Cooking with scraps–food you’d normally pitch because it’s overripe, not ideal or just ugly–is a great way to conserve food. And while our grandparents and professional chefs might be thrifty food connoisseurs, it’s a novel concept for many of us. Some people learned how to do it for the first time in 2020 when pandemic food shortages forced people to stretch their food supplies. It’s even in vogue as more influencers are embracing thrifty cooking.
Learn to love those brown bananas and other produce misfits
It’s human nature to pass up the browning bananas and pitch the bruised pears. Studies show that people do judge fruit by its peel. A recent study from the University of Copenhagen, in the Journal of Food Quality and Preference, found that food survey respondents ranked images of misshapen apples with deformities in the lowest group of desirable food. Taste tests proved out their beliefs, the researchers said, showing the strong connection between psychology and people’s attitudes toward food.
Joel Gamoran’s “Cooking Scrappy” shows you how to stop wasting food without sacrificing flavor.
Joel Gamoran is one chef who’s made a career out of Cooking with Scraps. His Book, “Cooking Scrappy: 100 Recipes to Help You Stop Wasting Food, Save Money, and Love What You Eat,” shows people ways to use things that nearly always end up in the compost bin or trash can. Strawberry tops infuse fruity-flavored water. A pineapple core becomes the center of a pineapple cocktail drink and leafy carrot tops make for a tasty salad. His blog has fun musings, such as, “Can a Floppy Carrot Be Sexy?” along with a recipe that turns sad and forgotten carrots from the bottom of the produce drawer into a tasty, sautéed side dish.
Here’s a few tips on how to keep a few of our favorite fruits and vegetables fresh longer, along with ideas on what to do with the “scraps.”
The more ripe the banana, the sweeter it is! Peel and freeze till you’re ready to use and you’ll be so glad you did.
Bananas
How to store:
When you bring bananas home from the store, keep them at room temperature on your counter. Do not refrigerate them; the fastest way to see a banana turn brown is a cold refrigerator shelf. Once it starts to brown, feel free to put it in the refrigerator to slow the ripening process. And yes, if you have a constant flow of bananas in the house, banana hangers can help slow down the ripening process. Nothing fancy or expensive is required.
How to cook with the scraps:
If you can’t eat or use your bananas immediately, peel them and store in the freezer until you can.
- Smoothies: Add frozen chunks to smoothies and shakes. The riper the banana the better. Add to a smoothie with almond milk and some almond butter and a dash of nutmeg.
- Banana bread. Here’s a recipe for Protein Banana Bread.
- Pancakes, muffins and other baked goods: mash a banana into the batter as a substitute for some of the oil or butter in the recipe.
- Banana “Nice Cream” : is a dairy free dessert: basically blend frozen bananas in the food processor with a variety of ingredients ranging from chocolate and raspberries to coca, peanut butter and chocolate chips.
Banana smoothies are among the top use for overripe bananas. In fact, making a smoothie with an under-ripe banana won’t have half the sweetness or flavor.
Beets
Don’t throw out the greens or stems! If you’re a beet lover, you’ll love the entire beet, from the beetroot to the stems and leaves, which are packed with nutrition and have a subtle sweet flavor. Did you know one cup of beet greens contains 48% of your daily recommended intake for vitamin A and 19% of Vitamin C? It also contains Vitamin K and lots minerals, fiber, antioxidants. I’ve literally stopped people at the farmer’s market who were about to discard the greens on the spot. Fun fact: Historically people ate the greens more than the actual beetroot.
How to store:
Store beets unwashed in the produce drawer.
How to cook with the scraps:
Chop beet stems and pickle them or sauté with olive oil, garlic and herbs. Toss beet greens into a salad or blend into smoothie. Substitute beet greens into any recipe that calls for kale, such as soup, quiche or sauces. Spray beet greens with olive oil and bake or air fry them for crispy chips.
Asparagus
Store asparagus in the refrigerator in a glass of water till you’re ready to use it.
How to store:
Keep asparagus wrapped in a damp paper towel in the produce drawer, no more than three days. Another option is to store it upright in a glass of water in the refrigerator.
How to cook with the scraps:
Snap off the woody ends of asparagus and discard into the garbage or compost. Another idea: Take those ends, roughly chop them and cook them in salted water till tender. Remove with a slotted spoon to a food processor and stir into soup, sauces, risottos. Toss in a freezer bag, along with onion peels, carrot tops and wilted celery stalks for future vegetables stocks. Also, if you’re one of those who just likes to eat the very tip of each asparagus spear like my daughter, strive to eat MORE of each spear, by peeling away the tough skin from the bottom.
Here’s a recipe that uses almost the entire asparagus spear to gives the risotto a flavor boost, with extra nutrition.
Asparagus Barley Risotto with Walnuts
Adapted from Gourmet 2007
This risotto packs more fiber and flavor, with pearl barley vs. rice, and pureed asparagus stems vs. canned vegetable stock
Chop asparagus stalk into 1/2-inch-thick slices, set aside the tips and slices. Take the bottom ends and coarsely chop. Bring 5 cups, salted water to a boil in a large saucepan, then add chopped asparagus and cook, uncovered, until very tender, 6 to 7 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a food processor.
Toss the tips and mid-sections into the same pot of water, and boil until tender 2-3 minutes. Save the cooking water. Pop pieces into a strainer and rinse under cold water.
Take the leftover cooking water and measure it so that you have at least 4 cups, adding more if necessary. Set aside.
Cook onion with pepper and dash of salt in oil in a 4- to 5-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Toss in the barley. Cook, for 1 minute, stirring.
Stir in wine and boil, stirring, until liquid is absorbed, about 1 minute.
Add the asparagus-cooking liquid and boil, covered, then 4 cups reserved asparagus-cooking liquid and bring to a boil, covered, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until barley is tender (it should be chewy) and mixture is thickened to a stew-like consistency, 35 to 40 minutes.
While the asparagus is cooking, finely mince garlic, mixing in 1/4 teaspoon salt. Scrape it into the asparagus in the food processor along with zest. Purée the garlic-asparagus mixture until smooth. As soon as the barley is tender, stir in asparagus purée, asparagus-tip mixture, and enough additional water to thin to desired consistency and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until hot, about 1 minute.
Stir in cheese, then season with salt and pepper. Top with chopped nuts and additional cheese on the side.
Ingredients
Directions
Chop asparagus stalk into 1/2-inch-thick slices, set aside the tips and slices. Take the bottom ends and coarsely chop. Bring 5 cups, salted water to a boil in a large saucepan, then add chopped asparagus and cook, uncovered, until very tender, 6 to 7 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a food processor.
Toss the tips and mid-sections into the same pot of water, and boil until tender 2-3 minutes. Save the cooking water. Pop pieces into a strainer and rinse under cold water.
Take the leftover cooking water and measure it so that you have at least 4 cups, adding more if necessary. Set aside.
Cook onion with pepper and dash of salt in oil in a 4- to 5-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Toss in the barley. Cook, for 1 minute, stirring.
Stir in wine and boil, stirring, until liquid is absorbed, about 1 minute.
Add the asparagus-cooking liquid and boil, covered, then 4 cups reserved asparagus-cooking liquid and bring to a boil, covered, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until barley is tender (it should be chewy) and mixture is thickened to a stew-like consistency, 35 to 40 minutes.
While the asparagus is cooking, finely mince garlic, mixing in 1/4 teaspoon salt. Scrape it into the asparagus in the food processor along with zest. Purée the garlic-asparagus mixture until smooth. As soon as the barley is tender, stir in asparagus purée, asparagus-tip mixture, and enough additional water to thin to desired consistency and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until hot, about 1 minute.
Stir in cheese, then season with salt and pepper. Top with chopped nuts and additional cheese on the side.
If you’re looking for more ways to incorporate leftovers. here’s a story with Holiday Leftover recipes. However you decide to cook up your food scraps, enjoy them, and appreciate that you’re wasting less without sacrificing flavor.
–Patty Yeager
