What’s Lying Around the House

Sometimes I don’t plan and I just throw dinner together from what’s lying around the house. (I had to think about that; the whole laying/lying thing gets me every time.) I pride myself on being able to whip a meal up from whatever is available, but honestly some of those impromptu meals have been disappointing. Other times things have turned out so well they’ve become staples like one of our favorite ‘there’s no food in the house and I don’t feel like shopping’ meals; pasta with a can of tuna, a can of artichoke hearts and a handful of capers tossed with olive oil and butter, then topped with (lots of) parmesan. We always have those ingredients around, dinner gets made in under thirty minutes and there’s usually enough leftover for lunch. Everyone wins.

Last week I was feeling vegetable deficient and I had some Brussels sprouts getting old in my produce bin. I also had a hunk of celeriac left from a Blue Apron meal I bastardized. (More about Blue Apron another time.) I am not a big fan of celeriac, but I thought it would be nice with the Brussels sprouts. I also had one sad apple, so that went into the bowl too. It was all pretty easy. First I sliced the Brussels sprouts in my food processor with the thin slicer blade, then in went the apples (with the peel) with the same blade. I changed blades for the celeriac, using the largest shredding disc. It all got tossed with some olive oil, salt and pepper and I roasted it at 300°F until the edges were getting brown and caramelized.

This combination turned out so well I am adding celeriac to my next shopping list, and thinking of other ways to use it. The Brussels sprouts were the star of the show, no surprise that the apples added a mellow sweetness, and the celeriac added body and  richness that I wasn’t expecting. My daughter like the dish so much she took the leftovers for lunch. I liked it so much I can’t even recall what we had with it.

I try to plan meals ahead of time, but I’m not always that organized. Having some versatile staples around makes all the difference. This time I got lucky with the treasures found in my produce drawer, but you never know when you’ll need to pull a meal together from whatever is  lying around the house.