Two recipes to help you turn assorted fridge staples into delicious suppers and avoid wasting food, writes DOMINI KEMP

RECENT REPORTS ABOUT the amount of food that gets thrown out every year, both at home and in restaurants, make for pretty depressing reading. Not only because everyone is trying to do what they can to save and not waste any money, but also because there is so much hunger in the world.

The thought that we could be so careless and wasteful is demoralising, so I was spurred on by this recent media campaign to improve the situation at home. I informed the family that I was going to get a lot tougher on waste, but friends and family pointed out that this doesn’t seem to be too much of an issue because of my stubborn resistance to waste food and consequential ability to rustle up dinner from things that should really be in a vegetable graveyard. The drive to ensure that very little ends up in the aforementioned compost heap means that many vegetables have to be cajoled out of their death beds, becoming something grander. This sets one up for great challenges in the kitchen. It also means that my closest friends will only accept invitations to be fed with certain caveats, namely that vegetable surprise is not on the menu.

Here are two store-cupboard staples that help to use up those bits and bobs floating around your fridge: Puy lentils and flageolet beans. They also make really delicious suppers. Using tinned lentils is a bad call, but tinned flageolets are fine. A nifty trick is to soak the lentils (even if only for 10 minutes), as absorbing some water means that the heat from the boiling water will penetrate them faster and reduce the cooking time.

The tapenade recipe came about from an array of things that were half-used and half-empty on the top shelf of my refrigerator. I wouldn’t get too hung up if you are missing some of the ingredients, just find replacements: green versus black olives; cornichons instead of capers; a fresh tomato instead of the sundried ones; it really doesn’t matter. You’re just trying to make something punchy and savoury to smooth on some toast or to blob on top of the lentils.

The flageolet salad is a great one for using up tomatoes that have seen better days. By taking some humble ingredients and using a little skill, you can turn two tins of beans and some old tomatoes into something warm and satisfying. This is the kind of supper I love with a bunch of mixed leaves and maybe some crumbled goats’ cheese on top.

Warm Puy lentils, soft boiled egg and tapenade toasts

You can make this vegetarian by eliminating the bacon. Serves two

200g Puy lentils

2 tbsp olive oil

4 streaky rashers, diced (optional)

1 onion, peeled and chopped

400ml water

1 stock cube

1 bay leaf (optional)

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed

150ml olive oil

Salt and pepper

2 eggs

Rinse the Puy lentils and while you’re getting everything else organised, soak them in cold water. If they can soak for an hour, that’s great. If it’s only for 10 minutes, that’s fine too. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based saucepan and fry the diced rashers until they are golden brown and crispy. Add the onion and sweat it gently; you don’t want the onion to brown. When the onion looks soft and glossy, chuck in the drained lentils. Mix them around to coat them with the delicious oils and then add the water, the stock cube and the bay leaf.

Bring up to the boil and gently simmer for 20-30 minutes, depending on how quickly the lentils cook or how long they’ve soaked them for. When you are happy they are soft (rather than mushy) and without a “bite”, remove from the heat and let them cool down in the pan. There should not be any water left in the pan, but if there is, drain them and put them back in the saucepan. A small amount of water will continue to evaporate as they cool down.

Whisk together the Dijon mustard and red-wine vinegar, along with the crushed garlic clove. Very slowly whisk in the olive oil, and if you do it slowly enough at the start, you’ll find you have a wonderful and very simple vinaigrette (it will need a little seasoning). Spoon two or three generous tablespoons of dressing on to the warm lentils.

Meanwhile, your eggs should have been brought to the boil in a cold pan of water and gently simmered for about three minutes. Peel them, slice in half and serve with the lentils and some of your favourite toast smothered in tapenade.

Tapenade (of a sort)

250g pitted black olives

2tsp Dijon mustard

2tbsp olive oil

Pepper

Zest of half an orange

100g sundried tomatoes

3 tbsp capers

Large bunch parsley

2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

Good few sprigs rosemary

Whizz everything together on pulse in a food processor. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more pepper or garlic as required. This will keep for about a week in the fridge.

Warm flageolet bean salad

Serves two as a main course or four as a side dish

2 big tomatoes, roughly chopped

2 tbsps red wine vinegar

1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped

Salt and pepper

100ml olive oil

Pinch caster sugar

2 tins flageolet beans, rinsed and drained

1 bunch spring onions

1 red onion, peeled and very finely sliced

Couple of sticks celery, finely chopped

Bunch of parsley or basil, roughly chopped

In a food processor or blender, whizz together the tomatoes, red-wine vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil, along with a pinch of sugar. You should end up with a frothy and tasty tomato vinaigrette. Heat this up in a small saucepan, add the beans and mix well. Pour into a large bowl; mix with the spring onions, red onion, celery and parsley or basil. Season well and serve while it is still warm with a little crumbled goats’ cheese on top or even a piece of grilled fish, and some bread.

Food cooked and styled by Domini and Peaches Kemp. PHOTOGRAPHS: DAVE MEEHAN

Domini recommends

The Organic herb company’s flavoured rapeseed oils. Gorgeous packaging and delicious oils. These would make a really lovely present. Available from Fallon & Byrne and other food shops (rrp €11.40). For stockists, see organicherbco. com