Foraging

I save almost every scrap of leftovers at restaurants. If there are 3 french fries left on my plate, I take them home. Cut ‘em up and fry them again with a few onions and you get a fantastic "home fries" brunch omelette. Those little packets of parmesan that come with your take-out pizza?  They make an excellent topping for bruschetta or addition to oil & vinegar salad dressing. 

What started out as saving food to not be wasteful has become an opportunity to embellish home cooking with things that I would never have the patience to cook myself or that are sold in quantities too large for my needs. I would never buy a spice jar full of hot red pepper flakes. But those little packets from the pizza place are perfect for perking up a soup. 

Presentation is everything. What looks dull in a familiar packet, looks amazing in pretty little dishes with a garnish. My favorite are those little square packets of jam you get at diners. How else can I get Concord Grape jelly, Apricot jam and Orange marmalade next to my weekend scones without filling the door of my refrigerator with whole jars of jam that will last months? 

I think we can blame my father for this habit. Unable to consume large portions and enjoying a nosh every hour, Dad took home restaurant leftovers back in the day when a doggy bag was one plastic bag that said Fido on it with scraps from everyone’s plate dumped into it. He always kept a couple of napkins and sandwich baggies in his pocket, harvested the dry food, and enjoyed the rest of his meal leisurely over the next few hours. 

We are grazers. I also enjoy walking along, resting on a bench and fishing a leftover roll or cookie out of my pocket. When the kids were little, I always had snacks to help them get through the day. Now it’s tidbits for me and for cooking. 

Greg may have been a bit horrified at first, but now he’s a convert. He happily pushes his plate towards mine and asks, “Want to take my parsley and pickle? Here’s a clean napkin.”   

Do you know what you can do with parsley????