The art of ugly food and repurposing leftovers.
It's a skill, it's a gift.
There’s something euphoric when it comes to upcycling old leftovers or making something whatever you have on hand. No recipe on deck, just instincts.
It’s like a game!
Using your resources and creating something!
They’re hit-or-miss meals, but at least you have something to eat. They also tend to be a mix of different cuisines wrapped into one dish. It’s like unattractive and shabby fusion cuisine.
But! Beautiful things can happen when you mix and match leftover and haphazard ingredients when it’s done well. And out of respect! One thing we’re not doing is appropriating other’s cuisines and calling them our own. Don’t be silly.
A prime example is a dish I made this past week.
I wanted something filling but not heavy, and using things I already had.
On deck was one zucchini and some sweet potatoes all about to go bad. I found a small amount of old Kousa in the freezer.
Side note: it was the worst batch I had ever made, but I couldn’t throw it away, giving it a new life in an infused recipe was probably the best option. Is it sacrireligious? Probably. If I had made this for my Siti, would she be upset? Maybe, but I think I’d get points for creativity.
Kousa filling is akin to Mexican rice to an obscure degree, and so that was the direction we went in. I added some diced tomatoes to the Kousa mixture, seasoned the sweet potatoes and zucchini with cumin, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, & pepper, heated up some black beans I found in the pantry with some grated garlic, salt & pepper, and topped it with cilantro.
It was interesting, to say the least, but not bad! Makes for good leftovers too. I don’t think there will be any Lebanese-TexMex restaurants anytime soon though.
I’ll say it, some foods are just ugly.
Ya know, no matter what, some foods will just not look great, and that’s okay. Like oatmeal, or soups. You can add toppings, but it still looks like wet cement or a swamp concoction. But if they taste great, who cares?! I don’t. I care too much about other things, like being too loud at restaurants, caloric intake (still unlearning this one but it’s tricky!), or the future as a whole.
The entire purpose of these foods though is to provide fulfillment and warmth. I think of the scene in Ratatouille when the critic has a flashback from his childhood eating the ratatouille. That dish was ugly as heck, but I bet it was delicious, and “stuck to his ribs”.
The beauty of leftovers.
I don’t think enough people understand leftovers. Sure, it’s the same meal from the night before or your to-go box from the restaurant, but you can also revamp them!
For example, my roommate works at a local cafe and brought home grilled chicken that was going to be thrown out because it just wasn’t very tasty.
So, I used it to make chicken salad! With all the extra ingredients and condiments, the chicken is just a minor role. That chicken salad didn’t last A DAY, in the fridge.
I also just love leftovers, which I’ve realized isn’t a normal thing for people. But eating leftovers is like eating at the restaurant again, except now I’m in the comfort of my own home and can add or remove whatever I want.
This is why I always cook at home.
I’m trying to expand my horizons when it comes to eating out, but for the most part, I’d rather just stay in my kitchen and figure it out with what I have. Hence this whole article.
Here’s to ugly foods and all their glory.
With love,
Cara