Recipes: dinner from leftovers

Serves 4.

Note: Jimmy Bannos Jr., chef/partner at the Purple Pig in Chicago, reached into the pantry for flour, then turned the eggs into a homemade pasta dough enriched with the mustard and mayonnaise.

• 1 rotisserie chicken

• 1/2 yellow onion, diced

• Olive oil

• 1 tsp. tomato paste

• 1/2 c. white wine

• 2 1/2 c. flour, plus more if needed

• Salt

• 2 whole eggs

• 4 egg yolks

• 1 1/2 tbsp. Dijon mustard

• Chunk of leftover bread

• Pepper

• 2 tbsp. butter, cut in small cubes

• Hot sauce

• Parmesan

Make a broth with the chicken: Pick chicken off the bones; set meat aside. In a large saucepan, sweat onion in a small amount of olive oil. (Optional: Chop garlic and dice 1 carrot and 1 rib celery, then sweat all vegetables.) Add tomato paste and white wine. Add bones; add cold water to barely cover. Heat to a boil; allow to simmer, 1 to 2 hours. (Add thyme and bay leaf to stock, if you have them.)

Prepare pasta dough: Place flour and a pinch of salt in a food processor; pulse to blend. Add 2 whole eggs and 4 egg yolks, mustard and mayonnaise. Pulse until dough just begins to come together. Knead dough on a floured board, 5 to 10 minutes. (You may need up to 1/2 cup more flour.) Wrap with plastic wrap. Let rest, 20 minutes. (Tip: enjoy a glass of wine while the dough rests.)

Roll dough with pasta roller into 1/16-inch sheets. Cut dough into 1/2-inch-wide noodles. Dust with flour; set aside.

Chop a hunk of bread into breadcrumbs. In a bowl, lightly coat with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet; toast in a 350-degree oven until golden brown.

Strain stock, discarding bones and reserving vegetables. Cook the pasta in a large pot of well-salted boiling water (it should taste like seawater) until slightly al dente.

Nutrition information per serving:

Calories760Fat29 gSodium590 mgSaturated fat10 g

Carbohydrates70 gCalcium76 mg

Protein52 gCholesterol400 mgDietary fiber3 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 5 bread/starch, 5 lean meat, 3 fat.

Note: Tanya Steel, Epicurious editor-in-chief: "This is how I cook many nights a week — I come home, peer into the fridge and make an impromptu recipe with whatever I have on hand. I always have frozen veggies, all manner of pasta and noodles, and cans of tomato purée, beans, tuna and chickpeas on hand. With these ingredients, plus the mystery basket items, the Italian stracciatella soup came to mind. This classic recipe is an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink bowl of goodness. Besides being the perfect canvas to add almost anything you have in your pantry, it can be very healthy, inexpensive, and improves if you make it ahead."

• 1 tbsp. butter

• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped

• 2 carrots, chopped

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 4 c. shredded cooked chicken

• 1 bay leaf

• 1/4 c. mayonnaise

• 1/4 c. mustard

• Thin bread slices

• 1/4 c. grated Parmesan

• Hot sauce

Directions

Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add onion, carrots and garlic; sauté until lightly golden. Add broth, 2 cups cold water, chicken and bay leaf. Heat to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise and mustard. Spread on thin bread slices. Place on a baking sheet; bake at 350 degrees until lightly golden brown, about 8 minutes.

Nutrition information per each of 6 servings:

Calories400Fat21 gSodium510 mgSaturated fat6 gCarbohydrates15 gCalcium155 mg

Protein35 gCholesterol185 mgDietary fiber2 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1 bread/starch, 4 lean meat, 2 fat.

Serves 4.

• 1 to 2 tbsp. freshly grated ginger

• 2 tbsp. oil

• 4 c. chicken broth

• 1 tbsp. cornstarch

• 2 tbsp. water

• 1 1/2 c. cooked rice

• Chunk of bread cut into 4 slices

• 1/3 c. mayonnaise

• 1/2 tsp. hot sauce

• 1/2 tsp. minced garlic

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

• Thinly sliced green onions

Directions

In a large saucepan, cook ginger in oil over medium heat, 2 minutes. Add broth; heat to a boil.

In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water. Add cornstarch mixture to the broth in a stream, whisking. Return to a boil; boil, 1 minute. Add chicken and cooked rice; cook just until hot.

Turn off heat under saucepan. While stirring the broth with a spoon in one direction, add lightly beaten eggs in a stream. The eggs should form long strands. Ladle soup into 4 soup bowls; serve each sprinkled with thinly sliced green onions and topped with 2 garlic sesame toasts.

Nutrition information per serving:

Calories496Fat30 gSodium1,190 mgSaturated fat5 g

Carbohydrates27 gCalcium81 mg

Protein27 gCholesterol160 mgDietary fiber1 g

Serves 6.

Note: Marcela Valladolid, Food Network star and cookbook author, suggested an easy-to-make frittata that "will taste delicious with pretty much any ingredient you put in it. Experiment with your favorite meats or cheeses. You can also add any lightly sautéed mixture like zucchini or asparagus."

• Chunk of bread

• 1 tbsp. mayonnaise

• Salt and pepper

• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped

• 1/2 c. shredded rotisserie chicken

• 1 tsp. mustard

• 6 eggs

• 1 tbsp. water

Directions

For the bread crumbs: Process leftover hunk of bread in a food processor until it becomes bread crumbs, about 2 minutes. Heat mayonnaise in a skillet on medium-high heat. Stir in 1/4 cup bread crumbs. Cook until bread crumbs are crisp and golden, about 4 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Reserve for later use.

For the frittata: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add half a yellow onion, chopped; cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add chicken; cook for 2 minutes. Add bread crumbs and mustard; mix well.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, beat eggs with 1 tablespoon water and hot sauce. Add eggs to the pan, season with salt and pepper. Cook, lifting edges with a spatula to allow uncooked eggs to flow to the bottom. When frittata is partially cooked, 7 to 10 minutes, slide skillet into 425-degree oven. Bake until puffed, golden and set, 8 to 10 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before serving. Serve with bottled hot sauce.

Nutrition information per serving:

Protein11 gCholesterol210 mgDietary fiber1 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving: ½ bread/starch, 1 ½ lean meat, 1 ½ fat.

Serves 2 to 3.

Note: Ina Pinkney, a k a "The Breakfast Queen," Chicago restaurateur and cookbook author, cooked up a savory bread pudding.

• 2 c. bread cubes (in 1/2 in. cubes)

• 2 tsp. butter

• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped

• Salt and white pepper

• 1 tbsp. mayonnaise

• 1 tbsp. mustard

• 2 egg yolks

• 1 whole egg

• 1 c. milk or half-and-half

• 1 tsp. kosher salt

• 1/2 tsp. ground white pepper

• 1 1/2 c. cooked chicken, coarsely chopped

• 1 tsp. finely chopped fresh tarragon, plus more for garnish

Directions

Heat oven to 200 degrees. Spread bread cubes on a cookie sheet; bake 20 minutes until bread dries out but doesn't brown. Let bread cool.

Put olive oil, butter and onion in a skillet; cook over moderate heat until soft and golden, about 5 minutes. Season lightly with salt and white pepper; allow to cool.

In a large bowl, combine bread cubes, cooked chicken, onion mixture and tarragon. Toss to combine. Pour egg mixture over chicken mixture; toss gently but thoroughly. Refrigerate mixture to allow bread to soak up egg mixture, 30 to 60 minutes.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Pour bread mixture into a 1-quart casserole coated with nonstick spray. Cover with foil. Place casserole into a larger ovenproof pan; fill larger pan with hot water to reach about halfway up the side of the smaller pan. Bake 30 minutes. Remove foil; bake until golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. Serve garnished with chopped tarragon.

Nutrition information per each of 3 servings:

Calories390Fat22 gSodium990 mg Saturated fat6 gCarbohydrates18 gCalcium205 mgProtein29 gCholesterol255 mgDietary fiber1 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1 bread/starch, 4 medium-fat meat, ½ fat.

Note: Lynne Rossetto Kasper, host of "The Splendid Table" (and its "Stump the Cook" segment) on American Public Media, offered a salad: "You want more than chicken-egg salad sandwiches from this mashup. I say go for something out of the ordinary. Brown halved hard-cooked eggs for big, almost meaty flavors, especially if you've stuffed them first.. Wait until you taste what shards of crisp chicken skin can do for a salad."

• 6 eggs

• 2 to 3 tsp. mayonnaise

• 1/2 tsp. mustard

• 3 whole almonds, crushed

• 1 tsp. lemon juice

• 2 to 4 dashes hot sauce

• Olive oil

• Skin from rotisserie chicken

• Chunk of bread

• 1 large garlic clove, minced

• Salt and pepper

• Salad greens

• Lemon juice or vinegar

Directions

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine onion, lemon juice and hot sauce. Let mellow, 15 minutes.

For cracklings, lightly film a large skillet with olive oil; set over medium heat. Once hot, carefully spread chicken skin pieces fat side down in skillet. Cook until most of the fat melts away from the skin. Gently turn pieces; crisp the second side. Drain on paper towels.

Drop pieces of bread into a running food processor to make coarse crumbs. Rewarm the skillet over medium heat. Swirl in butter; once it's hot, but not burning, drop in bread crumbs, garlic, and a little salt and pepper. Stir until crumbs are golden and crisp. Turn out onto a paper towel.

Wipe out skillet. Film bottom of the skillet with olive oil; heat over medium-high. Cook the eggs flat side down until speckled with brown, 3 minutes. Arrange salad greens on plates. Arrange eggs on the greens; sprinkle lightly with olive oil and lemon juice or vinegar, salt and pepper, and any leftover filling. Dust with bread crumbs; tuck shards of the chicken crackling here and there.

Nutrition information per each of 6 servings:

Protein13 gCholesterol212 mgDietary fiber1 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1 vegetable, 1 ½ medium-fat meat, 3 ½ fat.