who used to keep a perfectly good slightly used tissue for cleaning the corners of the bathroom mirror or polishing shoes. But I do fit really well in this corner of the world that sits on the seamed edges of Umbria and Tuscany where next to nothing is thrown away.

Last night I cut all the remaining lamb from the bone leftover over from our roast and simmered it along with the bone in a soffritto of finely chopped celery, carrot, onion and garlic, a bay leaf, a sprig of rosemary and a few fresh sage leaves. I had a few seeded tomatoes in the fridge in one cup and their juice reserved in another, and I added both along with a hefty pour of leftover white wine (you could use red) once the soffritto was completely tender and caramelized. Reducing the wine to nearly nothing softens the flavor, and then after that, a brand new can of plum tomatoes squished til smoothish. Everything together simmered for nearly two hours; as needed add water or stock taste for salt, pepper and even a pinch of sugar. In a separate pan I cooked up the last of some dried cannellini with another bone, a piece of tomato, sage, a garlic clove and a pour of olive oil, after soaking them. When they were tender I added the beans with a bit of their cooking liquid and finished the whole thing with just a little bit of butter, off the heat.
We had it served over cheesy buttery polenta with a side of roasted cauliflower, roasted tomatoes, a few (leftover) chopped green olives, capers, and the last of the string beans, all tossed together.
The leftover braised zucchini got stirred up with extra walnuts, raisins, olive oil, white balsamic, lemon zest, mint and parsley.

For dessert: lemon tart that I made from new and a bounty of biscotti and chocolate that the ladies brought back from their tour through the wine country, broken up and passed around.