Photo by Facundo Bustamante
I was just thinking about the glorious Chocolate, Marmalade and Ginger Steamed Pudding from Sue Quinn’s 2019 title, Cocoa, when her newest book, Second Helpings, arrived in the post like an act of greedy manifestation! Subtitled “Delicious Dishes to Transform Your Leftovers”, it couldn’t be more up my street. Indeed, it’s the sort of cooking that’s at the very heart of the home cook’s life in the kitchen.
And it’s a book that bristles with good ideas. Sensibly, it begins with a raft of Master Recipes before suggesting how the leftovers might profitably be used, though there are recipes for more besides. And let me highlight a few of these: a Smoky Vegetable Dip, a riff on Baba Ganoush to use up cooked veg; Pasta Fritters; Crispy Chilli Rice with Fried Egg and Greens; the perfect idea for the Sunday lunch leftovers in the form of Roast Dinner Sausage Rolls; Griddled Little Gem with Anchovy Hollandaise for excess egg yolks (top of my list for the next time I make a pav); Crisper-Drawer Pickles; Bread and Jam Steamed Pudding; and the brilliant Bananascotch Sauce.
And the recipe I’m delighted to be sharing with you today is one that has enormous mileage, as there are so many ways a tart crust made with bits from an old loaf could be filled: Bread Tart with Greens, Pine Nuts and Raisins. Friends, you need this book in your life!
Second Helpings: Delicious Dishes to Transform Your Leftovers by Sue Quinn (Quadrille, £18.99).
Photography: Facundo Bustamante.
