Pitt-y Panna - the Art of Using Up Leftovers

Fanny shows throughout the Cookery Programme her flair for bringing dishes from Europe (or the Common Market as Fanny referred to it then) to the British dinner table, and this self-saucing Scandinavian supper dish is a perfect example. Apparently it is enjoyed by Swedish people, particularly after the Theatre, in very grand hotels while their teenagers are also 'forking it up in their flatlets'. Really, that's what Fanny says. She is keen to teach us all that there is a very fine art to turning the simplest of leftovers into fabulous treats, and this she says turns ordinary cooks and chefs into Super-Cooks. So here goes, I want to be a Super-Cook.

This recipe comes at just the right time as I have plenty of bits of food left over after having friends round for dinner. Not out to the theatre, oh dear. Fannys recipe calls for leftover bread, potatoes, bacon and eggs - but in the spirit of actually using leftovers I am substituting the potato for some squash I have to hand. As ever, it seems fairly simple to put together, but really isn't something I would've thought of. I need to dice the squash and fry it gently first of all.

Then, the same with the bread - cut into croûtons and fry gently until they are golden. I am cooking them in rapeseed oil and butter, so they take on a fantastic colour. Fanny suggests any cooking oil (even dripping, but only if it is VERY clean) and notes that the croûtons should take up every scrap of oil as they start to brown. They do. 

I add a sprinkle of my favourite smoky substitute flavour in place of the bacon - Paprika - and mix the squash and croûtons together, with some seasoning. They need to be piping hot when served, so I heat them slowly and gently while I prepare the eggs. This simply involves separating the whites (which are not used) from the yolks and returning the yolks to one half of the cracked shells. 

To serve, Fanny says that the Swedish pop the mixture into a bowl, make an indent in the middle and place the yolk-in-shell in the centre. So, if that's what they do in Sweden, that's what I do too. At the table, each person tips the yolk into the hot contents and stirs with a fork - creating the sauce. That's it, and that's what I do. Simple as it is, it is very tasty and really comforting - just the sort of thing I'd love after the theatre, or even a simple Sunday night supper. Clearly I am beyond forking it up in my flatlet.