Waste-less

I mentioned in an earlier post about the huge amount of food Australian households waste (estimated at around $6billion a year!). These numbers frighten me. It basically means, when weighed against how much money the average family spends on food, people might as well just throw out one full bag of groceries out of every six they purchase the minute they get home. Crazy.


I try very hard not to waste food, but I'm far from perfect. We're lucky that we have a dog who loves veggies and what she doesn't eat raw gets cooked into her dog food I make every few months. Anything below Frankie's standard goes to the compost bin to produce better soil in our backyard. 


All these options are good. But one of the tastiest uses for scraps of veg is in making stock. Same goes for bones and chicken carcasses but best not ask a vego for the recipe! I love home made stock, it really does make food taste better and is worth the effort. 


I read an idea somewhere (I can't remember where unfortunately) that suggested keeping an old milk carton in the freezer and adding all your veggie scraps to that throughout the week. You throw in all the onion tops and celery leaves and carrot tops and then when you want stock you just cut open the carton and chuck it in the pot. Simmer the stock 'til flavoursome and then strain. We did a mushroom stock the other day with some dried out mushies and it was amazing!


Once you have your beautiful stock, the options are endless. Below is my favourite soup recipe. We sold this with lazy girl bread at last year's BOGI Fair and it sold out in an hour. Great comfort food.

Potato and three onion soup


nice, local waxy potatoes
leeks
brown onions
onion chives
garlic
stock 
butter
olive oil
cream
salt and pepper


All quantities are to scale based on your number to feed. Dice your onions, use more onions than you would as a base to most meals. They're a major ingredient in this soup, not just a supporting act. Soften the onions slowly in a good knob of butter and a good splash of olive oil. Take your time here, when they're halfway done, add the sliced leeks (as many as you can afford). Cook until soft and delicious. Stir through your diced and peeled potatoes, get them well covered in the onion-y goodness. Add your stock and simmer until the potatoes are cooked through. Blend with a stick blender or in batches in a blender until very smooth. Add cream and some more butter (I didn't say it was a healthy dish!). Season. Serve with lazy girl bread.