RECIPES
CURATED BY THOMAS FRANK CHEFS
Introduction
Zero-waste cooking is an increasingly important part of our everyday kitchen practises across Thomas Franks. Not only is it great for the environment, it’s also fantastic for rethinking how we use ingredients, challenging ourselves to be more creative in our approach to cooking. Ultimately, it’s about being mindful of what we already have in our kitchens and finding opportunities to minimise our impact. Our chefs have put together these recipes to inspire you, so let your imagination run wild - you’d be surprised how many flavours you can extract from things you would normally throw away!
We would love to see your ideas, so tag any social media posts with #TFzerowaste to share your zero-waste creative recipes!
TOP 10 TIPS FOR REDUCING KITCHEN WASTE
Here are some of our chefs’ top tips for zero-waste cooking:
1. Use Every Part of the Ingredient Vegetable Scraps: Save the peels, stems and cores from vegetables like carrots, potatoes and cauliflower. You can use them to make vegetable stock or turn them into soups, stews or even crisps. Fruit Scraps: Fruit peels, cores and seeds can also be turned into jams, compotes or smoothies. Don’t forget to freeze citrus zest for later use in dressings or baked goods. Herb Stems: The stems of herbs like
parsley, coriander and rosemary often have just as much flavour as the leaves. Add them to stocks, sauces or grind them up to make herb blends.
2. Compost Your Waste
For any food scraps that can’t be used in the kitchen, make sure to compost them where possible! It’s an easy way to keep things out of landfill and create rich soil that can be used either on-site or elsewhere.
3. Repurpose Leftovers
Leftover grains (rice, quinoa, etc.) can be turned into fritters or breakfast bowls once chilled and stored correctly. Roast leftover vegetables with some spices to create a new dish or salad topping. Stale bread can be repurposed into breadcrumbs, croutons or even bread pudding.
4. Buy in Bulk
This reduces packaging waste. When you purchase grains, legumes, nuts and spices in bulk, you eliminate the need for plastic bags or singleuse containers.
5. Store Properly
Reduce food waste by extending the life of your fresh ingredients. Use airtight containers, glass jars or reusable bags to store produce. The better you store, the less food you throw away.
6. Cook with Seasonal Ingredients
Focus on seasonal produce since it’s more likely to be local, fresh and less wasteful in terms of energy consumption during transportation.
7. Repurpose Bones and Meat Scraps
Save bones from roast chicken or beef to make a rich bone broth that can be used in soups and sauces. Even fish bones can be used in stock.
minimising waste across the board. For example, use the same vegetable in a soup and a salad, or repurpose rice from dinner into a stir-fry the next day.
9. Get Creative with Preserving Instead of letting extra herbs or vegetables wilt, consider freezing them or making homemade pickles or sauces that you can use later.
10. Use Reusable Storage
Eliminate single-use plastic and wasteful packaging with reusable storage containers. Please reach out to the Culinary team to see a list of options available.
8. Create a “Waste-Free” Menu Plan
Plan menus that make use of similar ingredients so that you’re
HEALTH & SAFETY POINTS
• No glass.
• No reuse of food that has been put out for display / service.
• Reuse of rice only if cooled down with a blast chiller
BROCCOLI STALKS
BROCCOLI STALKS
RECIPES OVERLEAF
RED CABBAGE AND BROCCOLI SAUERKRAUT
Ingredients
2 red cabbage
100g carrot
100g broccoli stalks
45g garlic
4g caraway seeds
15g crushed chilli
15g coriander seeds
40g sea salt
Method
1. Wash the cabbage, fennel and carrot, then julienne & purée garlic
2. Place in a large bowl add the spices and salt
3. Massage vigorously until the cabbage has soften and releases some moisture
4.Pack into jar or storage bag and leave for 4-10 days. Store in fridge.
Grate: raw into slaws, add to bhajis
Slice: pickle or roast with pumpkin seeds
Blend: soups or houmous
BROCCOLI BHAJI
Ingredients
150g flour
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chopped ginger
1 tsp garlic
1 green chilli, finely chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
300g broccoli stocks, grated Nigella seeds for dusting
Method
Mix all dry ingredients, bind with water, make into balls and fry on 180°c until gold brown, dust in nigella seeds.
NOTE: Gluten in Bhaji
CARROTS
VEGETABLE PEEL PAKORAS
CARROT TOP PESTO
CARROTS
RECIPES OVERLEAF
Ends: pesto, houmous and stock powder
Peel: crispy or in a pakora
Bendy: peel and soak in cold water for 8 hours
Ingredients
250g vegetable peel, a mix of anything from potato, carrot and parsnip to sweet potato and pea pods, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 inch piece ginger, finely chopped
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric
Splash Soda water 20g cornflour
80g flour
Sunflower oil, for frying
Flaky sea salt
Method
1. Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl, adding a splash of soda water to loosen the mix to form a thick batter.
2. Dip your hands in water (helps stop the mixture sticking to hands) gather a small amount of the mix and drop into 180°c oil. Fry on each side until the pakoras are golden brown, drain on a paper towel, season and serve.
Ingredients
200g carrot tops
100g parmesan cheese
150g roasted seeds (any type)
250ml olive oil
5 garlic cloves
50ml lemon juice
Method
1. Make the pesto by combining carrot tops, grated cheese, garlic and seeds in a food processor.
2. Once chopped, add olive oil, lemon juice and season.
CAULIFLOWER LEAVES & ROOT
CAULIFLOWER LEAVES & ROOT
RECIPES OVERLEAF
Leaves: slice into slaws add as garnish
Stem: pickle or crispy for salads and toppers
Root: grate, purée or dice into salads
ZERO WASTE CAULIFLOWER CHEESE
Ingredients
1 cauliflower
50g unsalted butter
50g plain flour
500ml milk of choice
200g cheddar, grated
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Pinch of ground nutmeg
Salt & pepper
Method
1. Break the cauliflower into large florets, cut the stalk into small chunks and roughly chop the leaves. Boil the cauliflower florets and stalk for 5 minutes, until just tender. Drain and pack the florets, stalk and leaves into your dish.
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat. Add the flour and whisk until a paste forms. Cook for a minute then gradually add the milk, whisking constantly until you have a thick sauce. Turn off the heat and stir in 150g of grated cheddar, nutmeg and mustard. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Pour the cheese sauce over the cauliflower. Sprinkle with the extra grated cheddar and bake in the oven at 180°c for 20-25 minutes.
CAULIFLOWER LEAF STEM CHIPS
Ingredients
Stems from cauliflower
Olive oil
Sprinkle of sea salt & cracked black pepper
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
Method
1. Prepare cauliflower and remove stems & add to a tray or bowl. Coat in the oil and make sure it is all over the stems, add remaining dry ingredients & mix well.
2. Bake at around 180°c until crispy.
ONIONS
ONIONS
Skins: dry and blitz, add to salts and spices
Ends: blend raw and freeze for sautéed bases
All of it: stocks and sauces
HOMEMADE ONION POWDER
Ingredients
Onion skins
Method
1. Place onion skins onto baking sheet and place in the oven at 65°c for 3 hours.
2. Once the skins are completely dry, crush them up by hand and put into your blender.
3. Run on high until they are powdered. If still a little damp put back into the oven at the same heat until dry, check at 5 min intervals.
HOMEMADE VEGETABLE STOCK
Ingredients
Vegetable scraps (celery tops,carrot ends,the ends of onions, cauliflower cores, garlic cloves green beans, tomato cores, broccoli stalks)
Water
Salt (optional)
Method
1. Throw the scraps into a large pot and add water, cover the vegetables with water.
2. Simmer the veg for about half an hour.
3. Strain. Set a metal colander inside a metal bowl and place everything into the colander. Lift out the colander and reserve the scraps for the compost pile.
4.Pour the stock into a container, place in refrigerator and chill.
POTATO
POTATO
RECIPES OVERLEAF
Peel: roasted till crispy or homemade hash browns
Mash: add to soups or make bubble & squeak or gnocchi
New: salads or squash into mini tartlets for bite size quiche
POTATO PEEL HASH BROWNS
Ingredients
500g potato peelings 125g onion ends, wasted bits (no roots or skin )
Salt and pepper to taste 150g flour
30g corn flour
Method
1. Rinse the potatoes until the water is clear.
2. Pulse the potato peelings into smaller bits and transfer to a bowl, blend the onions and add to potato peels. Season and add the flour and corn flour.
3. Mix until all incorporated.
4.Fry in batches in a hot pan until thoroughly cooked or grease a tray and bake until cooked through.
5. Cook on 180 degree c for 25/30 mins depending on size or till 75 c in the middle.
ZERO WASTE BUBBLE & SQUEAK
Ingredients
500g cold mashed potato
100g cauliflower leaves
50g carrot trimming
50g broccoli stalks, grated
2 cloves garlic
50g butter
Pinch sea salt
Pinch black pepper
50g flour
Method
1. Sauté the cauliflower, broccoli and carrot until soft.
2. Add butter and combine with the mash.
3. Mould into round cakes and chill.
4.Flour and seal on both sides in a pan with a little oil.
5. Bake until hot in centre.