October 15, 2011: Leftover Pork Roast Pasta Recipe

How many times do you prepare a meal one night and find yourself with just a little bit of it left over? This happens to me a lot – particularly when I make a pork roast but there are also times when I have a single leftover chicken thigh or smoked sausage.

The question is what can you do with them? If you don’t want to eat leftovers the next day for lunch or dinner, then your task is to repurpose them. Here’s an easy way to do so.

There’s not a hard and fast recipe for using leftovers to make a pasta dish. I’ll share with you what I did with mine the other night (and this concoction used up a whole bunch of other little bits and pieces, too):

Leftover Pork and Pasta

4 ounces penne pasta

1 t. olive oil

¼ red bell pepper, thinly sliced

2 green onions, sliced on the diagonal

3 mushrooms, thinly sliced

3 small slices leftover pork loin roast, cubed

¼ cup chopped tomato (I used a couple cherry tomatoes)

½ jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained

6 - 7 black olives, sliced

1/3 cup heavy cream

2 leaves basil, chiffonade sliced

Freshly ground black pepper

Shaved Parmesan cheese (use a vegetable peeler)

Cook the pasta according to package directions.

Heat the olive oil to medium in a heavy skillet. Add the bell pepper, onions, and mushrooms. Cook just until slightly softened. Add pork, tomato, black olives and artichoke hearts. Heat through (mixture will be moist from tomatoes and artichoke hearts). Turn heat to low and add cream.

Divide pasta between two plates or bowls. Top each with half of vegetable mixture, basil, freshly ground black pepper, and shaved curls of Parmesan cheese.

This is just one example of a leftover pasta dish. Tomorrow I’ll share additional combinations of meat, vegetables, pasta and sauces that will work with just about any leftovers in your fridge.

May 4, 2011: Pork Chimichanga Recipe

The last time I made pork spareribs, they didn’t come out very tender. I was disappointed, but I didn’t want all that meat to go to waste. My solution? Cook it again, this time with moisture and additional spices, and turn it into chimichanga meat. This second-time-around meal was very delicious and even my husband, who doesn’t always like very spicy foods, enjoyed this meal.

Chimichangas are a wonderful dish to serve at a Cinco de Mayo celebration. Try them with this creamy guacamole recipe, Spanish rice, and a green salad. Oh – and margaritas, of course!

Feel free to use any leftover meat you have to make this dish. Pork or beef roast works particularly well.

Pork Chimichangas

Leftover, shredded pork or beef, about 3 cups
1 small Russet potato
1 T. olive oil
½ small white onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 t. dried oregano
1 t. ground cumin
1 chile in adobo sauce, finely minced + 1 T. adobo sauce
1 t. apple cider vinegar
½ cup water
Four burrito size flour tortillas
Oil for frying
Velveeta cheese and milk (for sauce)

Clean the potato and prick it with a fork. Microwave until done. When cool enough to handle, peel the potato and finely chop it.

In a large saucepan heated to medium heat, add the olive oil. Toss in the onion and garlic. Cook for about one minute, until the vegetables start to soften. Add remaining ingredients and turn heat to low. Simmer for up to an hour, stirring occasionally and adding water, if necessary.

Place the tortillas in the microwave and heat on high for 1 minute. Divide the meat mixture among the four tortillas; roll up tightly into burritos.

Heat enough vegetable oil in a heavy saucepan to cover the bottom and come up the sides of the pan about one-half to one inch. Heat to medium high then carefully add the burritos. Cook, turning, just until the burritos brown nicely on each side.

Prepare cheese sauce as directed on the Velveeta box.

To serve, place the chimichangas on a bed of shredded lettuce and top with cheese sauce. Serves four.