Each month we show you how to waste less and make ingredients work harder for maximum taste and value
photographs ELLA MILLER
Condiment shelf
Get the most out of your condiments by putting the leftover brines and oils from jarred ingredients to good use. Here are some of our favourite ideas:
Jar of olives
Use the leftover brine from a jar of olives in our focaccia recipe at bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/focaccia. Combine 2 tbsp olive brine with 1½ tbsp olive oil. Drizzle over the dough after pressing in the dimples. Roughly chop any leftover olives and scatter over the top, then bake as per the recipe instructions. You can also add the brine to salad dressings for tang or in a puttanesca sauce. A splash stirred into hummus is also delicious. Try our olive-brine chicken recipe, opposite.
Sauerkraut & kimchi
Sauerkraut is full of probiotics, but so is any leftover sauerkraut juice. Drink it as a shot, or in your morning smoothie. It’s a great marinade for chicken or pork schnitzels, too. Leftover kimchi brine can be stirred into hot noodle soups or stir-fries, or use as the base of a spiced marinade for pork chops. Kimchi and sauerkraut brines make a good base for a firm tofu marinade as well.
Cornichons & pickles
Splash this sour brine over sliced cucumbers or carrots to make more pickles, or use instead of lemon juice for a bit of zip, such as in a potato salad. You can add it to the water when boiling potatoes or steaming veg for a flavour boost. It’s a handy meat marinade because it tenderises meat very well. Try it with chicken or pork or even in a batter for fish, for fish tacos. You can marinate cheese with it, too, such as feta or goat’s cheese. Pour it over and mix with olive oil and spices.
Sundried tomatoes& antipasti oils
The leftover oil from sundried tomatoes and other antipasti has myriad uses and it’s packed with flavour. It’s commonly used for salad dressing, but try as a general replacement for olive oil as well. Use as the base for your pasta sauce, making an omelette or scrambled eggs, or drizzling over soups and dips. Artichoke oils are particularly good as a pasta salad dressing. Replace some of the olive oil with this leftover oil when making a pesto, or tip the whole jar in, then add some some pine nuts and hard cheese and you’ll have a sundried tomato pesto. It’s also an excellent marinade for soft cheeses.
Canned fish oil
Use this for the dressing in a tuna salad, pasta salad or niçoise. When cooking the pasta, instead of reaching for a bottle of olive oil
