• Leftover Cakes

    by  • June 3, 2010 • Recipes, Recipes & Meals • 3 Comments

    lentil rice cake

    I have an unnatural obsession with using up leftovers.  Even though the chickens now eat most of our food scraps, I still hate to waste.  All that effort to source ingredients and cook them well just shouldn’t end up in the chicken bin or the trash in my opinion.

    I find myself often making leftover cakes.  Maybe one of you can come up with a more clever and appetizing name.

    It starts with a few cups of a starchy leftover such as mashed potatoes, lentils, couscous, or risotto.  I add in a little bread or cracker crumbs and egg to make the cakes hold together.

    Then the mix is dropped into a skillet with a little olive oil and pan fried on each side.

    I usually serve the cakes with homemade ketchup or chopped seasoned fresh veggies to add a bright dimension to the dish.  They’re a nice thing to serve in the summer when no one wants to use the oven.

    Leftover Cakes

    2 cups leftover mashed potatoes, risotto, lentils, couscous or other starchy grain

    1/4 cup bread or cracker crumbs

    1 egg

    2 tablespoons olive oil

    Mix together leftovers, crumbs and egg.  Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high and add olive oil.  Drop leftover mixture into skillet.  Cook five minutes and flip to the other side.  Continue cooking until cakes are cooked through and browned on both sides.

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    About

    I am the keeper of the Hounds in the Kitchen. I live to eat and eat to live, planning every meal to include as much local and seasonal abundance as possible. I often wear purple and never refuse a drink.

    http://www.houndsinthekitchen.com

    3 Responses to Leftover Cakes

    1. Susan W.
      June 3, 2010 at 3:02 pm

      This looks quite like what we called fritters in New Jersey. We had squash fritters and corn fritters. The corn fritters can be served with maple syrup.

    2. June 3, 2010 at 3:10 pm

      Mashed beans and diced veggies are good additions, too! These are also a staple in our house. Isn’t it funny how many fewer leftovers you have with the chickens? :)

    3. June 4, 2010 at 11:47 am

      you are a inspiration and i am learning from you and others the way of home growing is a big part of activism . my mother always kept a garden before she went to prison and that is one of the biggest values she taught me is the joy of hard work for nourshment and satisfactory of taking part in the process of caring and loving for the life that provides for us./
      .-= samantha millard´s last blog ..eclipsegrind. =-.

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