Roasted Cod with Garlic Scape Pesto and Leftovers

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about leftovers. Let's face it, they are lowest on the food totem pole and I don't really understand why. I think a lot of it has to do with branding and expectations.

Just the very term leftovers is off-putting. In the thesaurus, its synonyms are: scraps, unwanted, residue and remnants. A rather gloomy crew. Uttering the word conjures immediate images of meatloaf turned gray in the fridge, or soggy roasted veggies that have lost their crispy veneer. Leftovers makes me think of food that is but a shell of what it was the night before.



Yes, some food, on the second or third day, is rather unappetizing. But, many foods are actually better as they, er, let's say, mature, in the fridge for a day or two or even three.

Imagine if we called the food that is left after dinner, second helpings or extra portions or vintage. Ok, so maybe vintage isn't the best idea - I'm pretty sure no one wants vintage chicken - but, you catch my drift. When called vintage, suddenly old clothes that someone else didn't want become valued and coveted. In the same way, I think a little re-branding could do leftovers a world of good. Leftovers just need some good PR.



Most times, the lackluster next-day meal is not the fault of the food - it's our fault for not really trying our hardest with it. Let's be honest - when it comes to leftovers second helpings we have low expectations and, as is often the case in life, when you set the bar low, there is no such thing as rising to the occasion. Those second helpings didn't have a shot from the moment they were wrapped in plastic wrap or tupperware and thrown into the back of the fridge. We just want leftovers to feed us, whereas, when we originally cooked the food in question, we expected it to feed us and taste amazing and look appetizing. But, if rather than simply reheating it to within an inch of its life in a day or two, we re-imagined what it could be and gussied it up a bit, then I think we might be pleasantly surprised with the outcome.

Pesto is definitely a food that benefits from a little R & R in the fridge. When left to its own devices, the flavors develop so when brought out for its second round, pesto is often tastier than it was the first time around. Plus, it lends itself to being re-imagined. Pesto can be a sauce or a dip or a salad dressing or a veggie topper - it can be whatever we want it to be.



I made this garlic scape pesto last week and I used it to coat pasta mixed with summer veggies. I put the extra pesto in the fridge and kind of forgot about it. Last night, I was tired and lazy and, thankfully, I had some fish in the fridge {Wild Atlantic Cod caught hook & line style} but I had little else. And then, as I aggressively pushed aside the OJ and Milk in a hungry fit, I saw it. The garlic scape pesto from last week. Boom. It breathed new life into this meal.

Season the cod with salt and pepper, slather with garlic scape pesto, a sprinkling of bread crumbs, a few lemon slices - 5 minutes later, literally 5 minutes, it was in the 375º oven. 15 minutes later - it was on my plate.

My point is that leftovers extra portions can be a blessing - a gift from the culinary gods. Food that is already cooked and seasoned and that, with just a little bit of imagination, can make our lives easier because it's already half-way to the table. And it stretches our dollars, which is always a bonus.
Here's to my leftover revolution. 
What do you think - second helpings or extra portions? Or what would you call them? 

{Tips}
You can use any pesto you have on hand for this, or other spreads like olive tapenade, hummus, etc.
Or maybe you have leftover roasted carrots from last night? Puree them and layer it on top instead of the pesto.