Brielle's Avalon

Last night we went out to listen to our favourite local band play. We sat with other friends who I hadn’t seen in a while and my escort hadn’t met yet. In the ensuing discussion I was reminded of my way of cooking…for the future so I don’t have to cook every day. I do this with many things but meatloaf was his 1st exposure to it. One evening several years ago he dropped by for something and I was just starting dinner so he stayed to keep me company.

I set the butter and chocolate to melt, then put on a pot of rice and chopped an onion. Once the butter and chocolate had melted I finished putting together brownies and put them in the oven. Then I mixed up the meatloaf in a big bowl. Before putting the meatloaf in the loafpan to bake I pulled out 2 handfulls of meatloaf mix, tossed them in a pan to scramble, made 2 hamburger patties and THEN put the meatloaf in the pan to bake as I pulled the brownies out, setting them aside to cool. As the meat was scrambling/browning I put the rice in a casserole and once the meat was brown put 1/2 of it on top of the rice, opened a can of spaghetti sauce, put it on top of that and put a bunch of shredded cheese on top before popping that in the oven with the meatloaf. Then I put a can of vegetable beef soup in with the rest of the scrambled meat, rinsed the can with wine and added Worcestershire and other flavours to make filling for my lunch pasties. As that simmered down I fried up the hamburgers, added whatever cheese we felt like that night (cheddar, Gouda, Swiss, provolone…), made a quick wine reduction from the pan drippings to pour over the burgers and sat down to dinner. I might have tossed some frozen tater tots in the oven earlier with the brownies…they’d be nice, too, but not essential. After dinner I finished making lunches and we finished our visit as I portioned the casserole out into single-serving containers to freeze for later meals. The next day I had meatloaf for dinner with mashed potatoes and a salad from the garden. The night after that I made stroganoff from the meatloaf leftovers (cut up) with cream of mushroom soup, a little wine and Worcestershire sauce (again). Sometimes I mix in a little Kitchen Magician or other caramelized browning aid to make it darker. Instead of serving over noodles I just mix it all in with the boiled and drained noodles as a one-pot dinner. Sneaking in some peas or broccoli doesn’t hurt but isn’t necessary. The leftovers from this ate put into single-serving containers and frozen for later meals.

So in 2 hours on 1 evening I set up about 8 meals. Hamburgers the 1st night, meatloaf the 2nd, at least 6 meals from the rice casserole and at least 6 meals from the stroganoff. Sure, I also made mashed potatoes to go with the meatloaf but those can be easily made from packets and whether you make them from scratch or from a packet, any leftovers from those can, in turn, be made into potato pancakes or added to bread dough or made into lefse (Scandinavian flat bread), so the leftover life keeps going. If I feel really motivated I can even make the stroganoff the 1st night from part of the meatloaf and rest the 3rd night which will probably be a work night anyway but it’s not as if making it is a hard thing.

This isn’t the only thing I make chain leftovers from. When the kids were young and I was newly divorced I’d get a 10lb bag of chicken quarters, divide them into 4 or 5 pans and season them each in different ways. Pepper, garlic and chopped onion would go on all, then the 1st pan would get wine, Worcestershire and herbs before popping into the oven. The 2nd would get ginger and teriyaki sauce then popped into the oven. The 3rd would get salsa an POP! Into the oven. The 4th gets cream of mushroom soup before entering the oven with it’s companions. If there’s a 5th (depending on the size of the chicken legs and the size of the legs) I’s maybe make honey mustard or try for Greek or middle eastern flavors, maybe sweet and sour or pour leftover spaghetti sauce on or…what’s in your fridge that needs to be cooked that can stretch dinners? While the chicken baked I’d pop some biscuits in the oven (fresh-made or from a fridge-can), put some rice on, mix up some instant mashed potatoes and throw together a packet of instant stuffing. This way everybody has whatever they feel like for dinner and I have plenty of leftovers to make into things later in the week or freeze for individual future meals. Fried rice, enchiladas, soup, stew, stir fry, anything I can dream up to use the chicken in.

When I was a kid Dad would sometimes make a pot of beans. Let it soak overnight, turn it on to cook 1st thing in the morning and have beans on buttered bread or toast for a satisfying early lunch. YUM! Grand memories! And then there’s the leftover from THAT to use! Pull some out for chili for that night’s dinner with leftovers for lunches, more yum!. Then make baked/BBQ beans to have with another dinner, yet more yum! Then, with the last bit, make refried beans for yet another fabulous meal with tacos, enchiladas (remember the chicken leftovers?), tostadas, burritos…so many options! And if there’s still more beans left over there’s always soups and stews to add them to with other leftovers. I kind of grew up with this leftover life.

Roasts (beef, pork or even chicken, turkey or duck) provide ample leftover culinary opportunities, not the least of which is simple (or fabulous) sandwiches. Just make nice slices for later. Helpful hint: French dip is both elegant and fun. But wait! What about the parts that don’t slice so well!? Soups, stews, casseroles and even enchiladas or fillings in SO many other things! Meat pie and pasties are an amazing way to stretch the stew that won’t quite go far enough for the whole family. Make a pie crust (or pull one out of the freezer), add a few leftovers from previous dinners, bake and serve with a salad picked from the garden. With a bit of practice you don’t need to be bored with leftovers and can get away with minimal cooking while having a plethora of meal choices in the freezer for casual dining. Or dining by candle night if you like, now that there’s time to relax a bit after work. You can skip the baking and use rotisserie chicken form the grocer, which is wonderful savings in the summer when baking strains even the best A/C units.

St Patrick’s day was this weekend so I have leftover corned beef and cabbage. Besides the sandwiches from what little is left of the corned beef I also make bubble and squeak. You can make bubble and squeak any time you have leftover boiled potatoes, or even roasted ones from any beef or pork roast, they’ll each have their own marvelous flavour. So. Heat some fat in a pan (bacon, butter, even olive oil can work), then squish the potatoes with your hands as you put them in the pan. Then chop the leftover cabbage and add it in, unless it’s already getting squished with the potatoes. Whatever. Tossing in some corned beef or bacon doesn’t hurt, then let it all brown on the bottom before turning. No, it won’t turn like one big pancake, it’ll be a bit here and there but the brown crispy bits are the best, so give the other side a chance to get in on the fun before serving. Besides the bubble and squeak and sandwiches, don’t throw away the water they were boiled in! It’s a great base for soup! Toss in whatever other leftovers you have that won’t make a full serving an there you are. Don’t forget a couple tablespoons of pearl barley for character, this somehow makes the soup less soupy and more textural without being thick.

One last thing. Leftover boiled potatoes! Warm them up, melt raclette cheese (or another melty cheese) and have raclette. Some gherkins, pickled onions and pickled beets on the side makes a lovely fast dinner. If you don’t have leftover boiled potatoes you can boil them fresh or leave the for another time and make Welsh Rarebit and just pour the melted cheese over toast. This is great with a nice ale and a salad. Pickles on the side or picalili, relish, Branston pickle, chow chow or chutney are good with it, too.

Oh. Leftover bread, just a bit stale but still easily cut into cubes? Make fondue! There’s also croutons, biscotti, bruschetta, French toast, bread pudding, stuffing, bread crumbs for coating things and adding to meatloaf…

Leftover rice! Fried rice and rice pudding are obvious. If you don’t have breadcrumbs you can use rice as the starch filler for meatloaf. When my Dad was a kid he and my uncle would take leftover rice, sprinkle it with sugar and pour milk over it for breakfast. A little cinnamon and a few raisins won’t hurt this, either.

Leftover pie dough or biscuit dough or puff pastry…OK, these things probably won’t be “leftover” so much as extra after you’ve made the pie, tarts, biscuits or pastry things. There’s often scraps but for now we can call them leftovers. You can cut them into strips or cut them into pieces, sprinkle them with cinnamon and sugar and bake them til they’re golden and use them in dessert or for breakfast. Or you can cut them into strips, sprinkle with salt, garlic and other spices, bake them and serve as breadstick-like things to accompany lunch or dinner. Or snacks. Well, maybe not as thick as in the picture, but you get the idea.

If you have a leftover something and don’t know what to do with it, internet search engines are your friend. It can be a time thief of a rabbit hole, but the options can also be fun on days when one is singularly uninspired.