Three ‘food groups’ lead my go-to list for cold-season dining: Heart-warming soups, hearty stews and substantial casseroles. And I’ve developed a set of basic soup rules that guide me when I’m putting them together – on the fly…
I just ‘throw together’ soups more often than I’d like to admit. Most days it’s just me and sister Erin for supper, so there are almost always leftovers. And the trick, to avoid wasting food, is to plan ahead for those inevitable surpluses – and how they can be used in follow-on meals.
Getting creative
It takes intuition, imagination and creativity. But we always seem to come up with something that defies our initial expectations when repurposing our leftovers.
For a professional cook, it’s a challenge rather than an ’emergency’ when a seemingly impossible leftover ‘save’ situation presents itself. That’s where planning ahead is so important. the fewer ’emergencies the better.
After that, it’s usually just a matter of applying the ‘rules’ – and seeing what comes out the other end of the process.
Rule #1
This one is a no-brainer: Anything can be turned into a new soup, stew or casserole. What you have to work with will determine which of those directions you’ll take. After a while, you’ll only need one look in the fridge to know, instinctively, what you’re going to make!
Rule #2
Always consider a soup first. A soup is usually the overall best way to repurpose already-cooked ingredients. It’s usually the fastest and easiest way, too. And that speaks volumes in its favour. But the basic side veggies from a roast repast will always form a natural foundation for any soup you might want to build.
Rule #3
We usually opt for a broth-based soup when using repurposed foods. All you need is a freezer bag of your own stock, or a box of store-bought broth, and – you’ve got a soup right there. The uniting flavour theme, the overall plot of the story you might say, is the all-encompassing broth. It is the ingredient that makes a collection of separate ingredients a unified whole.
Key additions
From there, you can consider adding new ingredients, to differentiate the new dish from the one that was the source of the supporting players.
Rule #4
Medium-cube, or shred smallish, the meat/protein you have on hand. If you have no meat leftover, consider adding some firm Tofu. It will soak up the flavour of your broth and fit right in, flavour-wise. And it will deliver a complete nutritional protein complex in company with a handful of pasta! (See: Rule #6.)
Rule #5
There are a few veggies you can always fall back on to fill out your new soup’s cast of characters. Mushrooms or chopped scallions. A handful of frozen green peas or sweet corn kernels. Small-diced sweet or hot peppers. You’ll think of other quick-cooking add-ins as you gain experience in today’s focus technique.
Rule #6
Consider adding a handful of small pasta to instantly create a soup with a Mediterranean character. You can’t go wrong with orecchiette or couscous. Or thin noodles like angel’s hair or vermicelli to lend an Asian flair.
Just remember, you need a very small or thin pasta that will cook quickly. You don’t want the already-cooked veggies and other ingredients to get mushy before the pasta cooks through. Rice – unless it’s pre-cooked, too – will always take too long.
My take
Have fun with soup whenever you have the chance! Always look at leftover ingredients as an opportunity – rather than a burden…
~ Maggie J.