Leftovers

When braising meat, chop any leftover bones, such as those from a chicken carcass, and add them to the bed of chopped vegetables. The bones and vegetables are discarded after cooking, but they add extra flavour to the braising liquid and to the meat.

Cooked or raw cucumber can easily be made into a quick cold and refreshing soup. Process or blend it with a clove of garlic, thick yoghurt, cream or crème fraiche and mint or tarragon. Serve sprinkled with a tablespoon of the chopped herb and black pepper. A handful of chopped prawns adds colour and flavour.

Most sauces freeze very well and frozen blocks of sauce or gravy can be reheated in a saucepan straight from the freezer. Frozen sauces are good timesavers so it is worth making twice as much as the recipe calls for and freezing half.

Leftover satay sauce should be used within a day or two. It makes an excellent topping for grilled chicken or a dressing for gado gado; the Indonesian cucumber, bean sprouts, green beans and beancurd salad. It can also be used in vegetarian dishes, for instance mixed with rice, peas and carrots or as a dip for crudités.