Sometimes even I look forward to the days when I don't have to cook, because the fridge is full of leftovers. For me having leftovers available is not just only about convenience but rather reducing waste, from financial and ecological perspective. But it can also be more imaginative way to cook.
So on Sunday I cooked my Tasty Tarragon Chicken, served with roast potatoes and parsnips and boiled carrots and Brussel sprouts, covered in my roasted fennel seasoned gravy. This was lovely and I'm happy to say I had the following leftovers; 1.5 chicken legs and the 2 wings, some fennel and a small dish of the vegetables.
Looking at the leftovers, it doesn't look like we would have roast dinner 2.0 but rather I look at the leftovers for the basis of new recipes. So I have some chicken left over and I'm thinking I would love to make a nice Chinese Noodle Soup.
Start with making the soup which is stock made from the chicken bones left over from Sunday night. I boiled a full kettle twice, as I tend to make more stock than I need when I make a noodle soup. Of course you could start with cold water and boil in the pan, but this time I was wanting a quick supper.
Into a large sauce pan, I have about 2.5 litres of boil hot water and some chicken bones. Bring to a boil. For seasoning, if you have some fresh ginger, add 4 slices to the pan (about the size of your thumb but about 0.5cm thick). The ginger gives the soup a light fresh and spice without being over spicy.
Then to add the Asian-oriental flavours. 1 tablespoons of fish sauce, 2 tablespoons of light soya sauce and 1 teaspoon of sesame seed oil. Stir and continue to boil. Now if you like spicy, them take one red chilli and slice and add to the soup. Add a second one if you prefer.
Now I prepared the vegetables for the soup. I chose fresh sliced chestnut mushrooms. Then I threw in some green beans as well. I had some leftover cooked fennel which I put in the pan to simmer.
In the meantime I sliced up some of the leftover chicken and also some lettuce and spring onions. Now you can warm up the chicken in the stock or separately if you prefer.
For the noodles I used rice sticks which I had in the cupboard. I find rice or egg noodles works well. But my preference is rice noodles. To prepare the noodles, again I used 1 full kettle of boil water and added the noodles into a separate pan and cover. Give it 3 minutes and stir until they are loosen and hydrated. Then drain the water away.
Now back to the soup. Taste test time. TIP: I recommend tasting along the way as you add flavours. You want to know if the soup is seasoned well for your taste. Remember you can always add spice by adding siracha or any other hot sauce of your choice.
To prepare your dish. In a large bowl or small if you prefer, place your noodles. Then add the sliced lettuce on top. Now ladle the hot soup, with the chicken and beans over the noodles and lettuce. You should have a nice little mountain of hot seaming goodness. I add the spring onions last as I prefer the raw crunchy texture.
Now that was one satisfying and quick dinners made from leftovers and what I had already at home.
So next time you have food leftover from a dinner. Have a think what you could do with them. Or even better, you can always email me to ask for a free suggestion or two. I am always happy to think up some recipes to explore.
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