I LOVE... THRIFTY COOKING

Getting smarter in the kitchen has some tasty pay-offs. Matt Preston has the lowdown.

about minimising kitchen waste for a decade. The basic rules, however, remain the same: (1) buy only what you need, (2) cook only what you’ll eat, and (3) love leftovers – whether of dishes or ingredients (but if you follow the first two rules these will be minimal and you’ll save more money).

We’ve become a lot smarter about using all the ingredient, whether that’s a nose-to-tail or root-to-leaf approach. Human ingenuity is a marvellous thing. Here’s just some of what I’ve gathered over the years for reducing household waste.

Potato skins can be fried or roasted, with results varying according to the starch level of the variety. My favourite, however, is to cook the clean skins in the milk you’ll use in mash. The milk gets a boost of potato flavour and a satiny texture from the starchiness that reduces the desire to add cream. After making potato, sweet potato or pumpkin gnocchi, turn the leftover skins into ‘po-tacos’. Fill them with whatever you like. Currently, leftover bolognese or chilli with cheese, and diced smoked chicken with crisp chilli sauce, coriander and Kewpie mayo are the winners.

We all know about black-banana ice cream and banana bread made with old bananas, but how about taking the peel of fresh bananas and turning it into vegan ‘bacon’? (See my guide at delicious.com.au.)

Soup is a great place to lose or use orphaned ingredients. Instead of the obvious minestrone or ribollita, throw the likes of tired lettuce, cabbage and mushrooms into remainder ramen or leftover laksa. After your next freezer clear-out, use the scrawny ends of packets of corn or peas as well as one of the proteins you’ll undoubtedly find, like those two chicken breasts interred together or that pack of pork mince. I reckon small meatballs for the ramen is the way to go with that.

Parmesan rinds and pig skin aren’t particularly appetising at first glance, but I keep both in the freezer to throw in dishes for an umami hit, such as bolognese or old-school stews or braises.

The pulp from carrot and ginger, or beetroot and celery juice is the bulk for a great cake, burger or rissole, or soup. There’s still both flavour and body in there.

I’ve got both celery and rhubarb growing in the vegie patch from the replanted bases.

There’s a lot of flavour left in those ‘finished’ jars. Pour hot water or stock in old Vegemite, Dijon mustard or peanut butter jars and shake to get a tasty liquid to add to beef braises, chicken-pie filling or Ghanaian sweet potato stew, respectively.

I’VE BEEN WRITING POTATO SKINS BANANA-PEEL BACON RAMINESTRONE RINDS JUICER REFUSE BASE ACTS STOCK HACK STALE BREAD

Old pitas, sourdough, buns – I freaking love stale bread. There’s so much you can do with it that there’s a whole column on our website packed with ideas, from salads and crunchy toppings to sauces and soups. The most out-there has to be mixing freshly made breadcrumbs over heat with stock to make a Veronese polenta-like sauce called pearà. Add more stock and fried bone marrow and butter to make the most extraordinary stale bread soup – the recipe for which follows.

STALE BREAD SOUP WITH FRIED BONE MARROW SERVES 4

Begin this recipe 1 day ahead.

4 x 10cm (400g) centre-cut femur beef bones, halved lengthwise

(ask your butcher to do this for you)

2 cups (140g) coarse stale sourdough breadcrumbs

120g unsalted butter, chopped

4 cups (1L) good-quality beef stock

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

150g button mushrooms, quartered

1/ 2 cup (loosely packed) flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped

FRIED BONE MARROW

8 x 10cm (800g) centre-cut femur beef bones, halved lengthwise

(ask your butcher to do this for you)

1/ 2 cup (75g) cornflour

40g unsalted butter

Place both quantities of bones in separate large bowls, cover with cold salted water and leave for 24 hours, changing the salted water three times. Drain and remove the marrow from the bones (reserve bones for stock). Finely chop the smaller amount of marrow. Cut the larger amount into 1cm pieces. Set both aside.

Heat a deep saucepan over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and toss for 3-4 minutes until toasted. Set aside. Wipe the pan clean and return to medium heat. Add butter and finely chopped marrow and cook, stirring frequently, for 1-2 minutes until melted. Add toasted breadcrumbs, reduce heat to medium-low and cook, tossing frequently, for 2-3 minutes until golden.

Stir in 1/ 2 cup (125ml) stock and stir slowly for 15-20 minutes until stock is absorbed. Stir in another 1/ 2 cup stock and repeat 4-5 times with remaining stock until breadcrumbs are saturated (you may not need all the stock). Season to taste and keep warm.

For the fried bone marrow, place the marrow in a bowl with the cornflour and toss to combine. Melt the butter in a frypan over medium-high heat. Add the marrow mixture and cook, tossing frequently, for 2-3 minutes until golden. Transfer to paper towel, season to taste and set aside until ready to serve.

Heat oil in a medium frypan over high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, tossing occasionally, for 4-5 minutes until golden and cooked. Season to taste.

Divide soup among bowls and scatter with mushrooms, parsley and fried bone marrow. Serve immediately.