Love Food Hate Waste week - Day 3

Day three of the food waste challenge and breakfast and lunch were pretty much the same as yesterday. I'm beginning to realise that by doing this is really going to reveal that I am much more of a creature of habit than I think I am...

Slightly more interestingly, I was aiming to use up the cabbage from Sunday for dinner today. Now cabbage is a great side dish (especially with some lardons or chestnuts) but I was looking for a recipe that would incorporate cabbage. A quick search and I found this recipe for a Brazilian bean risotto and decided to make it without the big slab of pork. Shopping list made, I picked up the extra ingredients on my way home.

 

This dish is clearly more suited to a pilaf rather than a risotto. I'm not suite sure why I didn't clock that. Maybe because I do love the therapeutic effect of making a risotto. Anyhoo, as usual I made two portions: ate one and froze the other.

Waste for the day:

• Banana skin - unavoidable
• Apple core - unavoidable
• Water from can of kidney beans - unavoidable

Leftovers:

• Half a smoked sausage - that has weekend brunch written all over it
• Two green chillies - left on the side near the apple and bananas in hope that they will ripen
• Parmesan rind - left in the fridge to add an umami punch to something in the future

I do find having to buy packaged fruit and veg from supermarkets incredibly annoying. I only wanted one chilli and yet had to buy a  pack of three. I'm buying ingredients that I don't really want (and spending more money than I need to) and increasing the chance of generating more food waste. Intensely irritating. 

Here's the recipe for pilaf, I'd make next time.

Sausage, cabbage and kidney bean pilaf

Ingredients:

250mls chicken stock

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

150g smoked sausage

100g rice

400g can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Half a Savoy cabbage, shredded

1 red chilli, finely chopped (I kept the seeds in one half for a kick)

Method:

1. Sweat the onion and chilli until soft, then add the garlic and rice. Stir to coat the rice grains in oil and fry until slightly translucent.

2. Add the stock to the pan and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and leave to cook for 12mins, stirring occasionally and adding more liquid if required.

3. Remove the lid and stir in the kidney beans and cabbage. Cook until the cabbage is done, about 5mins.

4. Season and serve.