in some chopped garlic and fry for another minute. Cover with chicken broth (or stock), break up a few canned tomatoes into it, and gently simmer for ten minutes. Add a finishing herb (Italian parsley, basil or even chopped fresh rosemary leaves) and serve topped with grated Romano cheese.

Fritatta of Leftover Pasta

Any leftover long pasta will work here, regardless of how it's been sauced. To serve two heat olive oil (or a small amount of butter) in the bottom of a 10" pan. Add just enough leftover pasta to cover the bottom of pan. Grate some cheese (I use Romano) over it, then pour in three beaten eggs. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for ten minutes (or until eggs have set on top). Serve pasta side up, with a salad.

Fried Rice

Hot oil + whatever veggies you have lying around (garlic, onion, celery, carrot, green peas, bell pepper, whatever) + any leftovers (meat, fish, poultry, sausage, ham, whatever) + cold leftover rice + an egg + soy sauce (or fish sauce) = fried rice. That's the order it goes down in the wok. Keep things moving quickly once the rice hits, and make sure the egg fries a bit on the bottom of the wok before it gets stirred into the rice. Garnish with chopped scallions or cilantro if you have any lying around. Hot sauce works, too.

Cold Shoulder Francais

Cold leftover roast meat can be served thinly sliced with Dijon mustard (or horseradish for beef), cornichons, bread and butter. Just plate it attractively. Add a salad and a glass of wine and forget you're eating leftovers.

Open-faced Sandwiches w/Gravy

Here's an Americana classic for leftover roast meat and gravy. Reheat the sliced meat in gravy, and use it to top a slice of bread. (Any bread will do, but rye works really well). Eat with knife and fork. Both my mother and grandmother used this to stretch extra meals out of a roast. It's superb with turkey or pot roast. If you're a little shy on the gravy, thin it down with a little water and a pinch of salt. If it looks too damn brown and plain garnish with some chopped chives, so it looks classy.

Soup

Leftover bird carcasses and ham bones make excellent soups. Like many, my grandmother made turkey noodle soup from the leftovers of the holiday bird. She added a big can of tomatoes to it, which I've never seen anybody outside my family do. Try it, it's delicious!

Omelettes

Many leftovers can make surprisingly good omelette fillings. I've had luck with garlic mashed potatoes, ratatouille and sauteed veggies. If all you have leftover is a small amount of something ask yourself: Could this make a good omelette filling?

Red Sauce

Many leftovers can get a new lease on life as part of a red sauce for pasta. My wife particularly likes using leftover grilled meat and veggies. Leftover red sauce can be frozen and added to the next one you make. I knew a guy whose red sauce always contained the frozen remains of the last one he'd made. His sauce never tasted the same way twice!