More creative fridge cleaning
Jul 9th, 2008 by Dani
I absolutely had to finish that colcannon tonight. I don’t like the way potato freezes. Plus I have a strange aversion to serving up leftovers in their original state. So I needed an idea that would work well with a potato mash, bearing in mind I made a potato dough with some yesterday.
That left either shepherds pie, which would have worked well with the leftover hoggett or gnocchi. I went with gnocchi on the grounds of greater flavour variation. Easy enough, I simply beat enough flour into the colcannon to make a stiff dough, rolled and cut into shape. Then it was simply a matter of checking the fridge for other leftovers with which to make a sauce.
One close to limp zucchini, 2 rashers of bacon and half an onion were on the urgent list. To pad that out I added a carrot. The zucchini and carrot were thinly sliced lengthways and the onion and bacon finely sliced. The vegetables sweated in a fry pan and then lightly caramelised. Once they had a little colour, the bacon was added. When the bacon was added, the sauce was complete.
This was a winner according to household inhabitants. It didn’t taste remotely like leftovers which is always the aim and the cost is close to negligble. The gnocchi exceeeded expectations, being perfectly light and fluffy. I wasn’t sure how it would go with the cabbage, bacon and spring onions in the mix.
LOL!!! i had NO idea what a colconnon was - so i googled. can you believe this post came up as the first link???!!! lol talk about quick work for google…
now, off to read the OTHER links and look at the images, i’m assuming a variety of potato…
karen aka brazens last blog post..An old favourite!
ahhh colcannon? mashed potato with cabbage etc in it? now i get it lol
karen aka brazens last blog post..An old favourite!
argle! You got it. Must not type blog posts with Lil Miss hanging on shoulder…off to edit…
More great work. I hate seeing waste and hate repeating the same food in the next meal. Love seeing somebody else prepared to use the little morsels to produce a completley different cuisine. It is alwasy good when the audience approves too - makes it worth that effort. Drive the other half mad when I say not to buy such large amounts if we haven’t got a specific dish in mind to prepare. But then there’s a challenge too to find ways to use the produce to make varying meals.
Thermomixers last blog post..Second of the Pair of Pears - Saffron
I love the creative challenge of making something new and fresh with something old. I do it with clothes too, cut and resew them into something else. It’s so philosophically sound. Besides, bulk buying is cheap buying : )
You’re doing some great things with left overs! I love the challenge of transformation too, it’s really satisfying creatively, and of course good for the budget. I really must try and get into bulk buying, it’s not something I’ve ever done. I don’t know why great quantities slightly faze me, but they do. Maybe it’s the sight of my crammed and disorganised cupboards that put me off! It makes a lot of sense though.
Docwitchs last blog post..Mother of Docwitch: the Visitation
The bulk thing pays off Docwitch but you really need to find a way to store it to make it work. Otherwise stuff just gets buried. My house is tiny but the pantry is a reasonable size, plus I have an extra freezer. I don’t know how I’d manage otherwise. Me being me I’m sure I’d find a way.
I blame my Scottish mother, who had a birthday yesterday, but drive my partner mad.
Not as bad as Mum - she used to unravel woollen jumpers and re-knit them in a different style just to keep her hands busy. Always giving away jumpers and collecting those that the family were no longer using to recycle.
Thermomixers last blog post..Classic Janni Kyritsis Beef
I’m unravel and re-knit too. When I’m not cutting and resewing or redishing leftovers. I have no Scottish heritage to blame. Can I blame my Jewish grandfather perchance?