In this season of feasting, we have the opportunity to get creative with our abundant resources for days and weeks after. We buy a lot of food, never wanting to be without enough for everyone or surprise visitors. Being wasteful with good intentions and a modicum of perfectionism — it happens at this time of year, so relax. But you can still make use of what you buy if you don’t fear the “S” words: Stock and Soup.

I love sandwiches with every bit of the holiday meal piled on some good bread . . . for a day. Maybe two. After that, it gets boring. Soup is a favorite way to repurpose leftovers, use meat carcasses and introduce new flavors. Making soup doesn’t require a precise recipe. No measuring — please. Stock — poultry, beef, vegetable, pork or ham, fish — is easy and always useful. Most soups begin here. And making stock is extremely rewarding. 

If you’ve made soup, you have accomplished something. That’s what I tell myself on my days off, when that’s all I can muster. It’s humble, but more impressive than laundry. 

Meat, fish or poultry stock is made with bones with a bit of meat left on them, aromatics such as onion (including the skins), celery (leaves and core), carrots, fennel (fronds and stalks), parsnips, bay leaves, peppercorns, garlic, herbs (stems and all) or whatever you have. Remember: no rules, no recipe. Save your kitchen scraps as you’re making the meal. They’re good! Do not compost them! Or toss in the garbage disposal . . . oh no! Also, don’t discard leftover gravy or sauce. Throw it in there! Wine or a touch of vinegar can help release flavor from the bones, especially if you cut them into small pieces with kitchen shears. Consider re-roasting the bones first: Toss in oil, roast for 45 minutes on a baking sheet in a 450-degree oven. Transfer to a stock pot and cover with water. Cook over medium-high heat and then simmer for at least 2-3 hours. Try adding Parmesan rinds (you do save them, don’t you?), tomato paste, bacon or pancetta, or aromatic spices like star anise or ginger. Skim occasionally throughout the cooking process. Cool and pour through a fine-mesh strainer.

To make vegetable stock, add rutabaga, bell peppers, leeks, hard squash, cabbage or any green (save stems of kale or chard) to your onion-celery-carrots-herbs mixture. A small amount of lentils adds a rich flavor. Try miso, roasted tomato, nutritional yeast and liquid aminos for even more depth of flavor. If you have a lot of leftover fresh herbs, puree them with some olive oil and stir that in. Leftover mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, pearl onions, any and all leftover veggies are perfect. 

What soup will you make? I want to use rich brown turkey stock and infuse lots of garlic and a couple of rinds of Parmigiano Reggiano I’ve been saving. I’ll have leftover brussels sprouts and butternut squash to throw in. Add white beans and some of the remaining turkey meat. Pancetta. Chopped sage and rosemary. Soup, in all its cozy, comfy, frugal glory!

If your stock is flavorful and properly seasoned you’re ready to make soup right then and there. Or freeze it for another day. Give some away in a big jar!

Enjoy a one-dish meal that is delicious and soothing and know that you’ve done something to prevent food waste in your home.