Easy leftover recipes to help clean out the fridge

It’s January, and if you’re like most rest of us, the household budget is suffering from post-holiday stress syndrome.

To make matters worse, the kitchen pantries and spice shelves are begging for a deep cleaning, and the refrigerator has accumulated so many bits and bobs that we can’t really find anything anymore, let alone identify it.

It’s a new year, time to launch a detox plan for the fridge that starts with using up the edible leftovers while getting rid of all those random, unidentified objects.

In the NYT Cooking newsletter, editor Sam Sifton suggests throwing a couple of tablespoons of butter into a pan, then combining jams from all the nearly-empty jars to make a delicious syrup for waffles or pancakes. (Just make sure you taste the syrup before serving it, so you can blend in another jam for balance, if needed.)

In his cookbook, “Cuisine Economique,” cooking teacher Jacques Pepin offers all kinds of ideas for making your food dollars go further by using humble ingredients and reusing all kinds of leftovers.

One of Pepin’s favorite childhood memories involves Fromage Fort, a cheese concoction he spread on a piece of country bread, then heated in the fire. This “strong cheese” is made from garlic, white wine and a mixture of all kinds of leftover cheeses pieces, such as brie, cheddar, Swiss, blue, goat and mozzarella.

“Uncontrived economy is standard practice in a good kitchen,” Pepin wrote in “Cuisine Economique” (William Morrow and Company Inc., 1992). “Like a well-choreographed ballet, there is a natural flow in this style of cooking, where no motion is wasted, no ingredient discarded.”

It’s a plan that most restaurant chefs know all too well, since they operate on some pretty narrow profit margins.

“Every chef has to be proficient at using up leftovers, or your very thin margins go away,” said Colleen McGlynn, who owns DaVero Farms & Winery with her husband, Ridgely Evers, and has worked in restaurant kitchens.

At home, McGlynn is a magician with culinary odds and ends, often taking a few vegetables, a bit of bacon and an egg and transforming them into a tasty pasta dish. Leftover beef, lamb or chicken morphs easily into soup or a tasty hash, and extra rice often invites an Asian stir-fry.

Jeffrey Madura, owner of Jeffrey’s Hillside Cafe in Santa Rosa, has also developed a few tricks for turning leftover proteins, vegetables and cheese into new-to-you dishes.

“My wife, Diana, doesn’t like leftovers, so I change it up on the second day,” he said. “I always have a plan for something.”

In his kitchen, leftover pork loin often gets repurposed into fried rice; steak and onions may resurface in a frittata; and leftover chicken gets chopped up and thrown into enchiladas, which also help clean out the cheese drawer.

Mark Dierkhising, owner of the Midtown Cafe and Parkside Cafe in Santa Rosa, likes to prep his leftovers before tucking them into the fridge for eventual resurrection as hash, a casserole or an open-faced sandwich.

“I will trim the meats a little bit, whereas I leave the vegetables whole because I’m not sure how they are going to fit into the dish,” he said. “That way, I find they store better, and smaller.”

At the Parkside Cafe, baker Kylie Minto has been experimenting with a savory Vegetable Bread Pudding made from the cafe’s array of day-old bread, along with whatever cooked vegetables the kitchen has not used up.

“The veggies really need to be chopped finely,” she said. “I use vegetable broth, eggs and cornstarch to keep it vegetarian and keep the butter down, and then I use baking powder as a leavening agent (instead of cream) ... so it puffs up a little more.”

Lia Huber of Healdsburg, the creative force behind the online meal planning program Cook the Seasons, has perfected a potato cake recipe that uses up extra mashed potatoes or a root vegetable mash. They are nicely bound together by a bit of cheese and an egg.

“I love them topped with sautéed spinach and a fried egg,” she said.

As an economical and easy way to use up leftover protein and vegetables, cooking instructor Mei Ibach of Homeward Bound of Marin in San Rafael favors a hearty Asian dish, Sweet Potato Congee, also known as “jook.”

“This is my go-to, under-the-weather comfort soup that helps warm up the winter chill,” she said. “It’s eaten for breakfast, lunch and as a late-night snack in many parts of Asia.”

The following recipe is from Chef Mei Ibach of Homeward Bound of Marin.

Sweet Potato Congee with Leftovers

Makes 4 servings

For congee:

1/2 cup white rice (preferably jasmine), long or medium grain

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

4 ups chicken or vegetable stock (preferably homemade)

2 medium sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and cut into large chunks

- Salt and white pepper to taste

2 tablespoons fried shallots (see recipe below)

1 ounce fresh ginger, peeled, julienned or thinly cut

1/4 cup coarsely chopped green onion

- Toasted sesame oil and sesame seeds, for garnish

For leftovers:

1 cup cooked chicken, pork, beef, or fish pieces, shredded or cut into small pieces

- Cooked green cabbage, bok choy, spinach, kale, mushrooms, carrots or cauliflower, cut into medium slices

Wash the rice in several changes of cold water. Using a medium saucepan, soak the rice overnight at room temperature with 3 cups of cold water and the vegetable oil. (Strain and reserve the liquid).

Add the chicken or vegetable broth to the rice and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 1 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender and mushy. Add the sweet potato or yam to the congee and cook for 20 minutes or until tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To serve: Warm up the leftover meat and/or vegetables. Ladle the congee into small bowls, divide the protein and/or vegetables into each bowl, garnish with the fried shallot, ginger andn green onion. Sprinkle with a few drops of sesame oil and sesame seeds and serve.

For fried shallots: Preheat 1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat, add the shallot and stir constantly to pan-fry the shallot until crispy.

Chef’s tip: You can also serve condiments such as roasted peanuts, kimchi, fresh edamame or dried seaweed.

The following recipe is from Lia Huber of Cook the Seasons, an online meal planning program

She likes to serve these cakes with some sautéed spinach and a fried egg on top.

Crispy Mashed Potato Cakes

Makes 4 servings

2 cups leftover mashed potatoes

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 egg

1/4 cup scallions

1 1/2 ounces gruyere cheese, grated (or a hard, aged Gouda)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Stir together the mashed potatoes, flour, egg, scallions and cheese until well mixed.

Heat the oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Use a measuring cup sprayed wthi cooking spray to spoon a slightly heaping 1/4 cup potato mixture around the pan (allow space between them for air to circulate - you may have to cook in batches.) Flatten gently with the back of the measuring cup.

Cook for 5-6 minutes, until bottom is crispy and browned when you peek, and then carefully flip each one. Continue to cook for 5-7 minutes on the second side. Remove from skillet and arrange on a platter or plates.

This recipe is from Kylie Minto, baker with Dierk’s Parkside Cafe in Santa Rosa, coming to the menu soon. She likes to refrigerate the pudding overnight, or for a few hours, before baking.

Savory Bread Pudding

Serves 4 to 6

3 cups vegetable stock (preferably homemade)

7 eggs

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 cup leftover roasted or cooked veggies chopped finely

16 ounces leftover bread, any variety, medium to small dice (4 to 6 cups)

Preheat oven to 325. Put the diced bread in a 300 degree oven until just toasted. It should be just golden but give way to the touch. Let cool.

Mix eggs, cornstarch, baking powder, salt and pepper to taste. Add stock and mix until smooth.

In a well-buttered or sprayed pan (either a loaf pan or a casserole dish) layer the bread with the cooked vegetables and then poor the egg mixture over. For best flavor and results, refrigerate overnight before baking or let chill for at least two hours.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes, checking with a toothpick to see if it is done. If not, continue to bake until toothpick comes out clean. Take off foil and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes until top is golden brown.

If desired, cut slices of the bread pudding, throw on a griddle to toast up in butter or oil before serving. Serve with eggs or gravy and meat.

The following recipes is from Jeffrey Madura of Jeffrey’s Hillside Café in Santa Rosa. “This recipe uses leftover chicken from the previous night’s dinner,” he said. “It is also good for using up leftover pieces of cheese and the last of the sour cream container ... Don’t be afraid of using different cheeses.”

If you don’t want to make the salsa verde, buy a 28-ounce can of salsa verde and just add the sour cream and onion.

Chicken Enchiladas ?with Salsa Verde

Makes 4-6 servings

For salsa verde:

1 pound fresh tomatillos, husked and rinsed

1 small yellow onion, peeled and chopped

2 jalapeño chiles, stemmed, chopped, seeds removed

1 clove, peeled and chopped

1 bunch fresh cilantro (with stems), roughly chopped

½ cup sour cream

- Kosher or sea salt (to taste)

- A few grinds of white pepper

For enchiladas:

1¼ pounds roasted chicken (yours or store-bought)

1 cup shredded or diced leftover cheeses

½ cup canola or grapeseed oil

12 organic yellow corn tortillas from La Tortilla Factory

½ cup sour cream

For salsa verde: Combine tomatillos, onion, garlic, jalapeños and cilantro in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth, adding water as needed to thin it out a bit. Season with salt, to taste. Heat the salsa verde to warm and then add the sour cream.

For enchiladas: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Shred the chicken meat and add the cup of cheese and ½ cup of the salsa verde. Mix well.

Heat the oil over medium heat in a medium-sized sauté pan until the oil begins to sizzle. Individually heat each tortilla for about 10 seconds on each side until they are soft and lightly browned. Remove each tortilla onto a rack over a baking sheet.

To assemble the enchiladas: Use a ladle to place about ½ cup of the salsa verde in the bottom of a 9x13 inch glass baking pan. Fill each tortilla with a few tablespoons of the chicken & cheese mixture, roll it and place it seam-side down in the pan. Repeat this step with each filled tortilla, placing them up against each other the length of the pan. Ladle the rest of the salsa verde over the top of the rolled tortillas and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Place the pan in a preheated 375 degree oven and bake until the sauce bubbles and the cheese is melted, about 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and top with dollops of sour cream. Serve immediately.

The following recipe is from Jacques Pépin’s “Cuisine Economique” (William Morrow and Company Inc., 1992). “Fromage Fort is best eaten on bread or toast,” he writes. “Refrigerated, this original and economical cheese combination will keep for a week or two.”

Fromage Fort

Makes 2 cups

3-4 garlic cloves, peeled

1 pound leftover cheese, a combination of as many hard and soft varieties as you like, pieces trimmed to remove surface dryness and mold

1/2 cup dry white wine, leek broth, vegetable broth, or a mixture of these

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

- Salt, if needed

Place the peeled garlic in the bowl of a food processor and process for a few seconds, until coarsely chopped. Add the cheese, white wine and/or broth, pepper and salt, if needed, and process for 30 to 45 seconds, until the mixture is soft and creamy but not too smooth. Place in a crock, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use.

To serve, spread generously on bread or toast and eat cold; or arrange on a tray and place under a hot broiler for a few minutes to melt the cheese before serving.

Staff writer Diane Peterson can be reached at 521-5287 or diane.peterson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @dianepete56.