Leftovers: Clearing Out Your Fridge with Great Food
Yeah, you read that right. No, you didn’t accidentally click over to foodnetwork.com. I really am writing about food. I don’t think it’s the first time, and it probably won’t be the last. I can’t help myself–I was struck with this inspiration while sitting down to eat, and well, you know I have a couple of cameras sitting around the house, ready to take photos of stuff. Those who know me know that I am an unabashed foodie, and that, like most folks who can even moderately function in the world, I am good at more things than just photography. Writing, for one thing (it’s what I went to school for, after all). Being a dad, for another (at least I’d like to think so). And cooking–thanks to my parents, I can cook for myself. I thought this might appeal to some of you other folks out there who might like to cook, or to eat, or to do other things that aren’t just about photography.
Before I tell you about the meal pictured above, I need to start by establishing a few things. First of all, anyone can make a yummy meal out of leftovers, provided they have some decent food sitting around in the fridge, and that they have some basic cooking skills (this required cracking/beating eggs, using a toaster oven, a microwave, and the stove top… oh, and some utensils, like spoons). Secondly, admittedly it helps if you cook somewhat regularly and therefore have some fresh leftovers in your fridge. Thirdly, I consider the ability to make something out of random leftovers to be the sign of a good cook–a real cook. Someone who can improvise with the food on hand and make something new, and coherent, is both a skill and an art… hey, maybe I can find a way to tie this back to photography.
Okay, now that we have all that straight, here’s what I had available to me in the kitchen when my stomach started growling:
- A few strips of leftover sirloin steak from dinner last night
- Some roasted potatoes and onions from dinner last night
- A couple of spoonfuls of salsa that my wife left behind in the fridge
- Crepes that I made for breakfast yesterday (but crepes last for a long time, they could have been out of the freezer, or from three days ago, or whatever. Don’t get hung up on the bounty in my particular fridge).
- Some shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- Eggs
- Onions
If I hadn’t had the potatoes left over from last night, I could have subbed Tater-Tots from the freezer–remember, you don’t have to have fancy stuff to do this! The onion was kind of optional since I had the salsa, and I could have substituted something like bacon or sausage for the steak if I didn’t have that. But the whole purpose is that you are making another meal out of food you already have, rather than throwing it away or leaving it till it gets too old to use and things start growing on it. Leftovers are more efficient use of your time, your money, and the earth’s resources. It is a form of everyday sustainability. Deep, right? Simple, but important.
Okay, okay, I’m being a great person. Super. But what IS that up there? It’s two crepes, filled with a breakfast scramble, with a side of homefried potatoes.
I threw the potatoes in a saute pan on medium heat and warmed them up till the edges got crispy. I don’t think I stirred them more than once. Voila! Homefries! I took the crepes I had out of the fridge, rolled them up in wax paper, and microwaved them for fifteen seconds to take the chill off and make them more pliable. I cut up an onion, put it in another pan with some butter, and sauteed it till it started to go translucent. Then I diced the steak bits I had left and threw them into the pan with the onions. When they were heated through, I added three beaten eggs and scrambled it all together. When the eggs were set but still a little wet, I added some shredded jack cheese, and then divided the scramble between the two crepes, which I rolled up. I sprinkled some more jack on top of the crepes, and then put them in my toaster oven, set on broil, for about 5 minutes–just to get the eggs cooked through and the cheese good and melted on top. Final step was to spoon some salsa on top of the crepes and put them on a plate with the potatoes. Done.
It may sound like a lot of steps, but it probably took me 10-15 minutes from start to finish… I couldn’t have dressed myself, driven to the closest fast-food place, and been back in less time. If I’d had some sour cream around that would have been even better. But that’s the nature of leftovers–you work with what you’ve got.
Here’s the awkward photography tie-in: in photography, a creative person can work with what they’ve got and come out with good photos. There are always things that aren’t optimal or you don’t have–a fast-aperture prime, even light, a flash, whatever. But if you understand photography, if you are creative, if you have spent time with your gear (for the kitchen, read foods/flavors and kitchen equipment), you know what you can and can’t do, and you can still make something worthwhile.
My leftovers were a mishmash of cultures–Salsa and cheese from the American Southwest; crepes from France, a roasted potato recipe from…? that I was able to bring together into something that was delicious, filling, and at least somewhat nutritious (lots of protein for my day!)
Please let me know what you think!
