The Thrifty Cookbook: 476 Ways to Eat Well With Leftovers (60 page)

Cook over a medium heat for 30–60 seconds, until golden and just crisping on the underside. Flip it over and cook the second side, then turn it out on to a plate.

Fill with a couple of tablespoons of whatever cooked mixture you have ready, roll the pancake up and put it in an ovenproof dish.

Repeat with the remaining pancake batter and filling, re-oiling the pan when necessary.

When the dish is full, grate the cheese all over the pancakes and bake for 10–15 minutes, until the filling has heated through and the cheese has melted. Serve with a green salad.

Bear in mind that if the filling is too liquid, the pancakes will turn into soggy disasters, but if too dry they will be claggy. What you are aiming for is a mixture that holds its shape without being sloppy.

Chicken and/or ham
Used chopped leftover chicken and/or ham with any combination of cooked bacon, mushrooms, peas, broad beans or sweetcorn in a creamy sauce (see Pies,
pages 115
–
19
). Scatter parsley, chives or tarragon over the pancakes, once cooked, and serve with Chilli Jam (see
page 45
).

Spinach with ricotta cheese
Mix cooked chopped spinach with crumbled ricotta cheese, toasted pine nuts, chopped basil and perhaps some Bottled Dried Tomatoes (see
page 44
). You could serve these pancakes with Quick Tomato Sauce (see
page 36
).

Cheese
Will generally perk up any cooked vegetables: think broccoli or leeks with a mustardy cheese sauce (see
page 32
), or soft goat’s cheese with sweet potato or cauliflower.

Leftover fish or canned tuna
Flake the fish and mix with some sweetcorn and Cheese Sauce (see
page 32
). Add a little chopped dill, if you have some.

Ratatouille
See
pages 80
–1.

You could add a tablespoon of caster sugar to the batter if you really want to sweeten things up. Leave out the cheese from the recipe, of course, and serve immediately rather than baking in the oven.

Fruit
Use up softening bananas by slicing them into pancakes with a squeeze of honey or a dribble of maple syrup. In fact, almost any ripening fruit can be used up in the same way (see
pages 131
–
2
and
234
–
5
).

Nutella spread
Spread a thin layer over each pancake, roll up and serve.

The reality is that if you make a recipe using an egg white or yolk, you are going to be left with the other half of the egg. Yolks don’t freeze well, though they will keep in the fridge in a covered bowl for up to 4 days. Whites can very happily be frozen in a strong bag. But the thing is, Hollandaise Sauce (see
page 35
), Mayonnaise (
page 34
), Custard (
page 33
) and Zabaglione (
page 200
) are brilliant ways of using up egg yolks, while whites can be added to omelettes (see
pages 190
–
5
), soufflés (see
pages 203
–
5
) or sorbets (see
page 233
). At the very least, there are two simple and heavenly puddings to be made entirely out of yolks or whites. Here they are.

I rarely get round to freezing egg whites, since meringues are the easiest thing to make and keep for weeks in an airtight box or tin. Since electric whisks often end up beating all the air out of egg whites, I use a rotary whisk for this. Meringues are lovely sandwiched together with whipped cream or served with poached or baked fruit (see
pages 238
–
40
).

For each egg white, you will need 55g white caster sugar. Preheat the oven to 120°C/Gas Mark ½. Put the egg whites in a large bowl and whisk to firm peaks. Whisk half the sugar into the egg whites and then, using a large metal spoon, very gently fold in the second half of the sugar. Put spoonfuls of the mixture on to a baking sheet lined with baking parchment and bake for 1–2 hours, depending on size. The meringues should harden without colouring. Leave to cool completely on a wire rack before storing; alternatively, turn off the oven when the meringues are just about ready and leave them in the oven while it cools.