Kelly Rossiter
DCL
I'm always talking about cleaning our your refrigerator and making a meal with leftovers. It's a simple way to make sure you don't waste any food and it often is a very quick recipe to make. I've suggested soups, stews, pasta sauces or frittatas as good ways to use up ingredients, and here is another: a mezze platter.
A mezze platter consists of bits of different vegetable dishes (I included some sausage) and can be served hot, cold or room temperature, depending on what you have on hand. It's a perfect thing to make for casual entertaining and you can put together a platter in no time at all. I made this for lunch and it was so lovely looking, my husband wanted to know what the special occasion was. I decided not to tell him that it was all leftovers and bits and bobs from the refrigerator.
Most the of things on my mezze platter were grilled. I had beets drizzled with olive oil and shaved Parmesan cheese, some spicy sausage sliced thinly and served at room temperature, a roasted red pepper with olive oil, leftover grilled potatoes onions which I then fried, grilled artichokes, roasted maroon carrots and grilled asparagus. I also had a little salad of chopped heirloom tomatoes and cucumber in a basil vinaigrette that had too much liquid to put onto the platter. Add some olives and pickles and a bit of warm pita bread, you have a casual lunch or light dinner that is easily elegant enough for company. Just don't tell them know you cleaned out your refrigerator to do it.
Difficulty Level: Easy
