Everybody has them. No one knows quite what to do with them, the little plastic boxes and plastic-wrapped bowls in the refrigerator with a bit of this and a bit of that. These are leftovers: too much to throw away and too little to keep. My Ed doesn’t like leftovers, but that’s because he doesn’t do the cooking. Frankly, sometimes I think he was brought up wrong.
Well, after awhile, when the contents of the little boxes have served their period of incarceration in their cold prison, they are sent to the compost pile. I say “compost pile” because the gardener in me hopes that you use this form of last residence of your leftovers instead of the trash can or disposal.
There are a lot of uses for leftovers, especially if they are changed or incorporated into another dish, but that is a column for another day.
It really is hard to cook for only one person, but two – well, that’s a little easier.
Today’s recipe fits two people quite well, and there should be no leftovers. The Salmon Loaf and Egg Sauce are made from things you probably have on hand, and can be prepared, cooked and served in less than an hour. To complete the menu, add minted carrots (3 or 4 carrots, cut lengthwise, cooked in boiling salted water, drained, and mixed with mint jelly or fresh mint), and a green salad from the mix in the package in the refrigerator. So, if you are cooking for one or for two, try this recipe any time or for … Sunday Dinner.
Salmon Loaf
1 8-ounce can can salmon, drained (reserving liquid)
⅓ cup of the reserved liquid (adding milk if necessary to make ⅓ cup)
1 egg, slightly beaten
¾ cup fine cracker crumbs
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely chopped or coarsely grated onion
Dash of pepper
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray with oil or grease the slotted top sheet of a broiler pan.
Remove the skin and bone from the drained salmon, and flake the salmon. Mix with remaining ingredients. Shape mixture into two loaves and place both, barely touching, on the slotted top part of the broiler pan. Bake uncovered about 30 minutes until center is firm.
Serve with egg sauce.
Note: To serve three, use same amount of ingredients, but use a 14-ounce can of salmon.
Egg Sauce
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper
¾ cup milk
1 hard-cooked egg, peeled and diced
In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter; then stir in the flour, salt and pepper until mixture bubbles. Gradually add the milk and cook until sauce thickens. Remove from heat; add egg. Stir gently.