About once a week, I challenge myself to make a kitchen-sink supperthat is, to fashion a meal from whatever’s around. I try to use up leftovers. I try to keep it simple and healthy. I also try to make it taste good.
The only rule: No shopping.
The process usually goes like this. First, I pour myself a glass of wine. Then, I open the fridge and, even though I know I shouldn’t, I stand in front of it and scan. Is there any leftover rice? Vegetables that need to be used up? A chicken leg?
Next, a glance into the freezer to see how my supply of frozen veggies is holding up. I pop open the cupboard to see what canned stuff lurks, and eyeball the pasta and grain shelf. Finally, I survey the spice rack.
Then, I contemplate as I finish my glass of wine.
This week, my puttering yielded a tasty, rustic barley- bean hash loaded with vegetables and beans which stretched into two days of lunchtime leftovers. Here’s how it went down.
If you decide to make it too, don’t get hung up on the exact ingredients. Like me, you should use whatever you’ve got at home.
Greens, Beans and Grains (and Stuff)
This made enough for one hearty supper for me and two good-sized leftover lunches.
What I used
A good glug of olive oil (not extra virgin)
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 sad little carrot, chopped
1 equally sad celery stalk, chopped
1 really pathetic parsnip, chopped
The top half of a butternut squash, peeled and cubed
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 generous cup pearled barley
2 handfuls of brown lentils
About half my glass of white wine
About 3-4 cups stock, zapped in the microwave for a couple of minutes (I could have used water)
1 can (14 ounces) pinto beans with liquid
About 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
About 2-3 teaspoons dried herbs (marjoram, rosemary, thyme)
1 cup chopped frozen spinach
About 6 leftover Brussels sprouts
One leftover roasted chicken breast, torn into pieces
A few gratings of Parmesan cheese
What I did
In my favorite Dutch oven, I heated olive oil over medium heat. I added the onion, carrot, celery, parsnip and squash and stirred it for about 5 minutes. Tossed in the smashed garlic and cooked another couple of minutes. Added the barley and stirred until coated. Added the lentils.
Stirred in the wine and cooked until it was absorbed. Added about 1 cup of warm stock and cooked until it was absorbed, about 5 minutes. Added two more cups of stock, covered the pot, and cooked over medium-low heat for about 12 minutes.
I then tasted the barley, which was still too hard, so another half- cup of water, and five or six more minutes. The barley was now soft and the liquid fully absorbed.
I turned the heat to medium and stirred in the pinto beans, mustard and herbs. Then the spinach, Brussels sprouts and torn chicken. Cooked until it was just heated through, grated on some Parmesan, stirred, spooned it into a bowl and ate.Later, I wished I’d put a fried egg on top.
