Got Leftovers?

One of my favorite forms of cooking  is reinventing leftovers.  It is what Prince Charming, my wonderful husband, thinks is one of my biggest assests.  He looks in the fridge and thinks there’s nothing to eat.  I look in the fridge and see a whole meal I can create out of nothing.  Being quasi empty nesters, it seems we have a lot of leftovers these days as we learn to adapt to cooking for just the 2 of us.  Add to that a frequent  lack of motivation to shop for groceries without 3 hungry teens in the house to feed, the need to get creative with leftovers becomes a necessity!  Or you might say it is my love of creating “giblottes” that just kicks into high gear.  (Giblotte is a French-Canadian slang word for cooking with whatever you come across. )

Such was the case with left over lemon-rosemary chicken thighs and potatoe quarters I had roasted a few days before.  I had bacon, eggs, shredded cheese, mushrooms and fresh parsley in the fridge.  The leftover chicken and potatoes could be transformed into an irresistible and hearty frittata for a weekday supper!

Here is how I did it.  I chopped and sautéed 2 slices of the bacon in a frying pan. To this I added a handful of chopped parsley, 1 T olive oil and 1 T butter and added a container of sliced mushrooms and sautéed all of it.

 I diced the chicken and potatoes (about 4 cups)

and added them to the pan, stirring to combine.  Meanwhile I whisked 3 eggs wih a splash of water, seasoned with salt and pepper, then poured them over the mixture.

I thew another handful of shredded cheddar-Monterey Jack cheese(about 1/4 c) on top and turned the heat to low, put a lid on the pan, and let the eggs cook slowly for about 10 minutes.

To serve, I loosened the side of the frittata with a spatula and then flipped the creation onto a platter.  I added a handful of parsley for presentation and some quartered tomatoes.  We served roasted garlic broccoli alongside.

 In about 20 minutes, we had a delicious week day meal and used up leftovers! I think even our friend Jay, who is leftover-averse, might even have been enticed to partake, with a good bordeaux alongside the frittata, not suspecting this meal was upcycled leftovers!

What’s in your fridge?

“The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served the family nothing but leftovers.  The original meal has never been found.”  Calvin Trillin