There is real joy in using bits and pieces foraged from the fridge to create something new. Whether you find some mashed potatoes from last night’s dinner, a surplus of prepped onions that you didn’t end up needing, or the last olives in a jar—whatever it may be, making a delicious new home for them can be a great tool in helping reduce food waste. If nothing else, it gives otherwise inconsequential tidbits value when considered in light of new potential.
Pastry chef Natasha Pickowicz is known for making savory tarts with leftover prep ingredients for restaurant staff meals. Taking bits of this and that and layering it all in a nest of pâte brisée, the resulting creations are spontaneous but deliberate, notes Tajal Rao, who wrote about the approach for The New York Times a while back. “I’m always thinking critically about how they’ll cook,” Pickowicz tells Rao. “I’m thinking about creating layers, so when you bite into it, you’re transitioning from tender dough through body and structure.”
Pickowicz’s method goes something like this, according to Rao:
Start with a cold pâte brisée, then go from there: Spread a fine layer of cheese such as ricotta or mascarpone, then season it with lemon zest, salt and pepper. Now move onto a denser layer of cooked vegetables, such as cauliflower, potato, leek or squash, lightly seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper. Fill the gaps in the vegetables with pieces of cheese. When the tart comes out of the oven, consider a topping of herbs, lightly dressed salad leaves or even a couple of fried eggs.
Bits-and-Parts Tart Tips
Those are excellent guidelines, but the sky’s the limit. Here are some of tips:
Use your favorite savory pastry dough. As mentioned above, I seem to find random bits of dough in my freezer because I refuse to throw away scraps—and little scraps of dough become balls which become tarts.
Vegans can start with a layer of smashed beans, pureed vegetables, or mashed potatoes instead of cheese. The idea is to have a solid-ish base.
If you have a bunch of small things—for example, herbs, olives, corn kernels, nuts, etc.—chop them coarsely into a crumble and add it as a layer.
If you have anything crunchy, like leftover tortilla chips, croutons, or stale bread, use it for the top layer.
For anything especially watery—like raw leafy greens, summer squash, tomatoes, etc.—consider salting/draining or quickly pre-cooking so that the tart doesn’t get soggy.
Don’t forget grains! While grains in a tart may seem counterintuitive, whole grains like quinoa or barley are nutrient power hitters and can add some extra bulk to the meal.
Using up small portions of leftovers may not seem like such a big deal, but it adds up. Food waste is a tremendous climate problem. As Treehugger reported earlier:
Which is reason enough to embrace the leftovers tart! But with the additional bonus of a money-saving and delicious meal wrapped in pastry dough, leftovers never seemed more desirable.