Pass the Leftovers Please

Yesterday I marched up to my refrigerator, flung the doors open wide and gazed upon shelf after shelf of leftovers. Leftover pasta, leftover sauces, leftover meats. I rummaged and found a fruit compote and berries in need of attention. The last leftover to emerge was a homemade jar of caramel sauce. I mercilessly piled everything onto a work surface and said to myself, ‘Okay, now what?.’ Truth be told, I had a plan.

The pasta and sauces got folded together along with a few dashes of cinnamon and were then tumbled into a greased baking dish. I then browned a pound of organic beef along with onions and a bit more cinnamon and sauce. While the meat simmered, I combined the berries with the compote and some caramel sauce and cornstarch to make a pie filling. I whirled butter, flour and touch of caramel sauce in a food processor and made a crust. I rolled and chilled the crust and then the sauce was done. The sauce went on top of the pasta and the pot got washed. To finish my dish, I made a bechamel sauce by creating a roux, whisking in cold milk, allowing that mixture to boil and then using it to temper two beaten eggs before slowly whisking the mixture back into the pot. A dash of salt later, I found myself draping the silky sauce over the meat and viola! Greek Pastitsio was born.

By then the crust was chilled, so I blind baked it while I made a crumb topping to sprinkle on top of the fruit. The crust became crisp, the fruit mixture went inside, the crumb went on top and viola! An hour later, Plum and Berry Pie with Crumb Topping and Caramel Drizzle was born.

We ate the Pastitsio with leftover lettuces and homemade dressing and the pie (our daughter Mia had two servings) was enjoyed with a little leftover ice cream. Yes, Dear Readers, pass the leftovers please.