Video text transcript

Reducing food waste with chef Suzanne Lambert

Chef Suzanne Lambert is in a kitchen with food scraps and wilted greens laid out on the bench in front of her.

Sue: Hi, I’m Sue a local chef and I want to share with you some delicious recipes that will also help you reduce your food waste.

I’ll be showing you how to make Veggie Scrap Broth, Apple Peel Vinegar and Salt-Preserved Lemons. But let’s kick off with a really quick and easy ‘On the way out greens’ pesto

You’ll need: Limp or wilting greens, any nuts you have, garlic, lemon or vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper and a jar for your finished pesto.

First cut the ends off the greens, chop them and put into a blender. Then add nuts, garlic, a glug of olive oil, lemon juice or vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

Next blend until it’s a smooth consistency.

And put your mixture into a glass jar.

And there you have it; a beautiful pesto full of flavour from your wilted greens.

A tasty treat that I like to use on crackers, as a salad dressing or whatever takes your fancy.

Next up: veggie scrap broth

Before throwing your scraps in the compost, why not try make a flavoursome broth that’s a much tastier alternative to the ones you find in the shop.

Most veggie scraps will do:

Wilted greens, carrot or potato peels, celery ends, leeks

You can even throw in herb stalks and onion skins which are not only packed full of flavour but what we most often throw away.

Pop everything into a large pot and add water.

Bring it to the boil and simmer for an hour.

Strain and store in in an airtight jar for up to a week or freeze to use whenever suits. I like to use my veggie broths to add flavour to soups, risotto, slow cooking meats and casseroles.

You can also use leftover bones to make delicious bone broth, you just have to simmer them for quite a bit longer.

Next up a couple of recipes that use simple preserving techniques.

First up a really easy way to use an entire apple - apple peel vinegar.

Put your apple cores and skins into a sterilised glass jar, add water, three tablespoons of sugar and shake vigorously.

Then replace the lid with a clean tea towel secured with a rubber band and leave it to ferment for one to two weeks.

Once it’s good and sour, strain off the apple and you’ll have a natural vinegar to use in your dressings and sauces.

The last recipe I would like to share is salt preserved lemons. This is a great way to use up lemons once you’ve used the juice.

First flatten your lemons. Then add salt and a lemon and continue to layer until the jar is full.

Put them in a cupboard for four to six weeks or until the rind is completely soft and once opened, store them in the fridge.

To use simply rinse off the salt, chop up and use in soups, stews, curries, dressings or wherever you would like a pop of citrus zing.

Well there you have it, four easy and tasty ideas to make the most of your scraps and reduce your food waste.

NSW Government and Northern Beaches Council logos appears on a white background with the text: This project is an initiative of Northern Beaches Council and the NSW Environment Protection Authority Waste Less, Recycle More initiative funded from the waste levy.