Waste not, want not

Our Eco Living Editor, Ellen Tout, introduces her book, The Complete Book Of Vegan Compleating, and explains how we can tackle the climate crisis with inventive cooking

While 81 per cent of people are concerned about the climate crisis, only 32 per cent are aware of the damaging role played by food waste.* Many more of us are trying to do our bit to make a difference and, as someone who loves to cook, my kitchen has been at the heart of changes that I have made.

My fascination with compleating – eating all edible parts of fruits, vegetables and herbs – began one Halloween. While carving a pumpkin, I looked at the waste and felt inspired to do things differently. So began an afternoon of experimentation, and a new tradition. From one pumpkin, I made soup, curry, pie and biscuits. I looked at the mass of seeds and peelings and wondered whether we could eat those too… In minutes, we were munching smoky, roasted pumpkin crisps and seeds – with nothing going to waste.

I continued to dabble and realised that most fruit and vegetables can be compleated. Rethinking the way I cook has made reducing waste fun and creative, as well as providing nutritious and delicious meals and saving money. What can you do with leftover vegetable peelings? Do you have to trim the top and root from a leek? Why don’t we use the whole chilli or ginger root? Are banana peels really inedible? Why do we hardly ever see, let alone eat, the beautiful leafy tops of root vegetables? Outdated ‘rules’ encourage us to waste so many parts, but we don’t have to!

Nature’s whole bounty

Not so long ago, people would have instinctively cooked with entire ingredients. Offcuts might have been simmered in stock, leftover lemon skins used for cleaning and peelings blended into soup. In our fast-paced world, we are less connected with our food’s journey, and waste often feels unavoidable. Compleating is an easy way to change that – and introduce more colour and goodness into our diet. Keen to learn more, I trawled the internet for a book about compleating. I found hundreds that included tips for cooking with leftover or offcut meat or dairy but not a single book dedicated to waste-free, plant-based eating. That sparked the seed of an idea that continued to grow. As author Toni Morrison said, ‘If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.’ Over the past two years, I have researched, tested and tasted my way through every fruit, vegetable and herb, and I am proud to share my book on compleating with you.

‘root to shoot’ recipes and begin your journey to compleation!

Make your own cider vinegar from leftover peels and cores. Place in a jar with 1 tablespoon of sugar and enough water to cover. Stir well and cover with a piece of muslin secured with a rubber band. Leave for 1 month, stirring often. Strain out and compost the fruit. Cover and leave for another month, until vinegary.

Most vegetable peels, offcuts and ends are ideal for making homemade, waste-free stock. Place in a large saucepan, cover with water, add a little salt and simmer for 40 minutes. Strain and compost the vegetables and decant the stock into bottles. Try making this with a handful of asparagus ends – the perfect stock for making risotto. Or use the cobs and husks from corn on the cob to create a tasty stock for a chowder.

Pour 250ml olive oil into a saucepan. Add the leftover peels of three lemons. Simmer on a low heat for 15 minutes and strain into a glass bottle.

In a food processor, blitz 70g carrot tops with 10g fresh basil, 1 chopped garlic clove (add the skin too), 3 tablespoons chopped walnuts, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast, ¼ teaspoon salt, 3 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon water. Blend well.

Aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas) gives mousse a light and fluffy finish. Melt 100g chocolate and set aside to cool. Meanwhile, in a bowl, use an electric whisk to whip 100ml aquafaba. Whisk for 10 minutes until stiff peaks form. The change really is amazing! Fold in the cooled, melted chocolate to combine. Taste the mousse and add sweetener, such as agave or maple syrup, to taste. Decant into ramekins and chill for a few hours before serving.

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Ellen’s book ‘The Complete Book Of Vegan Compleating’

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