Alana Chernila
writes, cooks, sells fresh vegetables, and teaches cheese making.
She created the blog Eating
From The Ground Up in 2008. In her second cookbook, The Homemade Kitchen, Alana explores making pantry staples such as chèvre, tofu, kefir,
kimchi, preserved lemons, and also provides recipes and ideas for
using them. Leite's Culinaria recently praised The Homemade
Kitchen, saying "
Ten Bits and Scraps Worth Saving
1. Parmesan rinds
Any time you have a strip of Parmesan rind, throw it in a bag or
container in the freezer. Add a chunk to a pot of soup, and it will
infuse the soup with a deep, ripe, and wonderful flavor.
2. Carrot tops
This one comes from my friend Jen Salinetti, who grows wonderful
carrots and so has lots of beautiful greens. Make a pesto of 2 cups
packed cleaned and chopped carrot tops (remove the large stems), 1
tablespoon lemon juice, 1 chopped garlic clove, and ¾ teaspoon
kosher salt. Process in a blender or a small food processor, or by
hand with a mortar and pestle. Then add ¼ cup extra-virgin olive
oil, and process again.
3. Chicken, beef, or pork bones
Save the bones in the freezer until you're ready to make stock.
Then pack the bones into a pot along with a leek (or leek tops; see
opposite), a carrot, a few garlic cloves, a handful of peppercorns,
a tomato if you have one, and any fresh herbs you have on hand.
Just barely cover with water. Cook, covered, on low heat for at
least 2 hours but up to all day. You can also follow this process
in a slow cooker. Pack the cooker at night and you'll have rich
stock by the morning.
4. Old bagels, pita, and tortillas
Slice bagels as thin as you can (carefully!) and cut pitas and
tortillas into wedges. Brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt,
and bake in a 350°F oven for 12 to 18 minutes, until brown and
crispy. Use instead of crackers.
5. Strawberry hulls
Toss those strawberry hulls into a pitcher of water. They infuse
it with a mellow refreshing sweetness. You can barely taste them-it
just tastes like the best water you've ever had.
6. Peach pits
If you're making peach jam or pie and have a bowl full of peach
pits, rub off any excess flesh and give the pits a quick boil to
clean them entirely. (Drink the liquid you boiled them in-it's
delicious.) Then dry the peach pits in a 200°F oven for about an
hour. Let the pits cool, then store in a jar at room temperature.
Peach pit tea is good for whatever ails you. To make tea, combine 4
or 5 pits with 5 cups water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover
the pot, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Let the pits dry out on
the counter-you can use them three times before they won't infuse
tea anymore.
7. Root vegetable greens
If you buy beets, turnips, kohlrabi, or radishes with their
greens, separate the roots from the greens when you get home, as
they store better separately. Cook up the greens as you would kale
or Swiss chard, put them all together for Garden
Pie , or pound tender radish greens into pesto.
8. Leek tops and other veggie scraps
Treat leek tops and good veggie scraps as you would bones for
stock. Keep a separate bag in the freezer and toss in scraps as you
create them. When it's time to make stock, throw them all in the
pot.
9. Bacon fat
Whether you fry or bake your bacon, pour the grease into a jar,
straining it through cheesecloth or a paper towel to get rid of any
bits. Store the jar in the pantry and use it to fry pancakes,
collard greens, and other foods that benefit from bacon's
smokiness.
10. Orange rinds
Stuff spent rinds into a jar and top off with distilled white
vinegar. Let it sit for a few weeks, then combine the
orange-infused vinegar with water for a homemade all-purpose
cleaner. Or, use the rinds for an easy potpourri. Combine a few
orange peels, a cinnamon stick, and a few cloves in a small
saucepan. Cover with water and let it simmer away on the stove,
scenting the kitchen as it evaporates.