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Well, this is basically along the same line as soups and stews, but I like to use my rinds when I'm making vegetable stock. I always keep vegetable stock around so so I can make stuff for my vegetarian friends, but it's hard to get veg stock to be really tasty. Adding the cheese deepens the flavor of the stock A LOT, since the glutamates in the cheese leach out into the stock. Not good for vegans, obviously, but great for vegetarians.

- Amelia of Gradually Greener

I like to put them into broth for minestrone. Or even just a very simple bean soup.

I think the key is not to wait for a soup recipe that calls for them, and just throw them in! As long as the flavours "go", I think you'll be okay, and it can only make soup more delicious. I might not put a cheese rind in Carrot and Coriander soup, for instance, but Minestrone, Leek & Potato, Broccoli, etc. are all fair game. I've also used them for stock, like Amelia.

Kitchenist

Really good for flavoring steamed artichokes. Add some chicken broth, onion and lemon juice and a cheese rind or two and it's a delicious broth!

My parents are from Northern Italy and during the war, would obviously never waste anything most especially food. We've always had our parmesan rinds as follows: Scrape the writing off and then put on the BBQ to grill. What you get a chewy piece of smokey parmesan that is packed with flavour. Nothing reminds me more of home as much as this!

There's a recipe for a great ribollita stew on here that I've made before, and it calls for a parm rind. It's an absolutely divine recipe.
http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/recipe-review/recipe-recommendation-ribollita-066244

Throw them in to simmer with your spaghetti sauce. Then, fight with everyone at the table over who gets a piece of it.

I'm with Bicycleprincess, although it never occured to me to eat it (silly me). Just be careful with the salt if you do that, you might not need as much as you usually do.

This Dean & Deluca recipe for Pasta Fagioli with Rind of Parm is sublime, and the method of using the rind can be adapted lots of different ways.

http://www.deandeluca.com/recipes/recipe_pasta_e_fagioli_with_rind_of_parmigiano-reggiano.aspx

Riffing off avabelle, the Union Square Cookbook has some amazing recipes for Italian white beans: Fagioli alla Toscana (http://labellecuisine.com/Archives/Side%20Dishes/Fagioli%20alla%20Toscana.htm) and Fagioli all' Uccelletto.

Both are great either as a rich veggie main or side dish (think pork), or to pile on top of bruschetta. Now, I always boil my Italian style beans with the parm or pecorino rind to give them deep almost-umami-like flavor.

Another great idea - this one inspired by a friend of mine - is Parmesan Oil! It's similar to other flavoured olive oils (like garlic rosemary, chilli, etc), and makes a great dip for breads, or to drizzle on salads etc. Just heat up some oil, pour it over your rind, steep till cool (or longer, if you'd like the flavour stronger) then strain and store as you would any other flavoured oil.

OH wow I read this then JUST read this post...microwave them! I would have never thought of that but it looks good! Great instructions here:

http://www.foodgeekery.com/meal-ideas/puff-that-parm/

Pasta sauce, soups, ratatouille, bean dishes-possibilities are endless!

i wrap them in foil and freeze them, and throw them into lentil soup, and vegetable soup. mmmm.

I started saving the rinds too but never get around to using them. This is great inspiration!

Oh, yes, we throw a rind into almost every soup we make. The heat releases all the remaining P-R goodness into whatever it touches.

We store our rinds in the freezer until needed.

I sometimes let the dog have them. He loves PR (licks up any accidentally sprinkled on the floor during the grating) and i figure they are reasonable things for him to chew on, good for his teeth, etc. I suspect if i froze them for soup, I would forget about them (I am bad like that).