Food thread! Favourite leftover dishes, avoiding waste, menu ideas.

[Ninkanink]

Thought I’d start a thread for everyone to post their tips and ideas on how best to use foodstuffs. Hoping it could be an easy guide as well for those who maybe aren’t so used to home cooking or using leftover foods, or understanding how best to utilise everything you have, expiry dates etc.

We have always been very conscious of food waste so we plan very carefully to use every scrap of food, it’s not hard, it’s just a skill one develops.

I’ll post some of my favourite leftover/using up bits meals and menus here and if anyone else wants to as well, please do!

Instructions are to defrost 8 hours in fridge and use within 24 hours...and their phone line closed!!

Oh how annoying. They usually email substitutes in advance so you can reject them. I don’t know how it works with dropping off now though.

I wouldn’t worry about the “eat within 24 hours” thing. They’ll keep for more like a week.

You could push them through a sieve instead of blending them to make a smoothie.

Do you have sugar and empty jars - make jam
Make a crumble

I don't have a sieve I melted the last one (don't ask!)

I cannot eat that much fruit not even close to! Not even in a week. I'll use as much as I can but at least half is gonna have to be thrown which is a crying shame.

We have old tins of sardines - any suggestions ??

No jars and quite honestly I've never made jam so it's not something I'd feel safe doing. I also don't want to use loads of sugar on this!

I've nothing to make cakes or crumbles with except maybe ginger biscuits? Breakfast cereal? (I have shreddies, Frosties, crunchy nut and special k) I've tinned custard can I use that in some way? Also plenty bread...

I'm debating some kind of bread pudding using the fruit, custard and bread? (I sound bonkers don't I?)

I'm furiously googling ideas and have found:

An idea for a fruity omelette sounds interesting

www.healthyfood.co.uk/article/10-ways-frozen-berries/

Ooh! Just had a thought! Cheesecake? Old style one?

Ginger biscuit base, cream cheese filling (although...I've only granulated sugar) and a fruit compote topping?

@Graphista I would make fridge jam, it doesn't take much sugar or any pectin and you pop it in fridge when you are done.
Any clean container will work for storage.

onedishkitchen.com/easy-small-batch-refrigerator-jam/

You can use in porridge, on yogurt or ice cream, bread or scones, in pancakes etc.

I'd step it in gin. .mixed fruit gin or vodka

I vote for cheesecake and gin! Both of wish I had right now!

Tandoori chicken, potato curry, dahl, rice and poppadoms. With loads of lovely leftovers for another day.

Summer pudding? Basically bread and fruit
www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/summerpudding_90295

YES furble you ordered rum didn't you graphista?

Rumtopf!!!
www.food.com/recipe/rumtopf-traditional-german-fruit-preserve-beverage-140344

Clafoutis
www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/basic-clafoutis-51208430

A kind of trifle with biscuits, fruit and custard ( and rum )?

@Weedsnseeds1 your dinner looks AMAZING!

So impressed I couldn't cook all that and not get in a tizz!!

Refrigerator jam interesting, how long would it keep for?

No gin or vodka but I do have rum? I’ve a bottle with a little bit left in the bottom and a new one.

Summer pudding - excellent call. I’ve not made for donkeys years though.

I’ve got some halal beef 'nduja I bought on a whim when I was getting other deli meats online, having not really heard of it before. Any fun ideas besides just spreading it on something?

www.google.com/amp/s/www.washingtonpost.com/news/voraciously/wp/2018/07/30/how-to-make-a-good-jam-without-the-hassle-of-canning/%3foutputType=amp

This is a good article on fridge jam, it says it should last for a month. Mine tends to get finished before then.

Nduja - dot onto pizza, use to stuff homemade tortellini ( if you're feeling ambitious )

That looks brilliant weeds. Gotta love a fake away on a Friday night.

I am now very envious of excess fruit to have to store in alcohol!

@angelcakebananabrain I’d be putting that on a pizza.

@Weedsnseeds1 your curry looks epic. I want to do tandoori chicken soon, and also a chicken biryani, but have stopped planning in advance now because I’m not all that flexible really (hands up who’s a control freak) and my DH keeps making special requests...

@Graphista sounds like you have come up with lots of ideas for your glut of fruit!

I've no flour to make clafoutis - that was my first thought as I've made a few times.

So annoyed I've no flour in! And can't get any I keep trying.

I'm thinking a crumble and some fridge jam hopefully those recipes as the fruit is stewed will use most of it and make for easy storage - first world problem I know but I'm also annoyed I didn't get the quorn I ordered!

Today was leftover night so used up the half tins of chickpeas, tomatoes and coconut milk in the fridge to make a chickpea curry. It took about 20 mins max and was actually really nice! I’m Pakistani and my mum would be horrified but good enough for me

Looks great NFblues, what's in the salad at the side?

Sabine123 sardines?
Pasta sauce
Mash with vinegar, black pepper and salt as a sandwich filling ( sounds weird, but it's a blast from the 70s and nicer than it sounds)
Fishcakes
Sardines on toast
Croquettes