QT Recipe ideas

By Emily Byrne

At QT we’re a ‘waste not want not’ kind of place, which means we’re always looking for new and exciting ways to use the off cuts, leftovers and extras in the kitchen. Using up leftovers is not only great for the environment because it reduces waste, but it also means that we’re constantly challenging and bettering ourselves! This month we share with you our top tips for using up leftovers at home:

• Process dry or stale bread in the blender to make-your-own breadcrumbs. If you want to be really fancy, add some fresh herbs or grated parmesan cheese, which will make a delicious crumb for your schnitzel!
• Use leftover chicken skin, bones, carcasses and trimmed meat to make homemade chicken stock. Throw your offcuts into a pot with boiling water, salt and pepper, carrots, celery, onions and herbs to your taste and let it boil away for at least 4 hours. Be sure to skim the foam off the top of the liquid a frequently as needed, and strain before storing in the freezer.
• Get your bake on! We all know Banana cake and bread is the BEST when using overripe bananas, but strawberries and stone fruits are great in breads too and don’t have to be pitch perfect when used.
• You can make delicious dips or stir-through pasta sauces using the odd-bod bits of vegetables left in your crisper draw. That half capsicum, slightly wrinkly zucchini, lonely carrot, Spanish onion, random four mushrooms and leftover herbs can be roughly chopped, slow roasted in the oven with a splash of olive oil, and then blitzed in the food processor until a smooth consistency is achieved.
• More fresh herbs than you know what to do with? Finely chop before they turn, seal in an airtight bag and freeze until you’re ready to use in a soup, stew or marinade.
• Trusty old Bubble & Squeak is the perfect Monday night meal. Simply combine your left over veggies, fry off in a pan with butter until a golden crispy skin develops. Yum!
• When it comes to leftovers, a bit of common sense will always prevail! Whilst the freezer is your best friend when it comes to leftovers there are some things that you can only take so far. Start up a home compost system and fertilize your garden using your inedible scraps and unwanted food, and write the date on the leftovers stored in your fridge or freezer to help you keep track of what’s what and where it came from.