Clean-Out-the-Fridge Soup

If you have nice things in your refrigerator, this can be a lot better than it sounds--and is key to frugal good living. I make it nearly every time I roast a chicken.

How does it work?

Day 1: I made stock from the Sunday Dinner roasted chicken carcass and the trimmings of the to-be-roasted vegetables (especially the leek tops!) by boiling them for several hours in a large quantity of water, allowing to cool and then draining through a colander for a nice, clear broth.

Day 2: I pureed the leftover roasted vegetables and added them to the stock along with the leftover gravy, leftover b'stilla filling, leftover cabrito in sauce which my friend Anne had brought over for lunch, and leftover cabrito garnish (chopped onion and cilantro).

I stirred it all up and heated it until piping. I seasoned with leftover Ras el Hanout, a spice mixture I'd made for the b'stillas.

Served with buttered toast, it was a wonderful Moroccan chicken soup. Other clean-out-fridge soups may play with a different culinary theme--Thai, Indian, Hungarian, etc. It all depends on what's in the fridge.