My mother, and my grandmother, too, always planned the week end meals so that there would be enough for dinner on Monday and Tuesday. And often we enjoyed the leftover dishes more than we did the original pot-au-feu or braised veal! Of course, in France every mother's daughter was taught how to turn yesterday's meat or chicken into a succulent meal, for no true Frenchwoman would countenance the sort of waste so common in American kitchens.
Maman had an old-fashioned clay baking dish, round and shallow and yel-low-brown in color, that she liked to use for leftover dishes. In it she used to make a wonderful hachis bourbannaise, crusty on the bottom and well browned on top, or a veal pie, juicy and savory under a flaky golden crust, or sliced meat smothered in a piquant sauce. Maman never dreamed, as I watched her work and asked a small boy's questions. that years later these same dishes would be prepared in the great kitchens of the old Ritz-Carlton.
You may wonder that the chef of a luxury hotel should concern himself with the problems of kitchen waste and leftovers, but he must, in lush periods as well as in lean. There are opulent times when it would seem that the chef need never give a thought to food costs or labor casts, but they come less frequently and never last as long as the times when food prices go up and labor is hard to come by and high in price. A reputable restaurant never allows the quality of the food it serves to be impaired, even when costs mount and circumstances permit no increase, or very little, in the prices on the menu. So the chef must do two things: He has to watch the market carefully and buy as prudently as possible, and he must check his kitchen staff all along the line so that none of the precious food is wasted.
Two wars and the restrictions they made necessary, the terrible depression years, the era when more guests faded from sight with every drop in the stock market, and the problems of the postwar years—during all these difficult times the standards of the old Ritz-Carlton were never relaxed. And the tricks we used then served us well in good times. too. because they helped to enlarge our repertoire of delicious meals in which imagination and invention took the place of extravagant use of ingredients and time.
Is it any wonder then that I am shocked and grieved to learn about the wasteful habits of American kitchens, particularly in these days of high food prices? So much valuable food is wasted in preparation, so much more is thrown away when it could be used to make another meal … and. what is more important, to make another delicious meal.
First, how to avoid waste in preparation? Simple enough. Make it a rule to use everything—even parts that seem of no use—to add character and flavor to your cooking. Use mushroom peelings and stems instead of whole mushrooms to flavor sauces such us velouté and bechamel, or in a cream soup. Cook the trimmings in the sauce and then strain them out. Celery tops, tomato skins, the coarse green part of leeks should all go into the stock pot or the soup kettle. The green of leeks adds a delicious flavor to split pea soup or to puree of fresh pea soup. Young pea pods enhance the flavor of the soup, as well as its color. Chop up the tough ends of asparagus for cream of asparagus soup. Cook the outside leaves of lettuce, romaine, escarole, and other greens like spinach, to serve with gravy—almost everything edible has some use.
To make successful leftover dishes. your ingredients must include a larger amount than usual of imagination and ingenuity. Your sense of taste and feeling for food play an important part. Leftovers vary greatly in size, weight, and the length of their first cooking. If the recipe calls for about 1 pound of meat, for instance, and you have 1 ¼ pounds, or only ¾ pound, you must adjust the other ingredients and seasonings accordingly. Or you may add a little cooked rice, or some leftover vegetables, or bread crumbs, and so originate a new recipe.
I have said it before, but I must repeat that it is poor practice to cook meat or poultry for a second time, except if it is chopped finely for a hash. Leftover cooked meat should never be used for a stew, or heated by roasting again in the oven. To heat leftover meat, make the sauce, put the meat in the hot sauce, and bring it just to the boiling point without actually letting it cook.
The only exception to this rule is game. Leftover roast venison, marinated in wine sauce for several days, will make an excellent civet, or game stew. So will the legs, second joints, and carcasses of feathered game of which only the breasts were served the first time. At the old Ritz-Carlton there were many fall parties at which breasts of guinea hen or pheasant were served in royal splendor, but only the breasts, so that we had the carcasses of 500 to 600 roast birds to use in salmis of game. And these salmis were on our menu almost daily, since game birds are always expensive, and those 500 birds represented a substantial investment in food. Furthermore, those salmis were one of our most popular entrées. The moral should be obvious—the best restaurants don't waste food, and the best homes shouldn't either.
One of the best leftover recipes I can give you, because it has a dual use, as a soup and as a base for sauces, is a soup made from chicken leftovers. The soup can be clarified with egg white, if you like, and if it is not strong enough to jell by itself, a little gelatin may be added to it to make an aspic.
When you buy chickens, always ask for the feet, or buy extra feet. They are full of gelatin. Have the butcher chop off the toenails. Then wash the feet well, cover them with boiling witter for a few minutes, and peel the skin from the top down, pulling it off as you would a glove, inside out.
Chicken Soup from Leftovers
In a soup kettle melt 1 tablespoon butter, add 2 or 3 onions, chopped, and cook until they are lightly brown. Add 2 quarts water, ½ cup of chopped celery tops, 1 cup of chopped leeks, 1 or 2 tomatoes, and 2 carrots, both chopped. and 1 clove of garlic. Clean, scald, and remove the skin from 6 or more chicken feet and add the feet to the kettle with the bones skin, neck, and other chicken leftovers. Add 2 teaspoons salt, a few peppercorns, and some parsley. Bring to a boil, skim, and cook slowly for about 2 hours. Strain. To serve as soup, reheat the stock with rice or vermicelli. To clarify the stock, cool and remove the fat from the surface. Add 2 egg whites, lightly beaten, mix well, and bring slowly to the boil, stirring constantly. Turn down the heat, keep the broth just below the simmering point for about 25 minutes, then strain through a sieve lined with a double thickness of cheesecloth. If the broth only partially jells, stir into the hot stock 1 tablespoon gelatin softened in ¼ Clip cold water.
Tourte de Vean (Veal Pie)
Chop very findy enough leftover cooked veal to make about 2 cups. Soak ½ cup fresh bread crumbs in milk to cover for a few minutes, drain well, and combine them with the veal. Add 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion cooked until golden in 1 tablespoon melted butter, 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, ½ teaspoon salt, a little pepper, 1 egg, beaten, and 4 tablespoons veal gravy or other good meat gravy and mix thoroughly. The consistency should be about that of hash. A few finely sliced cooked mushrooms may be added.
Line a deep pie plate or shallow casserole with pie dough, put in the veal tilling, and cover with a thin layer of dough. Brush the top with a little milk. prick the dough with a two-tined fork, and bake in a moderately hot oven (375° F.) for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the crust is well browned.
Veal Salad Louis
Cut into small julienne enough leftover cooked veal to make 2 cups and enough cooked ham to make 1 cup and combine the meat with 1 cup chopped celery and ½ cup julienne-sliced cooked beets, Add 1 cup shredded lettuce and ½ cup French dressing (see October, 1952) mixed with 2 chopped hard-cooked eggs, 1 teaspoon chopped chives, and 1 teaspoon mixed chopped parsley and tarragon. Toss the salad well and garnish it with slices of fresh tomatoes and a bouquet of water cress.
Matelote of Veal
Cut 1 to 1 ½ pounds of leftover boiled or braised veal or blanquette de veau into large dice. In a saucepan melt 2 tablespoons butter, add 3 tablespoons chopped onions, and cook until the onions begin to turn golden. Add 1 clove of garlic, crushed, and 1 tablespoon flour and mix well. Add 1 cup red wine and 1 cup stock, bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and add ½ teaspoon salt. half a small bay leaf, crushed to powder, and a little crushed thyme. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile sauté 12 to 15 small mushrooms in a little oil and cook 12 small white onions in butter with a little sugar until glazed and golden. Add the mushrooms, onions, and meat to the sauce and bring to a boil. Correct the seasoning with salt and add a little freshly ground pepper and 1 teaspoon chopped parsley. If the sauce is not quite thick enough, swirl in manié butter made by creaming 1 tablespoon butter with 1 teaspoon flour. Serve with boiled potatoes or noodles.
Fricadelles of Veal
Chop finely 1 pound of leftover cooked veal. Bake 3 large potatoes until tender, remove the pulp, and whip it with a wooden spoon until smooth. Sauté ½ cup finely chopped onion in 2 tablespoons butter until the onion is golden. Add the meat and potato pulp, 1 egg, beaten, 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, and a little salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. Divide the mixture into portions the size of an egg, roll each in flour, and flatten it like a hamburger. Cook the cakes in 3 tablespoons hot beef fat in a skillet until they are brown on both sides. Serve with tomato sauce (see April, 1952) or sauce piquante (see October, 1952).
Leftover Lamb or Veal Soubise
Prepare purée Soubise as follows: In a saucepan melt 2 tablespoons butter, add 'I onions, finely chopped, and cook slowly until they are soft but nor brown. Add 4 tablespoons rice. ½ cup boiling water, and ½ teaspoon salt, cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid, and cook over low heat for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the water is cooked away. Rub the onions through a fine sieve and return the puree to the heat. Cook. stirring constantly to prevent scorching, until the surplus moisture is cooked away. Add ½ cup very thick béchamel sauce (see March, 1952) and continue to cook, stirring, until the mixture is well blended and smooth.
Cut leftover roast leg or rack of lamb or braised veal into slices. Spread the slices generously with the purée Soubise and arrange in a shallow baking dish, overlapping them closely. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and a little melted butter and bake in a moderately hot oven (400° F.) for 20 minutes, or until the crumbs are brown.
Fritot of Lamb or Veal
Cut leftover braised or boiled lamb or braised veal into squares and marinate them for about 1 hour in 2 tablespoons olive oil, a few drops of vinegar or lemon juice. 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, and a little salt and pepper. Turn the pieces occasionally so that they will absorb the marinade.
When ready to serve, dip the squares of meat in fritter batter (see August, 1952) and cook in hot deep fat or oil (390° F.) until golden brown, Drain on absorbent paper, sprinkle with a little salt, and place on a hot dish covered with a paper doily or napkin. Garnish with fried parsley and lemon wedges and serve with tomato sauce (see April, 1952).
Bouchée or Vol-au-Vent à la Reine
To 2 cups hot cream sauce (see March, 1952) add 2 tablespoons of the water in which ¼ pound of mushrooms have been conked and stir in 2 egg yolks lightly beaten with 3 tablespoons sweet cream. Dice enough leftover white meat of chicken to make 1 cup and combine it with the cooked and diced mushrooms, and if desired ¼ to ½ cup leftover sweetbreads and 1 truffle, both diced. Heat the meat and vegetable mixture in a saucepan with ¼ cup dry sherry or Madeira for 5 to 6 minutes, add the hot sauce, and keep hot over hot water until ready to serve. Serve in patty shells or in a vol-au-vent. It is important to have plenty of sauce in proportion to chicken because the crust of the patty shells or the vol-au-vent will absorb the liquid.
Turkey Cutlets
In a saucepan melt 2 tablespoons butter, stir in 3 tablespoons flour, and cook until the roux begins to turn golden. Add gradually 1 cup hot milk and cook, stirring briskly, until the sauce thickens. Continue to cook, stirring frequently. until the sauce is very thick and smooch. Be careful that it does not scorch as it cooks down. Add ½ teaspoon salt and a little white pepper and stir in 2 eggs lightly beaten with a little of the hot sauce.
Dice enough leftover white meat of turkey to make 2 cups and add it to the sauce with 6 mushrooms, cooked and finely diced. If desired, 2 or 3 tablespoons finely diced conked ham may be added. Cook over a low flame, stirring briskly, until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan. Correct the seasoning with salt and spread the mixture on a flat buttered dish to cool. Form it into cutlets and roll the cutlets in flour, in beaten egg. and then in fine bread crumbs. Fry the cutlets in hot deep fat (390° F.) or sauté them in butter until golden brown. Serve with tomato sauce (see April, 1952), sauce périgourdinei (see November. 1952), or cream sauce (see March, 1952).
Rissoles of Turkey
Prepare a mixture similar to the one used for making turkey cutlets. Roll out flaky pie dough 1/8 inch thick and cut it into 3- to 4-inch rounds. Put a spoonful of the turkey mixture in the center of each round and fold the rounds in half to make filled crescents. Pinch the edges of the dough securely together and prick the tops to let out the steam. Place the rissoles on a buttered biking sheet, brush with a little milk, and bake in a hot oven (425° to 450° F.) until brown. If preferred, fry in hot deep fat or oil until golden brown. Leftover cooked fish may be used instead of chicken.
Coquilles de Volatile à la Parisienne
Stir 2 egg yolks, beaten lightly with 3 tablespoons cream, into 2 cups velouté sauce (see below), and add 2 tablespoons butter. Cook 12 small mushrooms for 5 minutes in a little water with a few drops of lemon juice and 1 teaspoon butter. Cut enough leftover chicken into small slices to make 2 cups. Put 1 tablespoon sauce in each coquille or scallop shell, add 5 or 6 slices of chicken, 2 mushrooms, and 2 slices of truffle. Add 2 tablespoons whipped cream to the remaining sauce and divide it among the coquilles, covering the chicken, mushrooms, and truffle slices with it. Place the coquilles on a baking sheet and brown them in a hot oven (450° F.) or under the broiler flame.
Sauce Velousé
Melt 1/3 cup butter, add 1/3 cup flour, and cook for a few minutes. Add 3 cups white stock, chicken or veal, ½ teaspoon salt, and a little pepper, and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the sauce reduces to about 2 ½ cups and is very thick but light and creamy.
Leftover Chicken or Turkey à l'Indienne
Prepare a curry sauce as follows: In a saucepan cook 2 tablespoon chopped onion in 1 tablespoon butter until the onion is soft but not brown. Add 1 small bay leaf, a little thyme, and 1 to 2 tablespoons curry powder, according to taste, mix well, and stir in ¼ cup white stock. Bring the sauce to a boil, add 1 ½ cups velouté sauce (see above) and cook over a low flame for 10 to 15 minutes. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve, add ½ cup cream, and return to the boil. Heat leftover sliced chicken or turkey in a little stock, add the curry sauce, and bring to the boil. Serve with rice.
Chicken or Turkey Hash Saint-Germain
Dice finely enough white meat of chicken or turkey to make 2 cups, add 1 cup cream, and cook until the cream is reduced to half. Add ½ cup cream sauce (see March, 1952) and salt to taste. Rub enough cooked green peas through a sieve to make 2 cups of purée,