This tool is kinda nice for this exact situation ️

The Chef - Goblin Tools

(goblin.tools)

I used to get take-out at this place where for a reasonable price you'd get: strips of breaded chicken, rice, and a container of curry sauce. The chicken and rice tasted great by itself, and the curry sauce went well with ANYTHING. I mean, week-old leftovers, vegetables about to expire, bread about to go stale, you name it. I tried other curry sauces and it didn't work. Just this magic curry sauce that went with anything you had left in the fridge.

And out comes the best meal you’ve ever had. Completely irreproducible, because you won’t ever have a half-rotten potato, three paprika slices, 7 separate types of pasta, and leftovers from 2 days lying around.

Yay! Goulash!

perpetual stew

Dish Name: Soulful Tears Stew

Serving Size: 2 servings

Ingredients:

• 500 grams (1.1 pounds) of hearty beef or vegetable broth (or water, if preferred)
• 1 large onion, chopped (about 150 grams / 5.3 ounces)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
• 1 cup (150 grams / 5.3 ounces) of chopped cooked greens (such as spinach or kale)
• A pinch of salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
2. Add the chopped onion and minced garlic. Sauté until softened and fragrant.
3. Pour in the broth or water. Bring to a gentle boil.
4. Add the cooked greens and simmer for about 10 minutes.
5. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Serve hot, savoring the emotional depth of this simple stew.

Lol, subbing out beef for water sounds wrong

This is the modern evolution of the drawer full of taco bell sauces

Reminds me of the best French onion soup I ever made. Had been freezing meat trimmings for a year leading up to it.

I've come pretty far as a home cook but this is still something I struggle to master. Mostly cause I look at what I have leftover and I'm like "Well I could make this... if I had XYZ ingredients too, which I don't."

This is actually a great way to practice improvisation as a general skill. When you start looking at it, most foods are basically different variations of each other. If you break it down to what it brings to a dish, you end up with some incredibly weird combinations that actually aren't bad at all. Once you're good at it in the kitchen you'll find yourself applying it to everything.

You can substitute potato in stews with apples and cornstarch to get the exact same texture but a light botanical taste that complements chicken herbs very well.