Wednesday, December 27, 2023
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The Christmas holidays are a reason for great celebrations in which dishes are abundant in flavors and aromas. But, at the end of the evening, what happens to the leftovers? Every day, more and more people are trash cooking to consume responsibly by reusing leftover food.
By Pablo Cerezal
Currently, food waste reaches high numbers. Even more so given that hunger is still prevalent in the world and between 8% and 10% of greenhouse gas emissions are associated with food that is not consumed. Almost a third of the food produced for human consumption worldwide becomes waste every year. This accounts for 931 million tons of food lost, of which 61% comes from homes. All these data are included in the Food Waste Index Report 2021 prepared by the United Nations Environment Program(UNEP).
During the Christmas holidays, waste increases, but it is easy to tackle it and consume, not only responsibly, but creatively. And the method to follow is the so-called Trash Cooking. In reality, although the concept emerged recently, precisely to combat food waste, it has been operating for centuries and has given rise to certain dishes that now enjoy well-deserved recognition. Basically, it consists in using the leftovers from a meal to make another meal. The example par excellence of this type of cooking is, without a doubt, the Spanish stew known as cocido: from a meat and vegetable stew, broth is used to make soup, the leftover meat to make croquettes, and the vegetables not consumed to make ropa vieja.
But it is during the Christmas holidays when this concept becomes more relevant: lavish dinners are prepared, always thinking about the satisfaction of the diners and making sure that nothing is missing. But it is rarely possible to consume everything that is cooked. The most important thing to not throw away food at this time is to calculate the quantities well according to the diners, to plan our menus thinking that everything that is cooked can be consumed. And although it is sometimes difficult —especially if many chairs are added to the table— the leftovers can be easily used for new recipes.
Once the night is over, we can design different dishes that will allow us to take advantage of all the leftovers. It may seem difficult at first, but it's actually very simple. With leftover seafood, for example, you can make croquettes, seafood medley or salad; with pork or lamb, you can make meatloaf, turnovers, and even pasta sauce. We must not forget how simple it is make breadcrumbs and then use them in breaded dishes.
In addition, let's start thinking about how to use ripe or unconsumed fruits to make milkshakes or jams which do not lose their nutrients. Or how citrus fruits can be used to enrich different dessert recipes. Even with the grapes that are left over from New Year's Eve, a cake or fruit salad can be made.
In the end, it's a matter of creativity. What is left over on the night of the 24th can be used on the 25th. And what is left over on the 31st, can be used on January 1st. In addition, the leftover Roscón de Reyes can be frozen and eaten any other day, there is no need to throw it away. Incorporating the use of leftover food in our Christmas celebrations —and in our daily life— is easy, clever, and benefits our economy, our health, and the environment.
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