Phoenix Local Catering Business Gives Tips On Reducing Food Waste

Press release from the City of Phoenix:

June 10, 2020

Lori Harlig grew up surrounded with the mouth-watering smells of home cooked meals.

She fondly remembers her great-grandmother always cooking traditional meals for the family, but also being creative with her recipes and using almost every part of a fresh ingredient.

“One day, we came home after school to see homemade chocolate truffles as a snack," Harlig recalls. “When I questioned my great-grandmother about the ingredients she used, she said she had repurposed the leftover mashed potatoes, spiked it with powdered sugar, and then dipped them in chocolate."

Nothing ever went to waste in their household and this principle is something Harlig holds onto to this day as the owner and CEO of Amici Catering, a platinum member of Phoenix's Green Business Leader program. Amici opened for business in 2007and has been serving Valley clients with delicious food presented in innovative ways and delivered with impeccable service.

“I am proud to say that our chefs and cooks apply the (no food waste) principle in the foods they prepare and have come up with cost-effective, yet delicious recipes for our clients," said Harlig.

With the recent stay-at-home orders from the Governor, frequent trips to grocery stores are discouraged. If your household is faced with leftovers and the odds-and-ends of food ingredients until the next trip to the grocery store, Harlig offers quick cooking tips on how to reduce food waste with a simple “redesign" of a recipe using leftover ingredients:

Hearts of Broccoli Stalks - Shred the unused broccoli stalks and toss with candied spiced bacon and a balsamic fig reduction or glaze; serve as a topping on crusty bread or even grilled chicken.

Riced cauliflower – Place cauliflower in a food processor or blender to be “riced" then roast the riced cauliflower with corn and walnuts or pine nuts and serve with pesto sauce; or make some cauliflower fried rice by mixing it with any chopped vegetables in the crisper, an egg and any leftover meat, then season with salt, pepper, garlic and a dash of soy sauce.

Bread Pudding - Any leftover bread can be turned into a delicious dessert or savory pudding, even when past its prime. Simply add milk, butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla extract and bake it for about 60 minutes. A simple bread pudding recipe can be customized by adding cinnamon, nuts, raisins, chocolate chips or fruit.

Fresh herbs - Fresh herbs add another enhancement to a dish, but they can go bad before all of it can be used. To get more use out of fresh herbs, chop them up and freeze them in ice cube trays with olive oil. Take out an herb cube whenever you're ready to use it.

Mushroom Pate – If you have mushrooms on the verge of shriveling or wilting away, bring them back to life with a little sherry or red wine, garlic, walnuts and onions. If you have an eggplant lying around, add to the mix to make a great topping on pizza or pasta.

*For recipes for any of the dishes described please email us at eat@amici.catering

Related Social Media Hashtags and Handles: #FoodWaste #PHXGreenBiz #GBL Keywords: Food Waste, Recycling, recipes, green business

• Media Contact: Yvette Roeder
• Cell: 602-501-0620
• Office: 602-262-5099
• E-mail: yvette.roeder @phoenix.gov

• Secondary Contact:

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This press release was produced by the City of Phoenix. The views expressed here are the author’s own.