Waste not, Want not Cooking

Over 40 years ago, I read a book written by Helen McCully, then one of the leading food authorities in America. She was a good friend of my boss at the time, Mary Lyons, who often invited me to join them for lunch. Over a period of a year Helen regaled us with amusing and delicious anecdotes about writing her cookbook which she entitled Waste Not, Want Not.  The topic?  How to turn leftovers into scrumptious meals. In fact, she presented 250 recipes and managed handsomely to convince her readers that following her easy guidelines would lead to deliciousness, convenience, and fun.   

In fact, Helen’s book had such an impact on me that her methodology is one of the cornerstones of how I cook today. Unlike many people who refuse to eat something twice, I revel in leftovers. For example, yesterday I realized I had no idea what to make for lunch. What I did know, however, was my stomach was growling but I was short on time. So, I channeled Helen, opened the door of my refrigerator, and started creating. 

The beauty of cooking like this its playfulness and thrill of improvisation not knowing the outcome.  If you like doing puzzles, this is for you.  By the way, there really is no recipe involved. All it takes is knowing how flavors can work together plus having a bit of nerve to concoct something new.

To create lunch I found some interesting leftovers:  ratatouille, the remains of paste from a chive oil and several leaves of fresh kale from my garden. 

Early this spring, one of my friends who helps with my garden planted seeds for Tuscan kale in a container on my terrace. The plan was to use the dark green kale as accents for other plants as they do in California. However, when it came up, we noticed there were two types of kale growing. When it had reached maturity, we removed the Tuscan kale planting it elsewhere on the terrace, then harvested the curly kale. The irony of this is I hate the taste of kale.  So, I decided to distribute it among friends.  One of them, Eleanor Sigona, suggested I keep back a few leaves to add to my salad.  To my surprise, it was delicious.  Perhaps it has to do with the fact the kale was fresh, tender, and so unlike the leathery stuff you get in the supermarkets.

Assembling my “waste not, want not” lunch took two minutes.  Into the ratatouille (Ratatouille — Tarte Tatin Tales) went the remains of the chive oil (Chive Oil — Tarte Tatin Tales.) Once mixed together, I put in on a favorite plate and tore up a few kale leaves color and texture contrast. Then, I added some Trader Joe breadsticks made with olive oil and had myself a fabulous lunch.

There you have it.  No recipe, no fuss, just good eating. Not only was it tasty but I was also able to get rid of three containers and make room for more leftovers. 

Give it a try.  The combinations are infinite too. And remember that “repurposing” is chic and very much of the moment.  If that is not enough to convince you to try Helen’s technique, remember that using leftovers also saves time and money, cuts back on waste, and usually can be healthier than eating in a restaurant.  Sounds like a winning combination to me.