Eating Up My Fridge Skillet

I don’t like leftovers.

There are some exceptions to that statement, but for the most part, I loathe going back to the fridge/freezer to take out something I’ve made previously to have another meal of it.  This is especially unfortunate since I always make meals big enough to serve 4-6 people and we wind up with leftovers for at least another meal.  Most of the time these leftovers are put into the fridge and get pushed back each day as I add more leftovers in front of the last.  Every couple of weeks I hit a critical load limits for space and I end up tossing many meals worth of food.  Yes, I know this sounds very wasteful and I am trying to change my ways.

In my efforts to improve, I’ve been packing up portions of my meals to give away to others.  I’ve told friends about my aversion to leftovers and they tell me that they’d happily eat my food.  Now I’ve been known to show up places with a container of soup or pasta.  I feel a bit weirded out by giving away leftovers as it seems a bit like re-gifting.  People claim to be thankful and that I’ve saved them making a meal.  I don’t know if they really appreciate it, or if they even actually get around to eating my leftovers, but at least it’s off my conscience.

My aversion to leftovers spills into the excess raw ingredients used to make meals past.  Again, in my efforts to improve, I take any extra meat products I don’t use and put them in the freezer for later.  But again, those usually end up staying there until they get freezer burnt beyond belief and I end up tossing them, (which is exactly the reason I’m not allowed to get a deep freezer).

Last Sunday, we had “nothing to make for breakfast”.  I was about to run out to the store to pick up some things when Ben started finding things in the fridge we could use.  He pulled out sausages and pancetta from the freezer and with a container of eggs and I begrudgingly took up the challenge of making something hearty and delicious from this. Also in the fridge were leftover peppers, tomatoes and mushrooms, all a little past their prime and not something I’d normally use but still good but most other people’s standards.  I knew Ben was thinking omelette, but I have an aversion to omelettes with more than 3 fillings, so I had something different in mind.  Remembering an episode of the Naked Chef from many years ago, I pulled out my well-seasoned cast iron skillet and threw it on the burner to heat up.  This scrumptious breakfast is open to interpretation.  Use whatever you have or like because at the end of the day the deliciousness comes from your imagination (and the pork fat).

Eating Up My Fridge Skillet (based on Jamie Oliver’s Midnight pan-cooked breakfast – The Naked Chef Takes Off)

1. Get your cast iron or non-stick pan hot.
2. Add bacon/pancetta – I diced mine as it was in big slices, do what you want with yours.
3. When the bacon is cooked but not yet crispy add slice/diced/chopped onions to the pan.
4. When the onion starts to soften, add other chopped veggies (I used peppers, zucchini, tomatoes and mushrooms). Season with S&P.
5. Cut sausages in half lengthwise and add them flat to the pan.
6. When everything has softened, cooked through and begun to caramelize, crack a few eggs around the pan.  Cook for a couple of minutes and cover or broil to get the tops of your eggs to your desired doneness.
7. Serve with toast or hash browns and enjoy your wonderful 12 minute creation!