Food saving tips for dishes.

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Can you turn a leftover dish into a quasi-new dish? Absolutely.

1) I had leftover chicken sausages, Jerusalem artichokes, and some celeriac. I made a Parmentier with the leftover vegetables instead of potatoes. Delicious! There was almost half of it left. Then came the holidays with other goodies.

2) A delicious leftover Parmentier turned out to be still good, but a bit small. I scraped off the white top layer and used it with a third of a cauliflower to make a cauliflower cream. A few last kale stalks from the garden were rescued from their winter suffering and stir-fried with leftover grated carrots and Chinese cabbage. This was mixed with the chicken sausage mixture, some extra tomato, and assembled into a new, surprising dish: another Parmentier with a cauliflower layer in the oven. And everything covered in a layer of chia and flax seeds...

This is couqouck au vin/saké. A Japanese/Chinese variation on kok-o-vin. It teaches me that with the right seasoning (and yes, there are ready-made spice packets, ideally, but more importantly, au fond (in this case, shiitake mushrooms, carrots, and silver onions) you can incorporate almost any leftover vegetable into an Asian dish. It's still sweet and salty, but growing teenagers love it. A passport to the Orient and simultaneously a "vegetable twist." Admittedly, let it simmer for a long time with the lid open. Some alcohol might still be left over, so not for the very young, but still... worth a try...

Bread turns out to be the biggest, almost sole, waste item for us. Although we usually even make our own bread. But you can't just keep making bread porridge and such. Anyway. I don't know if this simple tip has already been mentioned, but I mix a lot of breadcrumbs into breadcrumbs . That way, I never have to buy "chapelure." And I always use a generous portion in meatballs, meatloaf, etc.

Someone commented: I don't think baking croutons is that simple: either they're too greasy or black... How do you do it? Pan, oven, deep fryer?

Wim: Pan, olive oil, not too much. Stir-fry over high heat, turning constantly after 1 minute. As soon as you see a bit of blackening anywhere, quickly pat the meat on a paper towel and open it up, put 4 slices together, and shake it a bit.

Stale bread?

TIP 2: Try something different. Make bird bread. This consists solely of kernels, seeds, and the like. It fits a paleo diet (how cavemen ate) but contains no carbohydrates, is instantly filling, incredibly healthy, and... it keeps for weeks! And if you have any leftovers, crumble the rest into a salad. I make it myself: it's incredibly simple.

Surplus bread appears to be a common occurrence among many people.

TIP 1: To avoid always resorting to bread pudding and such, and because living in Italy for two years and having an Italian wife doesn't exactly make you cringe: this dish (my way: with burrata). Panzanella is a dish from Umbria and Tuscany that uses stale bread, lettuce scraps, and various leftover vegetables mixed with the stale bread. Originally a poor man's dish. But prepare it well in advance and let the flavors blend, and you'll end up with something simple yet succulent. Definitely check out a recipe online. Buon appetito!

In early November, I made herb oil from fresh, green leftovers from potted plants and garden herbs. It contained parsley, tarragon, cilantro, basil, chives, oregano, and sage. The empty jar is proof that this has been the base for all my vinaigrettes and salad oils ever since. It's an ideal preservative for green herbs.

If I summarize how I regularly salvage leftovers, I come up with five basic techniques that are very applicable. I've given them names: 1) souping, 2) omeletting, 3) salading, 4) stewing, and 5) stir-frying.

In terms of using leftover vegetables at home, here's a tip: An Antillean/Caribbean dish. This involves baking various vegetables (sometimes fruit too) in the oven with peanut oil and Cajun spices (sweet with a spicy note) with a winged or butterfly chicken, so-called because you cut away the backbone (but still make a little stock with it, of course) and then pulling it open. With the herb oil and Cajun spices, that pulled-open chicken releases its flavors in just 50 minutes at 180°C (350°F) on top of the mixed vegetables. Delicious! Oh, and a little salsa on the side (use lime zest).

I wanted to spice up these "running beast" burgers (have you got them? > reindeer burgers :-) ). I had celeriac, pumpkin, carrot, beetroot, and turnips. What to do? With a Parisienne scoop, I scooped out small balls from these root vegetables and then cooked them, starting with the ones that require the longest cooking time. With the rest, I made an "omni purée." With the right seasoning, it's delicious.

A quarter of a pumpkin left over and wrinkled apples. A handful of Brussels sprouts and a piece of pointed cabbage. I considered an alternative "Hete Bliksem" (Hot Lightning), but I didn't use enough ground meat. Solution: added two frankfurters and some finely chopped and ground tofu, then chopped Brussels sprouts and pointed cabbage, and put them together as a bottom layer. On top of that, a layer of applesauce, and then pumpkin puree. Addictive!

Wim's WILD weekend: Saturday: reindeer meatballs with cranberries , zucchini, and parsley root ointment. I used leftover carrot and celery in my homemade game sauce, and then flambéed it with whiskey. Oh, and the parsley root ointment also contains finely chopped parsley fried in oil. And on the plate are also leftover papas arugadas con mojo verde (Canarian), homemade (based on garlic, jalapeños, green herbs, and cumin). Quite spicy.

Sunday: Wild boar stew. Just to list all the things you can use for this (not all at once, of course): leftover berry jam, gingerbread, bread, turnips, turnips, carrots and parsnips, celery, bacon, various mushrooms, dates, figs, raisins, apples, apricots, plums (and other sweet fruits), and of course (brown) beer. Even cuberdons can be used.

8:17

About wild boar > poor man's hint : For those who also want to eat wild boar but can't touch it or find it too expensive, buy a piece of pork and marinate it in the refrigerator for 24 hours in a red wine marinade with plenty of bay leaves, parsley stalks, thyme, crushed juniper berries, black pepper, and cloves. Turn occasionally. Drain, pat dry, and prepare as usual. It will have a different, "wilder" flavor, texture, and color.

Final tip: smart shopping lists

An example. For today: spaghetti bolognese: needed > ground meat, 1 carrot, celery, and onion.

Tomorrow: Thai Tom Kha Kai: chicken fillet, coconut milk, galangal, lemongrass, lime, straw mushrooms, rest is in house

But then, while shopping, you see things like cod = extra discount, and shrimp -50% for immediate consumption. Reflex: I'll make that now, then the spaghetti tomorrow, and I'll do the Thai food later. OK, you probably remembered: don't buy chicken breast anymore, but if you don't "connect" the other ingredients related to it on your list, you might have already bought your lemongrass, galangal, and lime, and that will remain in your basket, on its way to the lonely deathhouse called the refrigerator. So: mark related, targeted purchase concepts on your list!