When I was growing up, thrift was highly
valued in our house. It didn’t really have much to do with how much we had or
didn’t have. I don't know how many of my readers know this but the Scots are notoriously thrifty. And my family being Scots to the core on my Mother's side, bordered on insanely thrifty. It was an article of faith
that ‘waste not, want not.’ I could come up with about ten more aphorisms about pennies saved being pennies
earned. That and any number of old saws
that were called on to explain things like re-using Christmas wrapping
paper for years and hoarding string and Godiva chocolate boxes.
I have never outgrown this fixation with thrift . Especially where food is concerned. I think expiration dates should be questioned, that we throw away far too much before its time and that whenever possible leftover anything should be incorporated into new meals.
That being said, I am guilty of
forgetting what’s in the vegetable bin. Of not wrapping the cheese so it doesn’t
dry out. Of finding things more suitable
for making penicillin that re-using in another recipe. I won’t call it a New Year’s Resolution but
after a particularly harrowing refrigerator clean out, I vowed to go back to my
thrifty roots. This dish came to mind as
a way of doing just that.
