A raid is on

Your forgotten frozen veg, bacon at the back of the fridge, pulses, beans and spices are an Aladdin’s cave of ingredients all ready to liven up your week day supper or a simple plate of pasta. Home cook Steph Mercieca Bason shows how with just a little creativity and know-how you can produce delicious dishes from staples and leftovers simply by adding everyday ingredients.

And with food waste accounting for over half the waste that goes to landfill locally, it really is a no brainer to start looking at your kitchen contents from a new angle and experiment with what you’ve already got.

All recipes are tried and tested by Steph and serve four people.

Roasted Pepper Pesto Pasta

This is perfect for those forgotten peppers which get too soft and squidgy to do much else with. And with my abhorrence for wasting food, this is my way of reducing my food waste; easy tasty pesto which can be tossed with pasta or served with fresh bread and good quality olive oil.

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Barley Risotto

Barley is a great alternative to the usual risotto rice, yielding that similar comforting creaminess. The base recipe is always the same, but the added ingredients can be anything you have left. I have chosen to opt for mushrooms in this recipe, but the sky’s the limit really or whatever you’re inspired to throw into the pot. Creative combinations from leftover cheeses and chorizos, fresh and dried herbs, last night’s roast or any vegetable on its last leg will all add depth, taste and texture.