November Recipes:

“UTILIZING YOUR LEFTOVERS” MONTHLY COLUMN: NOVEMBER 2009

Utilizing leftovers – I hate to say, it but I love the task of turning the night’s leftovers into something really special. Starting this month I will be posting various items that are commonly leftover in the fridges of the average Canadian household that you can turn into something tasty. Let’s not forget, some things taste better when they are left in the fridge for a 24 hour periods, examples: meatloaf, pasta sauce and soups, stocks with the mirepoix and bones left in the liquid after cooling (also referred to as steeping), casseroles, the list can go on..those items taste incredible when they are left to sit after cooking for a longer than normal time – under the proper refrigeration and temperature control first.

Pork is a very common item in the common household – it’s relatively cheap, everybody loves it and it’s very versatile. With a left over pot roast or roasted pork tenderloin you could easily make it into so many other tasty things, some of my favourites are mentioned here and so are the recipes. With this common leftover item, I love making pulled pork on a Ciabatta bun with coleslaw and maybe some potato chips for lunch, then make the rest into a pork Pad Thai with a spicy sauce, crispy vegetables and rice noodles with some peanuts for dinner the next evening. So the other night, I utilized a left over pork pot roast into two incredible recipes: an easy southern-style pulled pork sandwich on ciabatta with coleslaw and a pork Pad Thai. Here are the two recipes you can try at home with a big leftover piece of pork – everyone in the family will love them and you can prepare ahead of time and store in your freezer up to six months.

Easy Pulled Pork with Home-Made Coca-Cola BBQ Sauce (approx. 4 servings)

1 ½ of a left over 1.2 kg pork pot roast

2 whole white onions, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups ketchup

6 cups cola

4 cups brown sugar

1 cup white vinegar

4 Ciabatta buns, toasted

½ tbsp Cumin powder

1 tbsp dried hot paprika

1 tbsp garlic powder

2 tbsp mustard powder

Salt and black pepper to taste


Method:

1.)  Take left over pork and cut roughly into large chunks. Set aside.

2.)  Slice white onions thinly and sweat in small saucepot with butter and garlic.

3.)  Add ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, coca cola, cumin, paprika, dry mustard powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper to the pot and simmer. After the BBQ sauce is simmering, put the pork that was set aside earlier and put into the simmering sauce then reduce to medium to low heat uncovered.

4.)  Let the meat cook until it breaks apart and the sauce reduces down and thickens. Adjust the consistency with water if needed, and the seasonings if needed. Taste should be slightly sweet and have a slight tang taste to it.

5.)  Toast a Ciabatta bun in the oven under the broiler and and heap the pulled pork onto the sandwich with yellow mustard and enjoy. Goes great with a tossed salad, coleslaw, or fries – bring it to work, eat it at home or freeze the pork for later use


Pork Pad Thai with Peanut-Ginger Sauce (approx. 4 servings)

½ a leftover 1.2 kg pot roast, cut into thin flat strips and set aside.

9 cups rice noodles, soak in water for about 4 hours and set aside

4 eggs

4 cups Pad Thai sauce (see recipe)

4 cups fine slice (julienne) red onion, scallion and peppers, set aside.

2 cups soak bean sprouts in water.


Pad Thai Sauce:

Ingredients:

½  cup hot water

½  cup Tamarind paste (available in Canadian Superstore – CANADA ONLY)

6 Tbsp brown sugar

5 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp chilli flakes


Pad Thai Sauce Method:

1)    Pour hot water into a bowl and let tamarind dissolve.

2)    Add other ingredients and also stir to dissolve.

3)    Set the sauce aside for later use.


Pork Pad Thai Method:

1)    Heat a wok, or pan smoking hot with a generous amount of sesame oil, or vegetable oil (whatever you have in the house is fine) then add the rice noodles and egg then stir and toss constantly for about a minute or so.

2)    Add julienned vegetables and bean sprouts for about

pork and sauce.

3)    Mix well until thoroughly heated then serve.

Garnish with chopped peanuts and more red chillies (if you love more heat)