Leftovers are the Rodney Dangerfields of the culinary world. They get no respect. Which is too bad since they offer such great possibilities. Well, maybe not meatloaf; my mother used to make leftover meatloaf sandwiches for our lunchboxes. Big relief when it was gone and we went on to cc and o (cream cheese and olive) or cheddar and mustard.
Leaving aside meatloaf, many leftovers lend themselves to all kinds of things, like leftover roast chicken turning into hot curried chicken salad. It doesn’t work with everything, of course. Leftover curried fish is pretty much leftover curried fish though you can fold it into a taco shell, add avocado, fresh fruit salsa, some yogurt or sour cream and pretend.
But when you start with something that doesn’t have a strong personality – like a Sunday roast – the potential is huge.
Take pork. Slice the extra fat off a pork loin or shoulder or blade roast. Slather it in herbs, bank it with potatoes, carrots, parsnips, celery, onions – usually a 15-minute prep — and shove it into a 350-degree oven for an hour or two until a meat thermometer reads 160-165 degrees (be sure it’s done, but don’t overcook it). A very satisfying way to end a weekend and stoke up for the week ahead. More important, you’ve now got a host of possibilities for the pork’s next incarnation. And since the meat’s already cooked, most take little time to prepare.
You can always make hash: Chop the pork fairly fine, hack up the leftover veggies, stir it all together and pat it into a hot frying pan with a little olive oil and butter (for flavor). Cook until there’s a lovely crust on both sides. Serve with a runny-yolked fired egg on top if you’re into that kinda thing.
Or pork bbq sandwich – chop it fine or even shred it in the food processor, heat it in your favorite bbq sauce and pile it along with sautéed peppers and onions onto a Kaiser roll with some slaw on the side.
Both are standard American options, but you can also broaden the repertoire with other cuisines — –Mexican, Upper Mongolian, whatever — each of which automatically suggests a palate of ingredients.
Chinese offers easy pork lo mein. Cook spaghetti or rice noodles in beef broth (made with a bullion cube). Meanwhile sauté some thin-sliced cabbage, scallions, garlic, maybe a tin of bamboo shoots and one of sliced water chestnuts. Add soy sauce, pepper, and ginger (about 2-3 minutes). Add very thin-sliced leftover pork and heat through. Drain spaghetti but save broth. Add about a cup of broth to the vegetables and meat. Thicken with a little cornstarch diluted in cold water and stir until bubbly and thickened. Add noodles, stir to coat, and drizzle with a little toasted sesame oil for flavor.
Or: moo shu pork, which is basically sliced pork, sautéed cabbage and some Chinese seasonings. If you happen to have wonton wrappers and moo shu sauce so much the better.
For Mexican you can do shredded pork, carnitas de Pico de Gallo, chile and pineapple pork tacos, pork chili with beans and peppers, pork stew in green salsa if you’ve got tomatillos and cilantro, or posole.
The beauty of having already cooked meat is that even after a long day it then takes only about fifteen or twenty minutes to put together a delicious wholesome dinner that doesn’t taste the slightest bit leftover.
https://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pork-Stew-in-Green-Salsa-Guisado-de-Puerco-con-Tomatillos/Detail.aspx
https://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pozole-in-a-Slow-Cooker/Detail.aspx
https://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Home-style-Tacos-al-Pastor-Chile-and-Pineapple-Pork-Tacos/Detail.aspx
https://allrecipes.com//Recipe/mexican-style-shredded-pork/Detail.aspx
Ellen Chamberlin says
I get the feeling that you cook like I do. Just throw a bunch of things that work together in a mix and you have it. I almost like leftovers better because you can play more and it doesn’t seem to have as much pressure to be something in particular. Your ideas are great my daughter just bought a pig with a bunch of friends so I now have lots of pork in my freezer. I’m going to cook the park roast tomorrow. Good Timing.
Nancy Taylor Robson says
Ellen, I think lots of people cook this way, particularly living in the country where you don’t run out to the boulangerie or patisserie at a moment’s notice. (I may be able to live and work in Paris in my NEXT life). One fun thing about having a big lot of something ( like a whole pig!) is you can use the opportunity to try a bunch of different things, and then choose what you’re going to be happy to make over and over without bothering with a recipe. I’ll look forward to hearing what you, Laura & Co. have created.