Like the glass of water that`s half-empty or half-full, the matter of leftovers is one of attitude. For some, leftovers are the culinary equivalent of the untimely rerun of a grade-B movie. Others see them as an asset, a shortcut, a meal ticket and a feast of delicious possibilities. And it seems never the two shall meet.
Here`s a view of the glass when it is half-empty, as witnessed by an avid cook, after a holiday visit home:
”I couldn`t believe it! We had all this food left over after a big meal, and they threw it all out. To them, it was just old food. They didn`t see any potential in it, not even a sandwich the next day.”
Cookbook author Kathy Gunst offers equal time for the half-full side:
”Leftovers offer endless possibilities. Often, the leftovers are better than the original dish.”
Gunst is so enthralled with the possibilities that she has written
”Leftovers” (Harper Perennial, $12.95), a 200-recipe tribute to what affectionately can be called ”a remembrance of things past.”
Despite her enthusiasm for leftovers, Gunst admits there are problems of perception. ”For a lot of people, `leftovers` is a dirty word. They were what Mom put together at the end of the week when there was nothing else left in the house. There was absolutely no allure to leftover food.”
And sure enough, leftovers often are seen as a last resort, the meal that gets to the table only by virtue of desperation coming face to face with incipient hunger. Short of that, they`re something you stand and eat cold from the refrigerator.
But Gunst sees other possibilities that are economical in terms of time and money.
When told of the aforementioned relatives who tossed leftovers into the trash, Gunst was quick to commiserate and equally quick to offer her own solution during a recent phone interview from her home in Maine.
”That`s pretty much how my book got started. It was the day after Thanksgiving. We raise turkeys (on a farm in southeast Maine) and always take the largest one for ourselves. The next day, there was a ton of turkey left. I made `Thanksgiving dinner in a sandwich,` which has turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce between big slabs of homemade bread.
Many great dishes share a similarly humble beginning, a point only grudgingly alluded to in ”Larousse Gastronomique,” a classic culinary reference book. One edition offers: ”We consider … that (in) any house where there are abundant leftovers, the administration of the kitchen is very bad. … Sometimes, however, foodstuffs are served in large quantity on purpose-when, for example, they will be served at a subsequent meal as cold meat.”
`Creations of great charm`
Other cooks are more capacious in their ability to see the good in leftovers. In ”Culinary Classics and Improvisations,” a 1965 book devoted solely to leftovers, the late Michael Field wrote elegantly of leftovers, clearly seeing them as a gift left by a bounteous dinner table.
”While working on this book and investigating the cuisines of the past, I found-as I had expected I would-a wealth of dishes that literally demanded previously cooked food as a base,” he wrote. ”Never considered `leftover`
dishes by their creators in the sense in which we disparagingly use the term today, they were culinary creations of great charm and originality, many of them, in fact, masterpieces.”
Among these ”masterpieces” are dishes such as bouef bourguignon, beef en mirotin, moussaka, tacos, cannelloni, roast beef hash, fritters and Polish bigos (sauerkraut and meat stew)-all recipes that came about when a cook somewhere along the line didn`t chuck the leftovers into the garbage or just reheat them.
Gunst offers simple master recipes and then leftovers that are based on them. It is in this way that the remains of a simple roast chicken become chicken with a black bean, tomato and corn sauce; a bit of cooked rice is transformed into spicy oriental rice salad with tahini-chili vinaigrette; and stale bread makes a remarkable comeback in mushroom, chive and bacon bread pudding.
One of the biggest stumbling blocks to turning leftover food into a subsequent great meal is the creativity that it requires. Because the contents of everyone`s refrigerator are almost as unique as their fingerprints, there isn`t likely to be a prescribed recipe that will turn a particular mix of leftovers into dinner. Cooks are left to their own devices, which for some is more difficult than starting from scratch.
Guidelines, not rules
”It forces a certain spontaneity. There probably is not a recipe for every particular situation, but there are guidelines for cooks to follow to make it easier. They can take ideas from my book and use them to fit their own specific needs,” Gunst said.
” Ask yourself whether the combination will taste good. If it sounds okay in your head, it probably will taste good on the plate. There aren`t that many combinations that won`t work.”
If you`re armed with the-glass-is-half-full attitude, leftovers, like love in the old song, are better the second time around.
PERFECT ROASTED CHICKEN
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Yield: 6 servings
A simple roast chicken is a glorious meal, elegant in its simplicity and infinitely adaptable. This basic recipe yields tender, juicy flesh and a crisp, deep bronze skin. Be sure to use a roasting chicken or capon rather than fryers. It makes a lot of sense to cook two at a time because there are so many ways to use the leftover meat. Two diverse and delicious options, developed in the Tribune test kitchen, follow.
1 roasting chicken, about 6 pounds, room temperature
1 medium onion
Several sprigs of fresh herbs of your choice
2-3 tablespoons honey mustard
1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Have ready a shallow roasting pan that is large enough to hold the chicken and a rack that fits inside.
2. Rinse chicken inside and out and pat dry. Quarter the onion and place in the cavity along with some fresh herbs. With your hands, carefully separate the skin from the meat on the breast side of the bird, being careful not to tear it. Spoon the mustard into the space and carefully spread it under the skin. Arrange a sprig of herbs under the skin as well. Place on rack, breast side up. Tie legs together with kitchen twine.
3. Bake until the juice from the thigh runs clear instead of pink, about 1 hour. The internal temperature will be about 160 degrees. The top skin will be very brown and crisp. If it begins to burn toward the end of baking, cover it loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil. Let stand 10 minutes before carving. CHICKEN SALAD WITH CABBAGE AND APPLES, HERBED HONEY MUSTARD DRESSING
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Dressing:
1/3 cup mixed fresh herbs, such as tarragon, basil, marjoram and/or cilantro
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup cider vinegar
3 tablespoons each: mayonnaise, sour cream
1 tablespoon honey mustard
1 teaspoon each: coarse cracked black pepper, sugar
Salad:
8 ounces Savoy or Napa cabbage
1 small wedge red cabbage
1 large stalk celery, diced
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 small red bell pepper, diced
1 tart, crisp, red apple, unpeeled, cored, diced
1/4 cup each: dried currants, chopped smoked almonds
1 1/4 cups diced, cooked chicken
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese, optional
1. For the dressing, mince the herbs in a food processor or blender. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
2. For the salad, cut the Savoy cabbage into 3/4-inch pieces. Cut the red cabbage into thin slivers. Combine both cabbages in a large bowl with celery, green onions, red pepper, apple, currants, almonds and chicken. Toss with dressing and sprinkle blue cheese over top if using.
MEXICAN CHICKEN SAUTE WITH FOUR PEPPERS
Preparation time: 20 minutes plus soaking time
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
2 1/2 cups cilantro leaves
4 corn tortillas
Vegetable oil, for frying
1 dried pasilla chili, soaked in warm water for 1 hour
1 medium garlic clove
1 serrano or jalapeno pepper, seeded if desired
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 small red onion, diced
1 Anaheim pepper or banana pepper, sliced into rings
1 small red bell pepper, diced
1 1/4 cups diced, cooked chicken
2/3 cup each: canned black beans, fresh or frozen corn kernels
Salt to taste
1. Arrange 2 cups cilantro leaves on paper toweling and pat dry. Let air- dry for 15 to 20 minutes so it is thoroughly dry. Cut the tortillas into thin slivers. Heat 1/2-inch oil in a large saute pan. Add half of tortillas, stirring them so they separate into strands. Cook until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper toweling to drain and fry the remaining tortillas. Add the 2 cups cilantro leaves and fry until crisp, 20 to 30 seconds. Transfer to paper toweling. Discard all but 2 tablespoons oil from the pan and set aside off the heat.
2. Mince the remaining 1/2 cup cilantro and set aside. Drain the pasilla and pat dry. Put in a food processor with the garlic, serrano pepper and cumin. Process until all ingredients are minced. Return the pan to high heat and add the chili mixture. Cook and stir constantly for 2 minutes.
3. Add the onion and cook until it begins to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the Anaheim and red pepper and cook until they begin to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chicken, black beans and corn and cook until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and add minced cilantro and salt to taste.
4. To serve, arrange a bed of fried tortillas strips on plate and top with chicken mixture. Sprinkle fried cilantro over top.
MACARONI IN BACON BASIL CREAM SAUCE
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Yield: 1 to 2 servings
In her book, ”Leftovers,” Kathy Gunst suggests that this makes 2 servings. Two hungry tasters here disagreed. It may only be enough for one, especially when it`s made with a premium-quality smoked bacon, fresh basil and imported cheese.
2 strips bacon
2 cups cooked pasta shapes
1/4 cup each: whipping cream, chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
Freshly ground pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1. Cook the bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Crumble into small bits and set aside. Discard all but 1 tablespoon fat from the skillet.
2. Add pasta, cream, chicken broth and basil. Cook over high heat until the cream has thickened slightly, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and add bacon, ground pepper and freshly grated cheese.
SPICY ORIENTAL RICE SALAD WITH TAHINI CHILE VINAIGRETTE
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
This recipe also is adapted from Gunst`s book on leftovers. When we tested it, we increased the amount of vegetables just a bit. Those, too, can be culled from the leftover bin. Use whatever you have on hand. Even lightly blanched or sauteed vegetables can be used. And if 5 cups is more leftover rice than you have on hand, cut the recipe in half.
Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 1/2 tablespoons tahini, see note,
2 1/2 tablespoons each: white wine vinegar, Chinese rice wine
1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1/2-1 teaspoon Chinese chili oil
Salad:
5 cups cooked rice, preferably brown
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 each: large carrot, large celery stalk, cut in small pieces
1 cup sliced water chestnuts
12 mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/2 cup peanuts, walnuts or pine nuts, optional
1. For the dressing, combine all ingredients, mixing well.
2. For the salad, combine the rice, green onions, carrot, celery, water chestnuts and mushrooms in a large bowl. Toss with the dressing and sprinkle the nuts over the top.
SHAKER POTATOES
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Mashed potatoes are one of the most vexing leftovers. Though people are reluctant to throw them out, they`re even more reluctant to reheat them. Gunst offers this terrific solution to the conundrum of what to do with leftover mashed spuds in her book. They`re easy to make and exceedingly rich. You could, in fact, cut down on the amount of butter and still be quite satisfied. 5 tablespoons butter
2 cups mashed potatoes
1 cup cubed cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
1 medium onion, minced
1/4 cup each: breadcrumbs, grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Use 1 tablepoon of the butter to butter a shallow, 1-quart casserole.
2. Layer the potatoes in the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle the cubed cheese over the top and gently press them into the potatoes, then add the onions. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the onions, then the Parmesan cheese. Cut the remaining butter into small pieces and dot over the top.
3. Bake, uncovered, until heated through, 30 to 40 minutes. –
