What do Italians call a food dish that's thrown together from stuff on hand, leftovers, etc?!
Answers: In US it's called a variety of things like "casserole" or "slumgullion", sometimes "goop" or "slop". I wondered if there was an Italian equivalent to it.
Leftovers are called "avanzi" in Italian, pronounced ah-VAHN-zee. But avanzi may be used in many different ways, so may assume any number of names. For example, in Sicily, leftover risotto is often used to make "arancine" (this means oranges). The rosotto is rolled into a ball, meat or cheese is inserted into the center, the ball is dipped in egg and breadcrumbs ("mollica") and then deep fried, and comes out vaguely resembling an orange (actually, a bit smaller and tan, not orange incolor). So there is no universal umbrella term for things made from "avanzi."
chop suey italiano.
WOW! I've never heard anyone outside my immediate family say slumgullion! My grandmother used to make it the best. My mom's couldn't compete, but it wasn't leftovers. It had been a hamburger, macaroni, tomatoey concoction.
I'd think "left overs" must translate to Italian somehow, but I don't know Italian!!
dang!
Minestrone. This thick stew-soup somehow tastes better when made from leftovers than when made from scratch using fresh ingredients.
Minestrone does not have any specific recipe, and never tastes the same even when cooked by the same chef.
golash!