Pie for Breakfast

A slice of latke shepherd’s pie does double duty as a breakfast skillet with shredded gruyere and a poached egg.

Sometimes even the leftover dishes get left over. Such was the case this week, with the many pies and pastries born out of that one huge brisket-and-latke Hanukkah meal.

After enthusiastically chowing down on an entire brisket pot pie, six brisket empanadas and half of the latke shepherd’s pie over three days of lunches and dinners, the last couple of slices of the latke shepherd’s pie somehow failed to start our engines. The unthinkable had happened: We were pied and pastried out.

So I sprang back into the kitchen to figure out how to scavenge one last meal out of the brisket that keeps on giving, how to give that tired pie a bit more pizzazz. In the door of the refrigerator, I found the answer – eggs. We’d have pie for breakfast!

So, this morning, I reheated those last pieces of pie at 375 degrees, then – once the filling was warm — topped the crispy latke crust with a quarter cup of shredded gruyere, baking it for about five minutes longer to melt the cheese. Meanwhile, I boiled some water and cracked a couple of eggs in the pot to poach them. (If you want actual instructions, check out this practical step-by-step guide to poaching eggs from the excellent Smitten Kitchen blog.)

The pie came out of the oven with a head of gooey cheese, upon which I perched a floppy hat of poached eggs finished with a light sprinkling of salt.

And, viola! We gobbled up those last pieces of pie in about two minutes flat. The Hanukkah leftovers were consumed! Our refrigerator was liberated! And breakfast had saved the day.

The Power of Nachos: Obliterating leftovers from burgers and more

Don’t get me wrong: I absolutely love Mexican food. But, living in Oaxaca, I sometimes also crave a burger. Recently, I caved into my craving in a big way.

ORIGINAL MEAL: Burgers

Hearty, juicy burgers with chopped caramelized onions and bacon mixed into steak patties.

We couldn’t find all the ingredients for my usual burgers at the neighborhood market, but we found enough to make them yummy: ground steak, chopped bacon and onions. I usually also mix in a quarter pound of ground lamb. As a healthier alternative, I sometimes substitute ground turkey and turkey bacon for the steak and bacon.

Here’s my Go Big Burger recipe:

Makes 6 large burgers or 4 giant burgers

½ lb. bacon
1¼ lb. raw steak (I usually mix half ground chuck and half sirloin or brisket) OR 1 pound steak and ¼ pound lamb
2 medium yellow onions, sliced
¼ tsp. brown sugar
kosher salt and ground pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced (about ½ tsp.)
soy sauce (optional)
4 or 6 buns or rolls
your favorite burger fixings, such as avocado, cheese (brie or blue cheese go well with the caramelized onions; this time we used Oaxacan quesillo, which was delicious), grilled or sautéed mushrooms, lettuce, tomatoes, more onions, more bacon, pickles, ketchup or mustard

1) Saute bacon in a fry pan over medium-high heat until just crispy, then remove the bacon from the pan while leaving the grease.
2) Reduce heat to medium and add a ¼ teaspoon brown sugar and a pinch of salt to the bacon grease, stirring constantly for 1 minute.
3) Add onions, stirring well to coat them evenly, and then continue to caramelize, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes until the onions are a deep golden brown (but not yet crispy). Add garlic and continue to saute for about 30 seconds, until you can smell the garlic fragrance.
4) In a food processor, coarsely chop the steak, bacon and onions (including any remaining bacon grease). Add soy sauce (about 1 tbsp.) or salt and pepper to taste and pulse food processor a few times to incorporate.
5) Form the mixture into patties.
6) Grill or sauté the patties and serve on lightly grilled or toasted hamburger buns or rolls with your favorite accoutrements.

We made four giant burgers and only were able to manage one each. The next day, we were hungry again, but wanted something different. Plus, we were out of bread.

REINCARNATION: Nachos

What could we make to use up our leftover burgers, along with our remaining tomato, avocado, onion and cheese? Nachos! They may or may not be considered truly Mexican cuisine, but – in any case – they aren’t common fare in Oaxaca, and they’re one of my favorite U.S. bar foods.

Nachos are a great way to use up a wide variety of leftovers. Burger fixings, pizza toppings and gyro fillings can make yummy chippy treats.

Nachos, of course, hardly need a recipe. We alternated three layers of tortilla chips with crumbled burger, refried beans and plenty of cheese in an ovenproof pan, melted the cheese at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes (a microwave works too and only takes about a minute) and then topped it all off with chopped tomatoes, avocados, onions, salsa and sour cream.

If you keep salsa and tortilla chips in the cupboard, nachos can become a highly effective weapon in your leftover-obliterating arsenal. A versatile – if less-than-healthy – treat, nachos can easily eliminate chili, as well as many different kinds of meat. (Aside from beef and lamb, they work with chicken, turkey, pork — ground, shredded or minced — and even fish.)

I’ve crumbled meatballs on top of nachos, topped with mozzarella and parmesan. I’ve adorned nachos with shredded chicken tikka masala, saag paneer and kachumber salad. I’ve crowned them with Chinese beef and broccoli paired with grated cheddar. Leftover gyros – with thinly sliced lamb, lettuce, onions, tomatoes and, yes, tzatziki sauce – have become chip toppings in my kitchen. So have falafels, accompanied by hummus and goat cheese. I’ve even made pizza nachos to use up extra pizza toppings – tomato sauce, Italian sausage, bell peppers, olives, mushrooms and white cheddar.

The possibilities are endless and, of course, meat is optional. Nachos are a solid option for vegetarians as well.

We ended the week with both our burger and nacho cravings satisfied. Next up…salad!

3 Post-Hanukkah Ideas: What to do with leftover latkes and brisket

Our Hanukkah dinner yielded plenty of leftovers.

Hanukkah ended Saturday night, leaving us with a traditional (for us) bowl of leftover latke makings, coarse-grated potatoes and onions held together with a whipped, salted egg. As usual, I’d grated way too many potatoes, then run out of steam after frying 20 latkes for four people.

Along with soup, a 6-pound brisket roasted with carrots, celery and onions, an apple crisp and plenty of libations, it turned out that four people only could manage a dozen latkes. So on Sunday, I gazed at the leftover brisket, vegetables, fried and unfried latkes, looking for inspiration for a day-after-Hanukkah dinner. I found it. Three times, in fact.

ORIGINAL MEAL: Brisket and latkes

We made the brisket and latkes following Tyler Florence’s recipe. (Remember to save the extra drippings in case you need to make more gravy.)

PREP:

To prep the meal for its various reincarnations, I chopped up the meat, half the onions and tomatoes and sliced the carrots and celery. We ended up with 4 cups of meat, 3 cups of cooked vegetables and 3 cups of gravy, plus several extra onion halves, as well as about 3 cups of unfried latke makings.

Gravy note: If you ended up using all your gravy and need more, just dissolve 3 tablespoons of flour in about 1 cup of wine (or milk or cold water), combine it with 3 tablespoons of fat and 3 cups of beef broth and bring the mixture to a boil while stirring. Keep boiling until it’s as thick as you like it. For me, that’s about 10 minutes.

Variation: For a vegetarian gravy, just use butter as the fat and vegetable stock instead of beef broth.

Now you’re ready to start baking, so choose one of the following recipes and use up your Hanukkah leftovers. Bonus: All of these recipes will freeze well, too. And, if you’re vegetarian or have no meat left, these three recipes also will work well without the meat; just double the vegetables and opt for a vegetable gravy (instructions above).

REINCARNATION #1: Latke shepherd’s pie

Leftover latkes make a crispy crust for an easy brisket shepherd’s pie.

I grew up eating what my family called pastel tutup, a Dutch version of shepherd’s pie with sausage, chicken, ham and sometimes shrimp (instead of the minced lamb you usually find in shepherd’s pie) covered with eggy mashed potatoes. I decided to use latkes instead of the mashed potatoes.

1.5 cups of finely chopped brisket
1.5 cups chopped cooked vegetables
2 eggs
3 cups unfried latkes
3 tbsp. butter (or margarine if you’re keeping kosher)

* For a traditional shepherd’s pie, you’ll also need:
1 tbsp. tomato paste
¼ tsp. Worchestershire sauce
1.5 cups gravy (see instructions, above)

* For pastel tutup (not kosher), you’ll also need:
1/3 cup condensed milk
2 tbsp. fat from brisket drippings
2 tbsp. flour
1.5 cup beef broth
1/2 tsp. grated nutmeg

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2) Hard boil the eggs.
3) Meanwhile, make the gravy. For a traditional shepherd’s pie, heat 1.5 cups of gravy in a saucepan over medium heat. When it starts to simmer, stir in the tomato paste and Worchestershire sauce until well combined, then remove from heat. For the pastel tutup, heat the broth and fat in a saucepan over medium heat. Meanwhile, dissolve 2 tbsp. flour into the condensed milk. Stir the flour mixture into the broth mixture and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, until it’s thick enough to stick to the spoon (8-10 minutes.) Stir in the nutmeg and remove from heat.
4) Peel and slice the eggs.
5) Grease a pie pan or small casserole dish. (You can double this recipe for a large casserole dish.)
6) Mix the meat and veggies and spread the mixture in the pan or dish.
7) Pour the sauce on top, then layer the egg slices over the meat and veggie mixture.
8) Spread the unfried latkes on top.
9) Brush with the melted butter or margarine.
10) Bake about 45 minutes, until the latke crust is golden brown.
11) Serve with sour cream (optional).

Brisket, roasted vegetables and latkes combine to make a savory pie filling.

REINCARNATION #2: Brisket pot pie

1.5 cups coarsely chopped brisket
1.5 cups cooked vegetables
4 fried latkes, cut into 1-inch cubes
1.5 c. gravy (see instructions, above)
2 tbsp. fresh chopped parsley
2 pie crusts (you can buy prepared refrigerated crusts or make your own. I used Bon Appétit’s Best Ever Pie Crust recipe and omitted the sugar.)
1 egg
2 tbsp. water

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2) Lay a pie crust in a greased pie pan.
3) Mix the meat, vegetables and chopped latkes in a bowl, then spread the mixture over the bottom crust.
4) Pour the gravy on top and sprinkle with the parsley.
5) Cover with the top crust and poke a few holes in the top for ventilation.
6) Beat the egg well, then add 2 tbsp. water and continue to beat until fully incorporated.
7) Brush the egg wash over the top crust.
8) Bake for 25-30 minutes until the crust is golden brown.

REINCARNATION #3: Brisket empanadas

This empanada is filled with briskety goodness.

A decade ago, while working on my master’s project in Argentina, I stayed with a family in Tucuman for three weeks. The mother, Ramona Alcaraz, was a fabulous cook, and she graciously taught me how to make traditional Argentine empanadas. This recipe is based on hers, with the substitution of brisket for Argentine steak.

1 cup coarsely chopped brisket
½ roasted onion, chopped
3 eggs
½ c. gravy (see instructions, above)
2.5 cups flour
¼ cup lard or nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening, sliced
6-10 tbsp. ice water
2 tbsp. tap water
1 lemon, cut into wedges

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2) Hard boil two eggs.
3) Meanwhile, make the pastry. Cut the fat into the flour. Add 5 tablespoons of ice water and knead. Then add a tablespoon at a time, kneading in between, until the mixture is a bit elastic – no longer crumbly – and can be rolled.
4) Divide dough into six parts and roll into discs.
5) Peel and chop the hard-boiled eggs.
6) Mix meat, onions and gravy in a bowl. Stir in chopped eggs.
7) Spoon a scant 4 tablespoons of the mixture into the center of each disk, fold the pastry in half and pinch the edges.
8) Beat the remaining egg well, then add tap water and beat again into fully incorporated.
9) Brush the empanadas with the egg wash.
10) Bake for 25-30 minutes, flipping each pastry once, until they’re golden brown.
11) Serve with lemon wedges.

‘Quiche’ Your Leftovers Goodbye: Tri-Tip and Roasted Veggies Quiche

Photo credit: Matt Krupnick

Many dishes that work well together on the dinner table also will taste good together in a quiche. I’ve made quiches with chicken, lamb, beef, fish, sausage, ground meats, all sorts of vegetables, potatoes, noodles and, yes, even meatloaf. I think of this dish as a creamy cross between an omelet and a savory pie. Mmm, pie.

ORIGINAL MEAL: Roast tri-tip and veggies

This particular quiche iteration started as a tri-tip dinner with a group of girlfriends. Sides included roasted broccoli with mushrooms, onions and bell peppers, and we also sampled a cheese plate. After a couple of days of leftovers, I was ready for something new. Here’s what I came up with:

REINCARNATION: Leftover Quiches
2 cups chopped roast (optional; you can leave this out or use other meat)
2 cups chopped veggies (if you’re leaving out the meat, you can use more veggies)
1 tsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, chopped
3 eggs
1.5 cups heavy cream or half-and-half
2 pie shells, homemade or prepared
salt and pepper
2 cups cheese, chopped (for soft cheese) or shredded (for hard cheese)*

* NOTE: I used equal parts Brie, aged Gouda and Gruyere, but I’ve also enjoyed good results using cheddar, gorgonzola, fresh mozzarella, chevre and even feta. When it doubt, start with one cheese and try a bite with the meat and veggies before tossing it all together.

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Warm olive oil in a skillet on medium-high heat, then add chopped meat and veggies and stir to warm for about 1 minute. Add garlic and saute lightly until it releases its scent, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat.
3) In a bowl, beat eggs into cream or half-and-half. Add salt and pepper to taste, depending on how salted your leftovers are (usually about 1/2 tsp each), and stir to mix.
4) Place half of the leftovers into each of the pie crusts. Pour half of the egg mixture over each to fill. Top each quiche with 1 cup of cheese.
5) Bake 30-40 minutes until filling is set.

I love the versatility of this simple recipe. My current favorite combos include zucchini, sundried tomatoes and chevre; steak, blue cheese, caramelized onions and carrots; ground lamb, mint, cilantro, feta and mushrooms; shredded chicken, green chiles and pepper jack; and crab, tomatoes, avocado and Swiss. Try it with your own leftovers tonight, and please share your favorite combinations here!

The Ultimate Comfort Food: Meatloaf Fried Rice

For me, fried rice is the original leftover-catchall dish. When I was growing up, my family made fried rice often, and we’d throw in all kinds of meats or vegetables. It was invariably delicious! It was one of the first dishes I learned to cook, and I always considered it an especially comforting and simple sort of meal.

ORIGINAL MEAL: Turkey meatloaf with mixed vegetables and rice

Meatloaf is another of my favorite comfort foods. I make it often, and always end up with plenty of leftovers. This week, I decided to test out my longstanding conviction that fried rice works well with just about everything by combining it with meatloaf. Pretty much any meatloaf recipe will work, but here’s one of my favorites:

Turkey, Bacon and Smoked Gouda Meatloaf
1.5 lb. ground turkey (or 1 lb. ground turkey and 0.5 lb. ground lamb)
1 coarsley grated medium red onion
4 slices bacon (or turkey bacon)
1 cup of Guinness or other stout beer
1/4 cup panko
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large egg (or 1/4 cup egg substitute)
1 cup smoked Gouda
salt and pepper

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. In a skillet, fry the bacon until crispy, then saute the onion in the bacon grease. Break up the bacon and put it back in the skillet with the onions. Add 1 cup of beer, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the liquid has disappeared. Remove from heat and let cool for five minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the ground turkey with the panko, barbecue sauce, garlic, egg, half the smoked Gouda, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper and mix well. Add in the bacon and onion and stir until just combined.

Transfer the mixture to an 8-by-4-inch loaf pan and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Roast until cooked through, 45 minutes to an hour. Let the meat rest 10 minutes before serving.

REINCARNATION: Meatloaf fried rice

I had about 2 cups of meatloaf left, along with about 3 cups of various vegetables (caultiflower, broccoli, carrots and green onions) and 5 cups of cooked rice. But it’s OK if you have more or less of these ingredients. This is a very versatile and forgiving recipe, so use what you have and adjust the soy sauces to taste accordingly!

Here’s what I did:

Meatloaf Fried Rice
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 bunch green onions or chives, chopped (my mom always uses a leek instead; sometimes I substitite 3-4 sliced shallots)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 cups veggies (fresh, steamed, boiled or sauteed will work)
2 cups meatloaf
5 cups rice (it’s OK if you have a bit more or less; use what you have!)
2 tbsp. soy sauce (I used low sodium, but use whatever you have)
1 tbsp. sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)*
1 tsp. sesame oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten (optional)
salt and pepper
chili paste (sambal) or other hot chili sauce, to serve
* Note: You can just use 3 tbsp. regular soy sauce and add 1/4 tsp. of sugar if you don’t have this. Just be careful to use less salt!

In a wok or skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic and veggies, and stir fry until tender. (If the veggies are already cooked, add them after the onions are tender and use only 1 tbsp. oil. If using an uncooked meat instead of meatloaf, add it to the stir fry and cook it now.) Add rice, soy sauces and sesame oil. Mix well. Add meatloaf, breaking it into large chunks with the spatula and tossing it with the rice to combine. Add eggs, if using, and stir them into the rice until cooked. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve hot with sambal or other chili sauce.

I hope fried rice turns out to be as helpful for using leftovers in your household as it has been in mine!

The Morning After: Turn a Salmon Dinner Into a Crepes Breakfast

ORIGINAL MEAL: Broiled salmon with roasted asparagus

This is one of our favorite dinners: Salmon fillets and asparagus (or other vegetables) brushed with olive oil, sprinkled with salt and pepper and broiled for about 10 minutes. The fish usually gets topped with some kind of butter (often it’s butter combined with toasted almonds, garlic, dill and lemon juice; this time, it was a simple lemon-caper butter). It was delicious (thanks, Matt!). But we ended up with way too much.

I’d bought six salmon fillets, intending to make two at a time, but when we took them out of the freezer, the fillets were firmly stuck together. By the time we’d defrosted them enough to pull them apart, we decided it would probably be safer to cook them all than to refreeze them. “We’ll have leftovers!” I rejoiced. And we did. So now what?

I peeked in the fridge for inspiration. We had creme fraiche, green onions, eggs and goat cheese — Cypress Grove’s fabulous Truffle Tremor, to be exact. An omelet, I decided, or better yet … crepes! I’ve always been intimidated by the delicate French dish, seemingly the offspring of an anorexic omelet and an anorexic pancake. Done well, crepes are as thin as a South Indian dosa and as light as a dream. The perfect dish, I thought, to show off my extreme clumsiness.

REINCARNATION: Salmon, green onion and goat cheese crepes

For my first crepe attempt ever, I selected this basic recipe from allrecipes.com: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Basic-Crepes/Detail.aspx. The ingredients are likewise basic: flour, eggs, milk, water, salt and butter (all of which I had in the kitchen.)

Here’s how I made the filling:

Half a bunch of green onions, chopped
1/2 cup of leftover asparagus (or other veggies), coarsely chopped into 1-inch chunks
6-8 oz. leftover cooked salmon, flaked
6 tbsp. Truffle Tremor, chevre or other goat cheese (most mild cheeses would work fine too)
1 tbsp. butter

Chop the green onions and leftover roasted asparagus; saute both in the butter and set aside. Flake the salmon and warm it in the skillet; set aside. Meanwhile, bring the cheese to room temperature and whip it with a fork to soften. (If using a firmer cheese, grate it instead.)

I got all that ready, melted 1 tablespoon of butter to use to grease the pan for the crepes, then mixed up the crepe batter and got to work. As promised by JENNYC819, who submitted the crepe recipe, the process was quick and easy. I was astounded to realize, later, that I hadn’t lost a single crepe! I, who once managed to tear five tortillas before making a single passable disc; I, who have often stumbled over my own feet — or banged into immovable cabinets — in the kitchen, sending whole batches of batter flying gloriously through the air.

Crepes, it turns out, are easier than I thought. Using a nonstick pan on medium heat, I brushed on a thin coat of melted butter before pouring on the batter. Then I tilted the skillet around to spread the batter thinly, waited until the crepe was brown around the edges and set in the middle, then used a large, thin spatula and a spoon to ease up the edges, wiggle the spatula under the middle of the crepe and flip it over. As each one was finished and safely ensconced on the plate, I carefully spread the cheese on it, threw on the salmon, green onions and asparagus, then rolled it up. (If you’re using grated cheese, just sprinkle some on top of the filling before rolling up the crepe.)

As a finishing touch, I topped the crepes with more green onions and a dollop of creme fraiche. (If you don’t have creme fraiche, you can use sour creme instead or just leave it out.) I made six crepes and was sure we’d have leftovers. We didn’t. This is definitely going to become a new go-to recipe at our place!

The beauty of it is, of course, that these crepes can be filled with all kinds of leftovers. Chicken, beef, potatoes, vegetables, fruit … the possibilities are endless. I’m planning to try sweet crepes next. After all, I have some leftover chocolate frosting and strawberries in a balsamic reduction from some cakes I baked earlier this week. It would be a shame if that went to waste! 🙂

Don’t Fear the Fridge

I look at the pile of groceries sitting on the counter, awaiting their rightful place in the refrigerator, and take a deep breath. This really can’t wait.

Cautiously opening the fridge for the third time in two minutes, I peer mournfully into its depths. Salmon and asparagus left over from last night, rice and chicken tikka masala from two nights ago, spaghetti from who knows when…. I shuffle the contents, Tetris-like, on a desperate hunt for empty spaces where I can stuff a head of lettuce or a container of yogurt. When I consider pulling all the carrots out of their bag so I can slot them into the frig individually, I know it’s time to give up.

The leftovers need to go.

And as I throw them out, holding my breath while I drain the liquefied vegetables into the garbage disposal and throw the moldy Tupperware in the sink to soak, I tell myself — as I always do — that there must be a better way. We need to end this dismal monthly ritual. We need to use more of our leftovers.

The problem is that my husband, Matt, and I love to cook. We scour through countless cookbooks, magazines and websites every month and end up with long lists of recipes to try. So we try them, and enjoy them, and then we forget about them and move on to the next dish. Sure, we try to get the right amount of ingredients so that we don’t have excessive leftovers, but inevitably, at some point, we misjudge.

But last week, as I threw out the odiferous remains of a crab artichoke dip with green chiles, I decided it was time to make a change. It was time to get serious. So I made a vow: We’re going to find ways to use up all of our food, or at least as much of it as possible. We’re going to embrace, not ignore, our lowly leftovers. We’re going to waste less good food, spend less money and make the most out of what we have in our refrigerator.

As part of that pledge, I’m starting this blog, both to keep myself accountable and to exchange ideas with — and, if all goes well, maybe even help — others wallowing in the same leftover mess. I’ll create, collect and test out recipes to help use up the contents of my kitchen, and share what works and what doesn’t.

And I’d love to hear from you: Do you have a favorite leftover recipe to share? Do you have any tips or stories that could help others struggling to conquer their leftovers? Let’s help each other save money and enjoy the food we have. Let’s see if, together, we can turn opening the fridge from a sometimes scary experience into an exciting one.