Happy New Year! As we ever so slowly raise our heads from the post holiday scrum, if you’re anything like me, you realize you have a lot of stuff leftover, lying about. A lot of delicious debris from festive meals, appetizer sessions, cocktail parties and food gifts from kind and generous friends. I, for one, do not care for leftovers. Once I eat something, with few exceptions, I am done. I have moved onto the next thing. This dislike of leftovers does not bode well for my refrigerator and is why I often send neat little takeout containers home with my dinner guests. The day after Thanksgiving I was looking at the aftermath of a cheese and charcuterie platter we had mostly demolished, wondering what to do. It wasn’t pretty. I had an idea.
Stored way back in the mental recipe files of my brain, I remembered a savory ham and cheese bread from the New York Times. It sounded delicious then and it sounded perfect now. I took that recipe and used up the leftover bits from my charcuterie tray. And it was perfect. A cheesy, almost muffin-like bread studded with bits of savory salami and a touch of herbes de Provence, it was better than the first go around and perfect for snacking during the post holiday rush to semi-straighten up the mess that had become my apartment. I brought it to a party and it was gone before I had a chance to tell people what it was.
Easy to make with ingredients I literally had lying around, I may rethink my leftovers policy. Though if leftovers can be reimagined like this, I don’t really think that will be a problem. Use this idea as a jumping off point. Mix up the meats and cheeses based on what you have. Maybe throw in those few leftover olives or that handful of pepperdew peppers. Herbs left from the stuffing? Toss it in. So many delicious possibilities for those lingering yet still tasty bits. What I particularly like is the reimagining of things I already have. I’m going to try to do more of this in the new year – use what I have rather than adding to the fray. I think that sounds like a great resolution for someone who’s not into resolutions.
STRESS THERAPY BAKING FACTOR: BIG FAT SIGH OF RELIEF. I love so many things about this recipe. First off, it uses up those oddball bits you have lying about, be they salamis or cheese. I used all gruyere here, because that’s what I had the most of, but a mix of any semi-firm cheese works. Just avoid soft cheeses; they ooze most unattractively. I know. Trust me. Second, this is absolutely delicious. No one knows, nor will they care, that you used leftover bits. They just care that it tastes good and you’ll feel pretty fine taking leftover bits and turning them into something so spectactular. Start the year off on a good foot with this one.
Seven years ago: Sunchoke Soup
Six years ago: Vanilla Bean Cheesecake
Five years ago: Ginger Simple Syrup
Four years ago: Gingerbread with Bourbon Sauce
Three years ago: Hoppin’ John
Two years ago: Scratch Rum Cake
Last year: Flourless Chocolate Cookies
SAVORY SALAMI & CHEESE BREAD – adapted from this recipe
makes 1 standard loaf, though I prefer this baked into several mini loaf pans
Unsalted butter, softened, for the pan
1 ¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon herbes de Provence
3 large eggs
⅓ cup whole milk
⅓ cup olive oil
4 ½ ounces salami, cut in ¼” dice (about 1 cup)
6 ounces firm cheese such as Gruyere, coarsely grated (about 1 ½ cups)
- Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350°
- Line the loaf pan(s) with a piece of parchment paper and grease with the softened butter.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour with baking powder, salt, pepper and herbes de Provence.
- In a separate bowl, lightly whisk together the eggs, milk and olive oil.
- With a rubber spatula, fold wet ingredients into dry until just moistened.
- Fold in the salami and cheese.
- Scrape batter into loaf pan(s) and smooth the top(s). If using mini loaf pans, fill ¾ full.
- Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 40-50 minutes for a full size loaf pan. If using mini loaf pans, check at 25-30 minutes.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool in pan for 5 minutes.
- Run a knife around edge to release and turn loaf out onto rack to firm up before slicing, about 30 minutes.
- Using a serrated knife, cut into 3/8” slices, then cut into halves or quarters.
- Bread is best enjoyed the day of baking but is still quite good for several days if stored tightly wrapped. It is also pretty wonderful toasted for breakfast.
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