Sunday, January 28, 2018

Three ways to use up a shit-ton of leftover beef stew broth

Once I made a beef stew and we ate all the big stuff out of it. I still had 32 oz of beef stew broth that was so rich and delicious that I couldn't bear to coat the inside of the drain pipes with it.

I got at least three more meals out of that stuff:

1. Beef gravy over egg pasta - Beef up that gravy (no pun intended) with some sauteed onions, diced carrots and peas. You don't need a lot.
2. Beef gravy over mashed potatoes - Beef up that gravy with some sauteed onions, mushrooms, and peas.
3. Beef stroganoff

Here's how to get something for free at the farmer's market after you just spent $13 on a cauliflower

Go to the stand that's selling beets. Ask if they sell just the beet greens. Most stands will point you to a box of discarded beet greens, carrot tops, radish greens, turnip greens and other perfectly edible, perfectly delicious vegetable parts. They will usually tell you they give these delicious morsels to people who take them home to feed their chickens.

Don't feed beet greens to your chickens!

Ask if you can have some, and they will let you take as much as you want for free. Obviously, pick the best looking leaves.

Take those things home, give them a good wash since they were just in the chicken feed box, remove the tough ribs (if you want), chop 'em up and throw them in a sautee pan with some garlic, olive oil and salt. If you like extra fiber you can keep the ribs and chop them into small pieces. Start cooking them first as they take a bit longer than the leaves.

Serve alongside your $13 cauliflower.

Addendum: Carrot tops and radish greens are also edible. Carrot tops make a nice pesto (parsley, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil; you can also add some basil if you want a more traditional-tasting pesto).