When I hear someone say that they don’t save leftovers, I don’t know what to think.
You throw them out? I ask. You know you can repurpose that into another dish for another meal, right? That chicken carcass can yield a broth that will make you pass the canned aisle for the rest of your life.
For those folks who just don’t know what to do with, say, lots of extra beef tenderloin from a dinner party (how about a modified stroganoff?), a book like Nick Evans’ “Love Your Leftovers” (Lyons Press, $22.95) may be the guide you’ve been looking for. Evans has chosen 14 food basics, from roast chicken to black beans to rice, as his framework. He gives cooking methods for each, then lists 100 recipes that incorporate the extras. For example, those black beans go into a huevos rancheros cup, vegetarian burgers, refried beans, a Tex-Mex soup, tacos, a salad with corn, tomatoes and fresh herbs, and an enchilada casserole. He’ll have you making extras of each base dish just so you can try the companion recipes, like the quick salmon tacos here.
One quibble with Evans’ strategies: I don’t think we need recipes for using up homemade ice cream.
Chipotle Salmon Tacos
Prep: 25 minutes
Cook: 5 minutes
Makes: 8 tacos, 4 servings
Adapted from “Love Your Leftovers” by Nick Evans.
8 to 10 oz. cooked salmon, whole fillet if possible
1 tsp. canola or vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. ground chipotle chili pepper
Kosher or sea salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp. chopped fresh dill or 1/2 teaspoon dill seeds
Juice from half a lime
1 cup chopped fresh spinach
8 flour tortillas (6 inch), heated
1/2 cup sliced red onion
4 oz. (about 1 cup) cotija cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, loosely packed
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Rub salmon with oil; sprinkle with the chipotle chili pepper and a pinch of salt. Wrap loosely in foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake just to heat the salmon through and infuse it with the chipotle flavor, 5 minutes. When done, flake the salmon with a fork.
Meanwhile, for the sauce, stir together the sour cream, chopped dill or dill seeds, lime juice and a pinch of salt.
Divide spinach and salmon among the tortillas (about an ounce of salmon per taco). Top with the lime dill sauce, red onions, cotija cheese and fresh cilantro.
Nutrition information per serving: 491 calories, 24 g fat, 11 g saturated fat, 89 mg cholesterol, 37 g carbohydrates, 28 g protein, 1,053 mg sodium, 3 g fiber
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