I've never really been keen on leftovers. I think that it stems from my childhood, because my father never liked leftovers and was loath to eat them (which, thankfully, my mother very rarely 'forced' him or us to do), and of course I followed him.

Despite Nigella Lawson's unbridled enthusiasm for them, up until recently, I would always very carefully clingfilm and refrigerate any left over food, only to throw it out a week later after retrieving a smelly bowl of something mouldy and unrecognisable from the corner of the fridge (OK, so I'm exaggerating - but not a lot). So I never really understood her love of leftovers.

But what I ate for lunch today has turned me around once and for all. The past few days have been incredibly stressful - searching for concert tickets, baking up a storm for Chinese New Year and so on. Today, I came home from a hectic and rainy morning in the city to my warm and quiet home. In the fridge, there was a huge bowl of what I now call Tricolore Penna Alla Vodka (so called because I added white mozzarella and green basil to the red sauce), a meaty chicken carcass leftover from a Green Masala Roast Chicken, and some cherry tomatoes. So, I ripped the meat off the chicken, chucked it into the pasta, microwaved it until piping hot, stirred in the cherry tomatoes and very generously grated pecorino cheese into it. Then I retreated to my room, sat in bed and ate this big bowl of piping hot pasta and felt that all was right with the world.


Tricolore Penne Alla Vodka

Plus...


Green Masala Roast Chicken

Equals...


Leftover heaven!