Kitchen Philosophy

Scraps Worth Saving 

This blog is a collection of scraps…food ideas, food that I have made and want to make again. Somethings have been borrowed, somethings stollen and somethings are my own creations. I have tried to cite the source when known. I thought it was a good idea to organize these stray scraps for myself so that I could revisit them, but I also thought others might like to share in the crazy way I view food and cooking.

The world is complicated and we are all many things. I am the mother to Bill and Erin. I feel so blessed to have fed them in my kitchen. I am a daughter, a wife to Ron, a gardener, a singer and kitchen dancer. I am Doctor-Mrs. Stuewe. I may even be a kitchen philosopher.

I spent most of my professional life as a teacher-learner. I view recipes as learning tools and there is more than one way to be right. I don’t think there is such a thing as a perfect recipe. That is, no recipe is above tweaking and adapting to your preference, your mood, needs and what you have in the fridge. I hope you take my ideas and make them your own. Because following a good recipe could potentially lead to great joy. But, don’t just follow rules for rules sake. You can look at recipes as guides to direct your actions. To execute a recipe, you must first use your head and think while you go. Be responsive to your situation, cook with your eyes, and cook with your nose, and cook with your heart.

Things like altitude and humidity are not often talked about in recipes and can impact cooking time and your results. Oven temperatures can also vary widely and don’t forget your mood. Be responsive to you. To follow a recipe without mindfulness may lead you to disaster. Sadly, I have learned that not every mistake is a learning opportunity but most are. I also know there is no substitution for experience, so you really just need to give it a go.

I have always had a close relationship with food. I grew up in a home where a garden was created to grow food. My father grew the basics; tomatoes, peas, lettuce, beans and more. My mother lovingly prepared it for us to eat. When I wanted a snack, I went outside. That is where I learned to eat tomatoes like apples. I now grow food so I can cook it. I cook food so I can eat it. I save seeds from the food I eat so I can grow more food. The circle of life. I believe that preparing good food, as with creating a good life is a dance, an interpretive dance and it is fun. It is a process to be enjoyed and negotiated every day. 

Here is a list of guidelines for that dance in no particular order:

Shop in your garden. Put your hands in the dirt. Learn to grow food you like and learn to cook it. Respect food. Don’t be wasteful; save those scraps, don’t throw that out, be willing to use what you have instead of what you don’t.  Start where you are. It’s a good place. Buy less and Shop from your pantry, you bought it for a reason so use it. Feed yourself. Make a mess. Clean it up. Wash your hands, Slow down, eat outside, eat with friends. Don’t be afraid. Play with your food, be nice and have fun doing it!

Most importantly, Reuse what you can. I like to reuse wide mouth glass jars to store food in especially the cute jars. Use cloth instead of paper when possible. One thing that I cherish in my kitchen is all of my colourful cotton napkins. For most of my adult life I have been concerned with creating a low waste household. I think it is the voices of my poor farmer ancestors deep in my bones. Reusing food leftovers can be an opportunity for renewal. Learn how to make vessels for them to travel in. Here is a list of a few dishes that feature what is leftover.

• Soup
• Baked Pasta
• Risotto
• Stir-fry
•  Frittata
• Bread Pudding
• Stuffed Winter Squash/Peppers
• Nachos
• Poutine
• Stuffed Crepes
• Mashed Potato waffles

A Scrap Pile List:

How much food we waste is a crying shame and completely unnecessary. It’s nice that we can throw scraps in the compost but you can turn your peels, rinds and stems into delicious food. You can learn to think of scraps as ingredients to build on. Here is a list of ideas.

·       Carrot peals, Onion ends, Leek greens, mushroom stems, Herb stocks and Celery end up in a freezer bag for use in stocks

·       Turn Carrot tops, well any green into pesto

·       Use Pickle brine in salad dressings, potato salad and cocktails

·       Turn scraps into salts or sugars, in a 200°F oven to dry over 2-3 hours. Tomato skins for a savory salt. Pear, plum, lemon, orange peels, or vanilla bean skin into flavourful sugars

·       Save Chicken, Turkey, lamb and Beef bones for bone broth

·       Store Bacon and Duck fat in the fridge or freezer to cook with or on roast potatoes

·       Keep Parmesan rinds in the freezer to use in tomato sauce or grind them to make Fromage Fort

Stale Bread can also be used to make bread pudding, croutons, bread crumbs

So tell me, what scraps do you save?