9 your fridge Recipes

rotini pasta (but any kind will do), red bell pepper, diced, onion, diced, grated parmesan cheese, sliced green olives, marinated mushrooms (whatever you have leftover in your fridge) or 1/2 cup marinated artichokes (whatever you have leftover in your fridge) or 1/2 cup marinated roasted red peppers (whatever you have leftover in your fridge), olive oil, tomato, diced, hard salami, diced, sun-dried tomato dressing or 1 tbsp italian dressing or 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper

marinara sauce or your favorite spaghetti sauce, garbanzo beans, drained, rinsed, more of cooked chicken , beef, turkey or any leftover meat you have available in the fridge. *you can add 2 cups of frozen meatballs after the soup comes up to a boil., chopped celery cut into large chunks (1 inch), onion cut into large chunks, dry pasta of your choice. (macaroni noodles , broken pieces of spaghetti, small round noodles, flat noodles, etc.), oregano, tb chopped, dried or dehydrated garlic, boiled water, i like to add whole leaf spinach to the soup. i use 1/2 cup of frozen spinach or a big handful of fresh spinach right before serving., this soup is great served with hot crusty rolls or breadsticks. you can sprinkle the top with either freshly shredded or dried parmesan cheese. you can also top with croutons. you can take any leftover pizza, heat it up and cut small pieces of this to add to the top of the soup before serving. its a good way to use up leftovers

days before making , begin drying out your bread. if in a pinch, place bread slices on a plate and use your fridge or oven to help dry out., crisco (or margarine ), onions, chopped, celery, finely chopped, bread, cut into 1/4 inch cubes (you can use whatever bread you like. i use half white, half wheat.), salt, pepper, dried sage, parsley, chopped, eggs, beaten, milk

ground chuck, browned and drained, worcestershire sauce, beef gravy (savory from 12 oz jar), canned mixed vegetables, drained or 1 -2 cup leftover vegetables, from your fridge, simply potatoes traditional mashed potatoes

spaghetti noodles (1/2 box or so, adjust amount to taste or need), cream of chicken soup, mushroom stems and pieces, drained (optional), shredded cheese, of your choice (i usually use low-fat mozzarella ), garlic pepper seasoning , to taste, paprika , to taste, leftover cooked broccoli (etc., optional ) (optional) or onions (etc., optional) (optional) or bell peppers (etc., optional) (optional) or diced cooked chicken (etc.) (optional)

risotto with sausage and cranberry beans, make risotto , you absolutely must use a specific type of rice called arborio rice (carnaroli and vialone nano are also used, some say superior, but are more difficult to find). these types of rice release starch when stirred in a liquid; it is this process which makes risotto, otherwise you just have a starchy mess of mush. these types of rice are identified by their fat round grains and pearly appearance. they can be used to make other sorts of rice dishes, such as pilaf, but other types of rice cannot be used for risotto. arborio is no longer that much of a specialty product; it can be found in most large, well-stocked grocery stores in the italian section. or sometimes, misguidedly, in the asian section., okay , so now we have the rice. you will also need some good, low-salt stock or broth - it should be low-salt not for health reasons, but because a good deal of it will evaporate, leaving its salt behind, and i like to have more control over the salt in a dish. it can be homemade, but i m not going to be a snob about it because, in truth, we go through gallons of store-bought stock in this household and i don tsp see that changing anytime soon. furthermore, risotto is actually a dish which can be whipped up out of thin air when it seems as though you have nothing to eat, as long as you have butter, rice, stock, maybe a few herbs, and some leftover parmesan. i like the kind of stock purchased in tetrapak cartons, because they are resealable and can be put in the fridge and used as needed. if you really want to use homemade but you don tsp have time to make stock or don tsp like the aroma of roasting bones in your house (i don tsp blame you), you can buy really great stock at north market poultry and game - it is expensive, but can be diluted with a 2- or 3-to-1 ratio of water to stock, so it stretches. my general guideline is to plan on 1/4 cup dry rice per person, and about 4 cups of stock to 1 cup of rice. of course, this isn tsp exact and will vary depending on your elevation and the phases of the moon, but it s a good place to start. i usually just use 4 cups of stock and then dilute with water or wine (or sometimes beer, if that s all i have) if i feel i m going to run out., well, we have rice and stock covered, now we just need our setup: place the stock in a saucepan on your rear burner, bring to a simmer, and leave it there with a 6-8 oz ladle in, and place a large, wide saute pan (must be really large, plan that your rice will at least quadruple in size) or dutch oven on the burner in front. get out your favorite wooden spoon and flex your stirring arm., nice thing about using sausage is it s so full of flavor you can leave out the usual onion/garlic/shallot/celery nonsense if you re tired and don tsp feel like chopping. furthermore, sausage goes from the freezer to the pan without suffering too much. okay, let s go, risotto with sausage and cranberry beans - serves 4, links italian sausage , or 1 lb bulk (or hot, or a combination - definitely with some fennel), casings removed, cooked cranberry beans or 1 can white beans, drained, arborio rice, beef , chicken or vegetable stock, butter, freshly, finely grated parmesan cheese , plus more for garnish, an oz) flat-leaf parsley, chopped finely, lemon juice , or juice from 1/2 lemon, salt and black pepper to taste, red pepper flakes to taste, optional, good balsamic vinegar , optional

potatoes, chopped bacon , sausage, beef, pork (use what s leftover, in the fridge), onion , chopped rough, butter, for frying (be generous!), egg , per person fried as per your liking, chopped fresh parsley