Get Scrappy!

By Katie Barreira

One of the cardinal sins of professional cooking is waste. A restaurant doesn’t stand a chance if it doesn’t scrimp, save and make the most of every last scrap. In these lean economic times, home cooks can take a page out of the restaurateur’s book in order to stay out of the red.

Cheese rinds are among the most expensive of scraps. At about 20 bucks a pound, chucking a few ounces of Parmigiano Reggiano is like lining your garbage with dollar bills. It may look like the dregs, but the hard exoskeleton of that cheese could be the backbone of your next meal.

This week, I had had a nasty cold and a cheese drawer full of rinds, so I simmered up a pot of hearty ribollita (see recipe below) that kept me, at least, well nourished. Here are five other tasty ideas for using up those costly crusts.

1. Whether making it from scratch or just heating up jarred marinara, adding a parm rind will give your sauce another layer of flavor.
2. Make a Parmigiano flavored oil, for dressing salads or dipping bread, by submerging rinds in olive oil for at least 24 hours. Keep refrigerated.
3. Instead of adding straight cheese to seafood risotto, (as cheese and fish isn’t a combo beloved by all) plop a rind into the pot while cooking the rice and remove it before serving. It will add just the right amount of that briny cheese flavor and richness.
4. Toss in a rind when boiling pasta and remove just before draining. It gives a bit of flavor and the fat is just enough to keep the noodles from sticking.
5. With any of these ideas, you can also broil or grill the rind first for a seriously nutty, toasted cheese flavor!

To get the recipe and shopping list on your smartphone (iPhone, BlackBerry, Android device) or PC, click here.

Quinoa Ribollita

As its name suggests, Ribollita (literally “reboiled”) was invented in an effort to stretch out the leftover minestrone by adding day-old bread. So what better place for a hunk of cheese rind than in this soup of scraps?

Instead of the traditional stale bread and white beans, I’ve added protein-packed quinoa to make this vegetarian soup as healthful as it is satisfying, without losing that characteristically toothsome texture.

The nutty flavor of the quinoa is great with the Parmigiano, plus, blistering the kale before adding the liquids enhances the nutty flavor of the greens.

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
Salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme, sage or rosemary (or any combination of the three)
1 bunch Tuscan kale, center ribs removed and leaves sliced
1 can (28-ounces) crushed tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1 rind Parmigiano Reggiano
1 quart chicken or vegetable broth
¾ cup quinoa

1. In a Dutch oven or stockpot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add carrots, celery and onion; season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally until vegetables are beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, red pepper and dried herbs; cook, stirring, 2 minutes.
2. Raise heat to medium-high, add kale, and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, bay leaf and cheese rind; boil 5 minutes.
3. Add the broth and 1 cup water, stir and return to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook 20 minutes. Stir in the quinoa and cook until the grains are tender, 10 to 15 minutes more. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and serve hot.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

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