The Thrifty Cookbook: 476 Ways to Eat Well With Leftovers (15 page)

Harissa paste thinned to a coating consistency with olive oil

Olive oil, crushed garlic, lemon juice, thyme or rosemary

Olive oil, ground cumin, lemon juice, garlic

Equal amounts of runny honey and soy sauce, plus lime juice and crushed garlic (this also works for spare ribs or barbecued chicken)

Olive oil, red wine, bay leaf

Olive oil, black pepper and coriander seeds, both coarsely ground

Olive oil, crushed garlic, lemon juice, chopped thyme

Olive oil, balsamic vinegar, bay leaf or chopped sage

Olive oil, honey, grated fresh ginger, soy sauce

Plain cold meat and fish are all inestimably nicer with a good robust chutney or pickle. Think of cold roast beef, spicy tomato chutney and a great fluffy baked potato filled with good butter; or cold lamb with a caper-y salsa verde. Leftover Christmas turkey and ham sandwiches positively sing with a great dollop of onion marmalade or chilli jam.

There are also times of the year when gluts of apples, tomatoes or soft fruit threaten to drown you with the spectre of imminent waste. Using them up (or taking advantage of their low price by buying a bagful) doesn’t mean you have to turn yourself into a domestic factory, either. Chutneys benefit from keeping for at least six months and will last for several years: we don’t have that brand of forbearance and usually have to ration them in the month or so before the time comes round to start all over again.

In the same spirit, a simple salsa verde or ‘Bagnetto’ (see
page 46
) will use up the last of a bunch of herbs (if you don’t want to chop and freeze them) and there are easy dips that demolish languishing veggies. A mini-chopper makes all these not just easy but quick – and they will keep in the fridge for a couple of days, while dried tomatoes and peppers bottled in oil will last for a month or so.