If there’s something Italians will not renounce, not even this year, that is a table full of delicious meals prepared on the occasion of feast days. According to the surveys conducted by Coldiretti (the Italian association of farmers), Italians spend a lot of money on food and beverage to serve at Christmas. And yet those delicious meals risk to be a lot and not to be consumed, turning into holiday leftovers.
What can we do to contain that phenomenon which is a thread for our wallet as well as for the planet? We can recycle. Holiday leftovers should not risk being thrown in the bin since they can be reused to create delicious dishes. That’s why we suggest you 5 no-waste recipes to make the best use of your leftovers.
Fish, the Protagonist of Christmas Eve
In most of the houses of the Italians, fish is often the undisputed protagonist during the Christmas Eve dinner.
However, how to recycle giltheads, sea bass, or slices of salmon? You’ll just have to put together your fish leftovers with some fresh cherry tomatoes to obtain an excellent sauce for a delicious first course. Otherwise, fish leftovers such as the head are perfect to flavor the broth for risotto.
Meat Leftovers Turn Into Delicious Tortellini
Meat is suitable for many recipes. One of them is for those who want to test themselves with the difficult preparation of filled pasta. A leftover roast can turn into the filling of tortellini or ravioli. You’ll just have to finely chop the meat and add it to cold cuts, eggs, cheese, and herbs.
Peels of Potatoes become a Tasty Side Dish
Peels of potatoes end up almost always in organic waste. Nevertheless, this product is not only rich in nutrients but it is also ideal for a tasty side dish to serve with fish or meat second courses. It will be sufficient to add to the peels a few tablespoons of olive oil, salt, pepper and cook them in the oven until they are crunchy. Both the adults and the children will love them!
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- photo by Polina Tankilevitch via Pexels
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- Photo by Alesia Kozik via Pexels
A New Life to Vegetables
Vegetables like zucchini, carrots or spinach are often brought to the table to offer your guests a healthy and simple alternative. However, they risk very often to be left aside for dishes far more elaborate like lasagna, tortellini or polpettoni.
The easiest and quickest way to reuse them could be to prepare some hummus to spread on toasted bread or savory croissants. You will create fragrant appetizers simply by blending vegetables with a drizzle of olive oil and the spices you prefer.
And finally..
An Elegant Dessert with Panettone or Pandoro Leftovers
During Christmas dinners, Italians do look forward to opening their panettone or pandoro and to uncork the bottle of spumante. However, most of the time, they are already full and don’t even try a slice.
How to reuse Panettone or Pandoro and give them a different guise? You can prepare elegant single portions by alternating a slice of pandoro or panettone and a layer of mascarpone cream or chocolate mousse. Do not forget to savor and wet the slices with liquor or an orange or coffee syrup.
Thanks to your dedication and to our advice you will be able to create delicious dishes and at the same time to save large amounts of food from the bin. Let us know the recipe you will choose to reuse your holiday leftovers!
Featured image via Canva
