What to do with Leftover Soup!

~  Menu  ~

Spicy Roasted Tomato & Fresh Coriander Scrambled Eggs

Toasted Ciabatta

Red Wine

Homemade Cookies from a Friend

Coffee

We haven’t been food shopping for almost 2 weeks due to the aforementioned bout of ‘flu but I like to think I keep a tight ship, doncha know, so there’s been no problems.  

Today I was a bit lost for something to get me cheerful about lunch but a quick glance in the fridge helped tremendously.

A couple of nights ago I had roasted tomato and chilli soup but still being a little under the weather was so pathetic I left a little.  Really a little; less that 2 tbsp but I couldn’t throw it away.  For some reason, perhaps you are the same, if I throw something away immediately I feel guiltier than if I leave it in the fridge a few days and then throw it away! 

Lunch then was this modicum of soup heated up, 2 eggs broken in plus some chopped fresh coriander, scrambly, scrambly – toasted Ciabatta, red wine.   All’s well.

Handy Tip when making Scrambled Eggs

Incidentally a good tip for making extra delish scrambled egg (which I didn’t do today) is when the egg is just how you want it add a knob of butter or a splash of cream which not only enhances both taste and texture but also cools the eggs down so they don’t keep on cooking whilst you serve them. Scrambled eggs can be buggers that way.  I think that officially this idea is credited to Julia Child although I am sure lots of people must have realised the same thing independently.

See here for lots of information on cooking eggs.

If you click through to the Roasted Tomato Soup Recipe you will find another tasty way to use up soup remains.  Of course much depends on the flavour of your leftover soup but here are some other ideas:

~   add to more soup!

~   use to deglaze a pan to make a sauce
~   use as a sauce!
~   put a spoonful of warmed leftover soup into a buttered ramekin, crack over an egg, drizzle with a little more soup or some cream and bake at 350ºF/180ºC/160°C fan/gas 4 till the egg whites are set and the yolk just perfect: approx 20 mins.

~   add to casseroles and pasta bakes

~   mash into potato

~   stir into mayonnaise - see here for all sorts of ways to flavour mayonnaise 

~ fry it! ...

Soup Fritters!

The most fabulously impressive thing I ever did with leftover soup was make fritters! For a several years (not all of them consecutive!!) I ran the kitchen of The Tamarind Club in Tortola and, as anyone who knows Tortola will understand, Sunday’s at the Tamarind Club are hugely busy and no time for mucking about. Well …

… we had a group of regulars who for several days had been verging on having a celebration, I can’t remember what. Suddenly just as we were serving the last brunch dishes and cleaning down they decided they needed a party with nibbles that very afternoon. So I added handfuls of fresh breadcrumbs to the last couple of portions of the Seafood Chowder, chilled it, balled it up and fried till crisp. People, as is typical of People I find, asked for the recipe. They only do this when it is almost impossible to give one.

Several of these ideas are included in The Leftovers Handbook. If these are just some of the suggestions I can think of for leftover soup don't you wonder what ideas I have for the other 450 potential leftovers?

Here, apropos of nothing, is a picture of some lilies my Real Man brought home yesterday.  If you feel he can’t be that real-mannish buying flowers I would point out they were one helluva bargain!

Marmite's Very Peculiar Chocolate and 2 others

So sorry I haven’t posted for a while; my real man and I have been romantically sharing a bout of ‘flu.  Sadly the experience was somewhat marred for me by some very scary chocolate lurking on my bedside cabinet and looking at me  …

Marmite Very Peculiar Chocolate

As the many hundreds of avid readers of this blog may remember I have been looking for this very peculiar chocolate for some while and eventually found a bar in, of all places, Miss Selfridge. Until today, however, I have not felt strong enough physically, mentally or emotionally to try it.  

However, having at last tasted a bit here are my thoughts …

~    There was nothing to be scared of.

~    On opening the pack I was surprised (I’m not very observant) to find milk chocolate.  I had just assumed that Marmite would be paired with dark chocolate and perhaps the colour of the wrapper may have encouraged me in this delusion.

~   A Marmity whiff exited the packet on first opening.    

~   With my first piece I could taste very little but the bar is slim (to put it politely) and the squares are small,  I then shoved in 3 squares together and could taste medium quality milk chocolate with tiny salty crystals which certainly went well with the chocolate but I could not in truth say tasted of Marmite.

~   The 100g bar of chocolate cost £3 and I think you can get either a lot more or lot better chocolate for this amount of money.  On the other hand it is an interesting and by no means unpleasant novelty and I might take some back to the islands next time I go; frighten some Americans who are notoriously Marmiteophobic.  ( *** I urge you to see below for another brilliant phobia.)

2 Other Peculiar Chocolates

This morning, it being Easter, I gave my darling a little something in the chocolate department …

I only bought it for him because he is a joiner and good at construction but, having read the warning on the packet, he decided to just eat the contents of the flat pack un-assembled. Probably he is not the only one as it says this on the packet ...

“IMPORTANT NOTICE: The makers of the amazing Flat Pack Chocolate Easter Egg^TM offer no warranty either explicitly or implied as to the success of your endeavours when attempting to assemble this product.  As you can imagine, working with chocolate is not easy and requires a high level of skill.  Therefore your chances of complete the task to a satisfactory standard a rem in a word, slim.  We've never managed it.”

A third bar of chocolate that deserves a mention here is one that my sister gave me to eat on the bus back from my visit to her on Mersea Island.

This one reads  ...

“Get a triple feel good hit from the coffee, white chocolate and ark chocolate! Don’t blame us if you can’t sleep at night, however!”

This is very yummy, the contrasting white and dark chocolates are made even deliciouser by little crunchy bits of what may well be instant coffee granules.  No offence, if I am mistaken, whatever they are I approve!

***  My niece Holly recently delighted me with news of a phobia, Anatidaephobia I think its called, which is the fear that wherever you are in the world and whatever you are doing a duck is watching you!  

Please click here to tweet this, it might help someone!

Hopefully now I am back on my feet I shall be creating some leftovers soon and will let you know what then ensues.

What to do with Leftover Leftovers!

~  Menu  ~

Boursin filled Smoked Garlic & Butternut “Quasi-Arancini”

Roasted Tomato & Chilli Sauce

Glass of Secret Red

A few Amaretti

Coffee

A few days ago I cooked a traditional roast chicken dinner for the men in my life.  I like roast chicken too but have taken to eating mine with spicy roasted butternut squash; the sweet heat of which goes so well with the tender chicken and the salty gravy.  Of course in my enthusiasm I cooked too much squash.

Last night I made a simple risotto (basic risotto recipe below) with red wine and veg stock and stirred in the leftover squash together with a little smoked garlic which I had bought at the Cake~Hole.  

I couldn't eat all the risotto either so for lunch today I made a cake of the leftovers into the middle of which I inserted a ball of Boursin.  I coated the risotto cake in flour and fried it hot and crispy.  This is known as an arancini. I served it to myself with a spoonful of leftover roasted tomato and chilli sauce and the last few salad leaves from the fridge.

"Wullla" as the Americans say!  I managed to eat all of it this time.

How to make Risotto

There are numerous recipes all over the place for risotto, here are some basic guidelines.  If you are cooking for four whole people you need 400g risotto rice and 1¼ ltrs of liquid including the wine; adjust accordingly

~   Finely chop some onion (I used red) and cook till tender in a little oil or butter.  Add finely chopped garlic if you like and cook a few minutes more.

~   Add risotto rice (I used 125g Arborio which is enough for about 1¼ people and explains why I couldn’t quite eat it all) and stir it around to coat with the buttery oily goo.  Cook a few minutes till a little translucent.

~   Meanwhile, as they say, have ready some simmering stock.

~   When the rice has been cooking a few minutes add a splash of wine.  Some people say the wine should be warm so as not to “shock” the rice but it has to take it chances with me.

~   Cook, stirring constantly, till the wine has been absorbed.

~   Add a ladle of hot stock and continue to cook, stir, absorb, add a little more etc. till the rice is just tender with a little bite in the middle (al dente) and is coated in a creamy and unctuous goo.

~   Stir in your chosen additions and flavouring also perhaps a knob of butter or some cream or cream cheese.  A good dose of grated Parmesan is almost a must.

~   Eat immediately.

"Two Greedy Italians eat Italy" ~ a Review

When I was up country (as we say in these parts) I had lunch at Carluccio’s; the menu was tempting, the food very good and I was really enticed by the deli selling all sorts of fascinating stuff.  I didn’t have long to linger, however, as I was with my agent (ahem!) and about to meet up with publishers to discuss the possibility of publishing the book I am writing. 

ASIDE ~ if you would like to think positive thoughts for me in this regard please feel free; there’s still time as I haven’t heard anything yet!

Coincidentally, on my return to Cornwall, among the various delights waiting me was another lovely  book from Quadrille (I thank you); “Two Greedy Italians eat Italy” by Gennaro Contaldo and no other than Antonio Carluccio ~ the very chap who developed the above mentioned Carluccio’s caffè business together with his ex-wife Priscilla Carluccio. 

The book is divided into three main sections dealing with food from the mountains (the Alps including the glacial lakes), from the coast and from the rivers and plains giving a little about the geography of each area as it relates to food and lifestyle. 

 “Comfort Food from the Mountains” deals with warming, rib sticking food.  The first recipe is for Beef & Wine Soup which is good beef broth enhanced with wine, cream and Parmesan and served over buttery fried bread.   This is just the sort of food for someone keen on using up leftovers, as I am, and so is the second recipe in the book for Bread Dumplings in Beef Broth.  As it happens I am making beef stock as I type (see recipe at the end of this post) so will try these recipes soon.  

This section also includes several game recipes, polenta, pizza, chestnuts, potatoes, sausages and cabbage, that sort of thing.  Towards the end Carluccio gives a recipe for Mascapone All’ Amaretto.  As luck would have it there was were a few Amaretti in the cupboard and a little mascarpone in the fridge so it seemed only right that I try it for breakfast.  Sadly I had no Amaretto so I had to compromise with a little brandy but it was still delicious!

“Fresh Flavours from the Coast”, of course, gives many fish and seafood dishes plus some desserts and ices and a particularly enticing recipe for Focaccia di Formaggio.

The third section “The Larder of the River and Plains” concerned the the agricultural area where not only fruit and vegetables are grown but also rice for risotto and wheat for pasta. 

Each of the guys contributes recipes, which are clear and straightforward, and also the occasional note on ingredients.  I have never been to Italy (what a slacker!) but this strikes me as real or realistic Italian food, not restaurant dishes beyond the call of day to day cooking and I am tempted by a great deal of it.  I am also tempted to visit Italy.

If the photos are to be believed Carluccio and Contaldo seem to have had fun compiling this volume and they they remind me a little  of “Last of the Summer Wine” ~ two old friends still playing with life and enjoying themselves together.  

ANOTHER ASIDE ~ does anyone have any idea what’s in Compo’s matchbox?

“Two Greedy Italians eat Italy” by Antonio Carluccio and Gennaro Contaldo is a follow up to their first book “Two Greedy Italians” which accompanied the BBC series of the same name (get the DVD here).  It is to be published by Quadrille Publishing Ltd on the 12th April this year and can be ordered from Amazon here. 

Boneless Beef Stock

If you are prone, as I am, to being left with lots of beef scraps after trimming steaks or preparing meat for casseroles then store every little bit in the freezer till there are enough to make an effort worthwhile – 500g at least. 

~   Defrost all the beef scraps if they are frozen – fat and sinew and gore are all fine for this.

~   Cut a whole onion into quarters, no need to peel it!

~   Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in a large pan and add the onion and all the beef bits.

~   Cook uncovered over high heat, stirring occasionally, till the beef is well browned and the onions may even have started to char.

~   Pour over enough water to cover generously, bring to a boil, cover, turn down the heat and simmer for ages till you have a rich brown stock.

~   Strain the stock into a clean pan discarding the solids.

~   Add a seriously good glug of red wine (half a bottle even!) and boil till the liquid had reduced by 75% or so.

~   Cool, pour into an airtight container, cover and chill.

This keeps very well in the fridge; as it cools the fat rises to the top and solidifies thus sealing the dish.  It can also be frozen and I suggest freezing in ice cubes as it is strong and you may only need a little at a time.  This not at all classic stock has served me very well; I like to add a spoonful to sautéed mushrooms, to steak pans when deglazing, to creamy sauces, and to anything that could do with a beefy boost, such as my ever popular Peppered Steak Salad.  

  

Use Your Own Brain!

The Art Café, West Mersea

I have been visiting my sister and her family on Mersea Island and very much enjoying the wares of The Art Café; Cinnamon Toast (read about my way of doing it plus other yummy toasts here) and gorgeous coffee for breakfast, for instance …

… interesting and delicious lunches and wonderful breads and cheeses, olives, charcuterie,  chutneys, preserves, homemade cheese straws and other baked goods and so on and so forth from their shop next door; The Cake Hole.

Today I had a wander about the island.  The weather has been fantabulous and I had a great time  …

Even the funerals look tempting!

BUT the day was spoiled for me by an irritation so here is a bit of a rant.

Rant!

Many, many years ago when the world was young (around the time of the Jurassic) my sister and I and our then-husbands owned a couple of restaurants where we had some original ideas and put them to good use.  Not amazing ideas, just a few “signature dishes” as they are now called and some different ways to promote our businesses.  A dish that springs to mind is “Cornish Rarebit” which was basically crab or crab pâté on toast topped with cheese and grilled.  No big deal, I know, but we had never seen it before but have been seeing it ever since in many restaurants in that part of Cornwall.  It’s years ago, however, that we had that idea and is no problem at all now although a bit of a pisser at the time.  

The second thing that I frequently see ripped off is our Pauper’s Supper.  I well remember the day we invented this because my then-husband woke me up in the middle of the night to say he had a good idea – why not do a cheap 3 course meal on Wednesday evenings to get the punters in?  So we did, called it Pauper’s Supper and on Wednesdays we were packed to capacity ~ we did 3 sittings plus people sometimes ate in their cars.  Now 25 years later in the general location of our restaurants Pauper’s Suppers are still offered on Wednesdays in several eating establishments.  It’s as if Wednesday and the word “Pauper’s” are the only possibilities.  

Why oh why can’t people use their own brains?  I mention all this because  …

The ­Art Café is a bright and sunny place with pine tables and chairs and outside seating serving lovely freshly made interesting breakfasts and lunches, homemade cakes and excellent coffee.  It is called The Art Café because they also display and sell art on the premises

Very nearby, within sandwich lobbing distance, is a pub called the White Hart which most people will have to pass on their way to the Art Café. 

 They have recently opened a café on the premises called The Hart Café presumably in the hope that people will mistake their café for their intended destination and pop in.  For all I know the Hart Café may sell wonderful food and drinks but however good it is they are obviously inept at using their imagination and I think this does them no favours.  Several people in the area have already, in the few days I have been here, told me how irritated they are by this apparent imitation of an established and popular business. 

Their drawing of a cup of coffee is not dissimilar to the Art Café logo (see photo at the start of this rant for comparison), even the steam squiggles are the same! This is surely not a coincidence, in fact the words “blatant plagiarism” spring to mind.

I don’t think the Art Café are very discombobulated by this at all, maybe they are even a bit flattered, but I am a grumpy middle aged lady and it’s really got up my goat!

Anyhoo, sorry about that - get it off my chest and all that!  I shall be going home in a couple of days and back to writing about leftovers as soon as I have some! 

Asparagus Pesto and Frazzled Prosciutto

Looking in the fridge today, in a hungry mood, I found 3 asparagus spears, 2 slices of prosciutto and the last bit of a piece of Gran Padano. I very nearly scrambled some eggs with the asparagus and ham but inspiration struck, as if often the way. So this is what I made ...

Tagliatelle with Asparagus Pesto & Frazzled Prosciutto

Pin for later?

~  Snapped the tips from the asparagus, set them aside and cooked the rest of the stalks in salted water till completely tender.

~   Scooped the cooked asparagus out of the boiling water and replaced them with 3 coils of tagliatelle.

~   While the pasta was cooking I did 2 things (yes, you’ve guessed, I’m a woman!) … firstly I puréed the cooked asparagus with a knob of butter and a handful of grated Gran Padano, and, secondly, I cut the prosciutto into strips and frazzled it in tablespoon of olive oil together with the asparagus tips. For how to frazzle prosciutto and other ingredients see here.

~   I lifted the ham and asparagus out of the frying pan with a slotted spoon and added the residual oil to the asparagus purée.

~   Then, I expect you’ve guessed, I drained the pasta and tossed everything together.

I was very pleased with the result and am thinking of doing a similar thing soon with tenderstem broccoli. 

I love cooking with leftovers, they inspire me, which is why I wrote Creative Ways to Use Up Leftovers!

The Eden Project and Polenta Cake

I went to The Eden Project a couple of days ago with my friend next door, Diane.  Yet another great thing about living in Cornwall is the £5 locals’ annual pass to Eden; what a bargain!

I was eager to visit the tropical (rainforest) biome to see if it was any good for my homesickness but in that respect if was a disappointment; much more humid that Tortola and none of my friends were there!  It was wonderful, nevertheless with lots of interesting stuff to see, not only plants ...

Interesting birds ~ these chaps were wandering about in the tropical biome quite at home, more like visitors than exhibits.  They have strange stubby tails, as you can see, which they wagged in a doggy fashion and were very friendly.  If anyone reading this knows who they are could you please let me know.

Artworks ...

Advice ...

... and  Strange comfy seating.

After an hour or two in the rainforest we retired to the dining area, Diane and I both had a slice of Orange and Ginger Cake which I immediately identified as a polenta cake. 

It was utterly yummy although Diane felt it should have been gingerier, apparently this is a word – I originally put more gingery but my spell check wanted gingerier.  She suggested that I come up with a recipe or things might go badly for me.   So here it is, it’s basically a recipe from the Beeb but I’ve added ginger and a pinch of salt and glazed with hot glaze when hot as opposed to cold glaze when cold as their recipe says.

Orange & Ginger Polenta Cake

250g butter at room temperature; soft but not runny

250g sugar + another 100g

4 eggs

140g fine polenta

200g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

pinch salt

finely grated zest and juice 2 oranges (divide the juice in 100ml and whatever is left!)

2 knobs of ginger from the jar – coarsely chopped (or finely if you prefer)

Fancy pinning this?

~   Preheat the oven to 325°F/160ºC/140ºC fan/gas 3.

~   Grease a cake pan – I used a 23cm springform.

~   Mix together all the dry ingredients.

~   Cream together the butter and 250g sugar till pale and fluffy.

~   Beat in the eggs one at a time, if the mixture looks a but curdled add a spoonful of the dry ingredients.

~   Once the eggs are incorporated add the dry ingredients and mix in.

~   When the dry ingredients are all mixed in add the orange zest, the chopped ginger and any orange juice in excess of 100ml

~   Decant into the prepared cake pan, level the top and bake for 45-50 minutes till risen and cooked.  (I have a confession to make here – mine really sunk in the middle which may be because I had the oven on the wrong number 130ºC instead of 140ºC.  Nevertheless it tastes great).

~   Whilst the cake is cooking stir together the remaining 100g of sugar and 100ml or orange juice in a small pan over a medium heat till the sugar has dissolved or melted or whatever it does in this situation.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 3 or 4 minutes.

~   Turn the cooked cake out onto a rack and stand the rack over a large dish.

~   Drizzle the hot syrup over the cake which, being warm, should absorb it but excess will be caught in the dish and can be licked up when no-one is looking.

~   Cool and serve with clotted cream if possible.

The Heather flowering on the way out of Eden was gobsmacking.