Help me clear out the fridge

[blairhoney]

Last weekend I bought a load of beautiful produce and other goodies from the farmer's market - and then I got sick, and ate barely any of it. So now I have the following, in slightly limp week-old form:

- swiss chard
- russet potatoes
- green-top carrots
- leeks
- shallots
- chicken backs (already cooked, basically bone, no meat)
- fresh thyme
- block of feta
- plums (these are pretty squishy now)
- lemons

I need some inspiration on what to make. I'm thinking cream of carrot soup with the potatoes, carrots, leeks, and chicken backs - but I'm pretty stumped on the chard and plums. Is limp chard still okay in a quiche? I know it won't be great sauteed now (my usual method). I thought of making a plum tart but don't have a tart pan, and there are only 3 small/medium plums anyway.

Anyone have any ideas? Things that can sit in the fridge for a couple days as leftovers or be frozen are great.

[ollyoxenfree]

You could make soup with the swiss chard, if you have enough leeks and potato for a second pot of soup.

You can substitute the chard for basil in a pesto recipe. I might add some herb or a little of the lemon to brighten up the flavour a little.

For the plums, how about using them in a clafouti (basically a big, sweet pancake) or a fruit gratin (chop them, mix with brown sugar, cinnamon etc., and butter, and bake in a small casserole dish).

[kallyn]

You can blanch the chard in boiling salted water (only for like...30 seconds to a minute, tops), dunk it in ice water to stop it cooking, squeeze the water out, and freeze it. You can use it like you would frozen spinach later. I do this whenever I get way too many greens from my CSA, it works for all of them, although heartier greens may need up to 2 minutes.

For the plums, you can do what I call "baked fruit." It's a great way to use up stuff past its prime or to use up some fruit from the freezer. I end up doing it with plums a lot for some reason! Just cut the plums up and put them in a small baking dish (along with any other fruit you have, or frozen berries, or whatever). Add a little spoon of flour or something else to thicken it up (arrowroot, cornstarch) and dot the top with butter. You can also add cinnamon or extra sweetener if you want. Then just bake at 375 until it gets bubbly and thick, probably 30-45 minutes-ish. Good toppings to eat it with are whipped cream, chopped nuts, a drizzle of macadamia butter, etc, whatever tickles your fancy.

[LaughingHyena]

I make this when the plums have gone a bit soft. I find you can cut the sugar quite a lot
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/plumclafoutis_11536.

stewed fruit with yoghurt or rice pudding is also popular with my kids. It freezes well, I've been know to freeze it in ice cube trays for a quick addition to porridge in the morning.

Jamie Oliver has a nice recipe for a leek and turkey pie
http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/t...sweet-leek-pie
we sometimes do it with mashed potatoes on top instead of the pastry.