‘Twas the day after Christmas
And all through the house
There was leftover food
Far too much for a mouse.
THE holidays bring with them a surfeit of food and drink, and wise is the person or family able to resist trying to consume it all at a single sitting. The inevitable result of such restraint, however, is leftovers-unconsumed goodies that cram the refrigerator and fill candy and nut dishes as well as decanters.
This very morning I’m sure a goodly number of you are asking yourselves, “What am I going to do with this stuff?”
The last thing to do, and only after spoilage sets in, is to throw it out. With luck, family or friends will be on hand during the coming week to help deplete the larder. But a good deal of what’s on hand will need to be recycled to appeal to jaded palates or combined with other items to make a sufficient amount to serve.
My inclination at this moment is to make a mental inventory and begin assigning various items to such categories as soup, salads, sandwiches and toppings for pasta. (Depending on what’s available, the pasta category may become a stir-fry with rice.)
Leftover roast beef, for example, can be sliced for sandwiches, julienned for a composed salad or chopped for hash. So can ham. Leftover root vegetables, chopped or sliced, make a fine base for a soup, an omelet or a vegetarian pasta dish. The possibilities are endless, and to start the process, I’m offering garbure, a hearty French stew that’s a welcome haven for cooked vegetables and meat; two favorite leftover vehicles from an earlier era-curry and a poultry souffle; a pair of sandwiches from that ultimate forager of leftovers, Dagwood Bumsted; and a topping for pasta.
GARBURE
10 main-course servings
5 cloves garlic, peeled
2 pounds uncooked or cooked pork, without bones, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 pound prosciutto or other cured ham
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons duck or goose fat or bacon drippings or vegetable oil
1 cup dried white navy beans or cannellini, soaked for 3 hours
1 bouquet garni
2 quarts duck or chicken broth or water
1 small head cabbage, savoy preferred
1 turnip, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
2 leeks, white part and 1 inch of green, washed and finely sliced
2 medium waxy potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
8 confit duck thighs or up to 4 cups leftover duck, goose, turkey or chicken meat, cut into chunks
Salt and pepper
1. Cook the garlic, pork, prosciutto and onion in the duck fat in a 4-quart pot over medium heat until the onions turn translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the beans, bean-soaking liquid and bouquet garni. Pour in enough broth to cover the ingredients by 4 inches. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and skim off any froth that floats to the surface.
2. Cover the pot and simmer for about 2 hours-until the beans are tender. Stir gently every 30 minutes to make sure that nothing sticks to the bottom. If necessary, add more broth to keep everything covered.
3. Peel away and discard dark outer leaves from the cabbage. Cut cabbage into quarters vertically through the core, then shred each quarter. When beans have softened thoroughly, add shredded cabbage, turnip, leeks and potatoes. Add more broth to cover, about 3 cups. Cover pot and simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Add the duck meat and simmer for 10 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper. Serve in large bowls with thick-cut slices of country bread and a red wine such as Cotes du Rhone or zinfandel.
-Adapted from “Splendid Soups,” by James Peterson
NEW WORLD CURRY SAUCE
About three cups
2 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 small green apple, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
2 tablespoons flour
3 cups chicken stock or broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup cream
5 cups (or less) cooked, cut-up shellfish, seafood, poultry or vegetables
1. Melt the butter in a skillet. Add onion, apple, bay leaf and cloves. Simmer about 10 minutes until apple and onion are soft but not browned. Add curry powder and flour. Simmer, stirring often, for 5 minutes.
2. Stir in chicken stock and cook slowly, covered for 30 minutes. Add salt, lemon juice and cream. Remove bay leaf. Strain if a smooth sauce is desired.
3. Add shellfish to the sauce and heat through, stirring occasionally. Add stock if sauce seems too thick. Serve over rice.
Note: Among items that may be available from previous holiday entertaining, consider any of the following as garnish for the curry: chutney, peanuts, raisins, chopped parsley, tomato wedges, almonds, currant jelly, chopped egg, pineapple chunks, sauteed onion rings, sliced avocado, grated orange rind, orange sections, crumbled crisp bacon, grated coconut.
-Adapted from “Thoughts for Buffets” (out of print)
POULTRY AND VEGETABLE SOUFFLE
Six servings
8 slices bread
1/4 cup grated onion
1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
2 cups cooked poultry or meat, diced
1 can (10 ounces) cream of mushroom soup
1 1/2 cups milk
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Trim crusts from slices of bread. Place 4 slices in the bottom of an 8-by-8-by-2-inch baking dish. Combine onion, green pepper and celery with the poultry or meat and spread over the bread. Cover with remaining 4 slices of bread.
2. Mix soup, milk, eggs, mayonnaise and cheese together; add seasoning. Blend well and pour over the mixture in the pan. Bake for 45 minutes.
Note: Contemporary cooks may want to enliven this antique recipe with the addition of cayenne pepper or salsa to the soup mixture.
-From “Thoughts for Buffets” (out of print)
MARMALADE-AND-NUT SANDWICHES
16 to 20 sandwiches
1/4 cup blanched almonds
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 cups orange or grapefruit marmalade
20 to 40 slices of thin white or whole-wheat bread, buttered
1. Mix nuts and marmalade and spread on the buttered bread. Leave sandwiches open-face or, if desired, cover with a second slice of bread.
2. Cut into halves or quarters and arrange on a tray or platter.
-From “Blondie’s Cook Book” (out of print)
HAM-TOMATO-AND-BELL-PEPPER SANDWICHES
15 to 20 sandwiches
1 pound boneless or boned ham
1 tomato
1 green or red bell pepper
10 stuffed olives
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Salt and paprika to taste
Salad dressing or mayonnaise to taste
15 to 20 slices of white or whole-wheat bread
1. Chop the ham to a fine dice in the food processor or by hand. Transfer to a bowl. Drop the tomato into boiling water for 30 seconds, then cool under running water. Peel skin, cut in half and remove seeds. Chop flesh by hand and add to bowl with ham. Seed and chop the pepper and the olives and add to the bowl along with 1 tablespoon parsley, salt and paprika.
2. Mix in salad dressing until mixture is homogenized and has the consistency of a paste. (Recipe may be done ahead to this point. Cover and refrigerate ham paste until 30 minutes before serving.)
3. If desired, lightly toast bread. Spread paste on bread and cut into triangles or cut circles with a cookie-cutter. Sprinkle remaining parsley over sandwiches and arrange on a tray or platter.
-Adapted from “Blondie’s Cook Book”
FENNEL, ONION AND ANCHOVY TOPPING FOR PASTA
Two to four servings
1 medium or 1/2 large onion (about 6 ounces), thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 bulb fennel, trimmed top and bottom and diced (about 2 cups)
1 tablespoon Pernod or another anise-flavored liqueur (optional)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano
1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1 tablespoon minced anchovy
1 ripe tomato, seeded and chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)
Black pepper to taste
8 ounces dried pasta, penne preferred
Salt
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil (optional)
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated preferred
1. Cook onion in olive oil over medium heat until very soft, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle sugar over onion. Add fennel, toss for a minute, then cover pan and steam until softened, 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Heat optional Pernod until it flames, pour over fennel and onion and gently shake pan until flame dies. Add garlic, oregano, red-pepper flakes and anchovy and stir for 1 minute or until garlic softens. Add tomato, cover again and cook until tomato is soft, 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with black pepper. (Recipe may be made ahead to this point. Reheat before serving.)
3. Heat water in a large saucepan or pot. When it boils, add a generous quantity of salt and the pasta. Cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Place optional butter and topping in a bowl. Drain pasta, add to bowl and toss. Portion into serving bowls or plates and serve at once. Pass grated parmesan at the table.
