I got home from work last evening to the smell of cooking bell peppers. Neither Mr Minx nor I particularly like bell peppers, as they tend to overwhelm just about anything they are cooked with. But they are an integral part of both sausage and peppers and gumbo, so we do allow them in the house from time to time.
"What are we having for dinner tonight?" I asked, as Mr Minx helped me off with my coat. His hands smelled of fresh cilantro.
"Mexican Vomit Soup," he replied. To my look of horror, he added, "I tasted it; it's pretty good."
I went to the kitchen and tentatively opened the lid to the soup pot. Peering in, I saw a pale orange substance, chunky and opaque, and understood Mr Minx's name for the dish. But it smelled pleasantly of cumin and cilantro, and I was hungry, so sat at table with my spoon ready.
The soup was rich and flavorful. There were large chunks of tomato and celery, corn kernels, and bits of pork.
"Did you use the rest of the pork tenderloin in this?"
"Yes. And the leftover pasta sauce." Mr Minx had made sauce last week, using both sundried tomato chicken sausage and meatballs.
The flavor of the soup was not unlike tortilla soup. It was delicious, and I devoured it with gusto, pleased that there was enough left over that I could take some for lunch during the week.
"Bet you didn't notice I put the leftover polenta in it," Mr Minx said later. A-ha! No wonder there wasn't the usual rice/pasta/potato starch addition.
What a great way to use up leftovers - make soup! Mr Minx has done this before, creating a very flavorful dish out of a combination of weird leftovers. He has a knack for it, you might say, whereas I am a little afraid of turning out something nightmarish.
What's the weirdest concoction you've ever created with leftovers?
ETA: Based on Amy's comment...I'd like to change my question to "what's the weirdest EDIBLE* concoction you've ever created with leftovers?"
*meaning it tastes like food and not garbage.
2 comments:
Want me to ask Brad this question? He could most likely make your stomach turn! Want some of his sweetbreads and beans mixed with something else? Nah, didn't think so...
The key to mixing vegetables is to have plenty of different spices in your spice rack. It's surprising how you can take leftovers that started out as Italian, Chinese, Indian, etc., and then push them in a specific direction (Southwestern for example) just by using seasonings that reflect that style of cooking (cumin, cayanne, ancho chilis, etc.). I love messing around with leftovers.
Post a Comment