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It’s post-Thanksgiving and I am working on ways to declutter my fridge. I’ve become committed to lowering my food waste by creating dishes that not only incorporate all the leftovers into fun dishes but using the pieces that might otherwise not get used into new recipes. Elements like broccoli stems can be used in a stir fry, carrots peels can be used to flavour stocks or even puréed with fresh basil and pine nuts as seasonal pesto. There’s little more satisfying than ending a week knowing your green bin is as empty as it can be.
Give thanks for leftovers
While I enjoy a simple roast turkey, I also love taking the leftover meat and fashioning exciting new dishes. In a recent article titled Give Thanks for Leftovers, you’ll find fun ideas for turkey quesadillas, turkey poutine, turkey curry and more.
Warm up with bread
As cool, rainy days become the norm not the exception, I find myself huddling around the stove for warmth and comfort. In Matty Matheson’s book Home Style Cookery, he delivers a number of baked good recipes, including one for a delicious focaccia. I love focaccia as a side to soups, chilis and seasonal stews but also to make hearty sandwiches for low-key rainy-day dining.
The harvest table
Frosty mornings mean it’s time for the final harvest. It also ensures our farmers’ markets are a cornucopia of late-season fruits and vegetables. Of course, it also means that it's time to make sure your garden is fully harvested. Now more than ever we are relying on growing our own vegetables. According to a recent article titled Pandemic Gardening more than half of us grow at least one item. In my latest Dinner Party article, I provide suggestions for a harvest-inspired dining event.
A love affair with roasted vegetables
While most addictions are unhealthy, my love affair with roasted vegetables has been great for my body. I continue to love roasted beets – despite their ubiquity on restaurant menus – but almost every vegetable benefits from the process. Just about any root vegetable’s sweetness gets enhanced from roasting, and other vegetables such as cauliflower gain a delicious nutty flavour as evidenced by Eden Grinshpan’s recipe for Roasted cauliflower with date parsley gremolata found in her recent book Eating Out Loud.
See you next week when we'll offer more great food and drink recipes. Until then, keep following your foodie dreams.
~ Mark DeWolf
Mark DeWolf is a connoisseur of all things food and drink. He's a creative director with SaltWire and local fare is his specialty. Watch Mark whip up seasonal plates in his video series, In a Jiffy, and go deeper with food trends and kitchen challenges weekly
