Punching up leftovers

Hey folks! Though summer is always the slowest time of the year on the wineseller’s calendar, somewhat oddly, I’ve been extra busy…Today’s topic is leftovers. Exciting right? Actually, I’m not kidding…Sometimes, maybe even most times, I think we all just pull out the Tupperware, dump the leavings on a plate, nuke it, and then eat the thing while fixing a thousand yard stare at the telephone. But why not try to make it interesting? Here’s how…Empty your refrigerator of the still “safe” edibles - the sauces, the meats, pastas, vegetables, etc. Now start thinking RECOMBINATION! Hmmmm…I’ve got this basic tomato sauce that I used to braise a piece of beef Saturday and there’s at least 3/4 lb. of the beef itself relaxing in the sauce, and (look, pick, look) I’ve got these peas that are still in fine shape, and there are an aging bunch of carrots that desperately need eating…hmmm…AHAH! Remove the beef from the sauce. Add the peas. Check the seasoning, boil up some pasta, and you’ve got a “new” first course. Now, shred up the braised beef in the food processor (pulse it), add an egg or two, some bread soaked in milk and then squeezed dry, a mixed handful of those bunches of slightly tired herbs that I KNOW you’ve got in the fridge, a chopped clove of garlic, and some S&P. Now, make up some hamburger-shaped patties (in Italian they’re called “polpette”), dust them with breadcrumbs that you made from your OWN stale bread (I HOPE - Why buy breadcrumbs? Stale bread will give them to you at no extra cost AND with better quality - just spin the crap out of some cubed-up HARD stale bread), and then fry them in a thin layer of olive oil. In the meantime, steam up the carrots, and grab that lemon from out of the bottom fridge drawer, slice it up, and serve it on the side of the polpette.

What I just outlined doesn’t even require you to leave the damned house, and sometimes, that’s just what you need, right? Now clearly, things are not always going to work out so swimmingly, and it also might take a few “misses” in recombination before you learn what goes with what, but that’s the point, right? LEARN how to eat frugally by being CREATIVE!

…A wine sidebar…Since I often match dishes with their regional wines, my wine selections are often clear and well planned. But, when one is just re-working leftovers, one often ends up with a result that is not clearly “Provencal” or “Tuscan” or “Hungarian”. So facing this set of facts often frees me up from sticking to the “rules”, giving me the opportunity to try some “unorthodox” pairings…

A friend of my wife’s recently told her that she doesn’t eat leftovers - that whatever her family doesn’t eat just goes into the garbage. To me, that’s shameful, but I can understand why eating 5 day old pork stew might not get you very exicted, but if you learn how to appetizingly “re-work” your leftovers, you’ll ease the burden considerably. Give it a try…

TOM CIOCCO