Pulled Pork Tostadas

These are great to make when I have leftover pulled pork.

 

There's not really a formal "recipe" for these.  The base, naturally, are corn tortillas.  You want them crispy.  Fry them up in a little hot oil and let them drain on paper towels, or you can buy packaged, whole crisped tortillas in the store.

 

You can purchase canned refried beans or heat up canned pinto beans and mash them yourself.

 

They'll most likely be a little healthier if you mash up your own.  I use an immersion blender adding a little chicken broth to reach the spreadable consistency I want..

 

Put whatever toppings you want in bowls and have everyone make their own.  I typically use shredded lettuce, chopped tomato, and cheese. You can also use minced red onion and a good salsa to top them off.

 

Spread refried beans on the tortilla, add some pulled pork and finish off with the toppings.  There you go.

Cream of Chicken Soup

I normally make this when I have leftovers from a roast chicken or a store-bought rotisserie chicken. It's one of Lovey's favorite leftover dishes. Especially when it is a cold day; like it is today.



Dice the onion, carrots and celery into 1/4" pieces.  It's a plus to use celery stalks with the leaves; the leaves add an enormous amount of flavor. Mince the clove of garlic and set all this aside.

 

 Cut or tear your left-over chicken into bite-size pieces 

Measure out chicken broth (store bought or homemade)




 and the flour

 

bundle the herbs and tie into a bouquet garni.  I usually wrap these up in a piece of cheese cloth but I just threw it in there bare today.

 

Now you are ready to create your soup.  Melt a stick of butter and sweat the vegetables.

Add the flour, mix well and allow to cook for a couple of minutes.

Add the broth and gently whisk until the broth and roux are combined. Bring to a boil



and throw in the bouquet garni. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes.

Add the chicken and return to a boil.

 

 

Remove soup from the heat and add the cream and sherry (make sure the Sherry is Dry, not Cream).

NOTE:  Sometimes I like to add rice to my bowl. Steam up a little rice or use left-over rice.


Cream of Chicken Soup
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion
2 stalks celery, with leaves is a bonus
3 medium carrots
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
7 cups chicken stock, homemade or store-bought
3 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
3 cups chopped chicken, leftover roast chicken or store-bought rotisserie chicken
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp. dry sherry

Kosher salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley for garnish
cooked rice (optional)

Mise en Place:

• chop onion, celery and carrot into 1/4" pieces and  set aside
• mince garlic and add to other vegetables
• Measure out flour
• measure out stock
• gather parsley, thyme, and bay leaf into a bundle and tie into a bouquet garni
• chop chicken into bite-size pieces
• if using garnish, roughly chop the 2 Tbsp. parsley
• cook rice if using

Method: 
Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add onion, celery, carrots and garlic. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 12 minutes.  Add flour and cook, stirring for 2 more minutes.

Add the stock and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Add the bouquet garni. Lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Stir in the chicken and return to a boil.  Remove from heat.

Stir the cream and sherry into the soup. Add salt and pepper to taste

Garnish with chopped parsley if desired. Serves up nice with a side salad or sandwich. We like grilled cheese.

If using rice, place 1/4 cup cooked rice in bottom of bowl and ladel soup over rice.       

Thanksgiving Dressing Waffles

Don't let this photo deceive you're senses.  It may not look pretty on the plate but oh how tasty it is.

 
We all love leftovers after the big Thanksgiving meal but we usually associate them with a turkey sandwich later in the day. One of my favorite leftovers is the dressing.  

Years ago while living in Boulder my mom came up for Thanksgiving to visit.  I think that is the first time I actually made Thanksgiving dinner myself (with her guidance, of course).  Ah, yes, I remember now, that was when I left all the giblets in the neck cavity and only discovered it after the turkey was in the oven.

But, it was also the first time that I started using the Thanksgiving leftovers for breakfast the next day.  The favorite was to make an omelet stuffed with a little shredded turkey meat, a little dressing and a little gravy on top.

Another great way to use leftovers is to make dressing waffles.  To clarify, I call it dressing because it is cooked outside of the turkey.  If it were cooked in the turkey I would call it stuffing.  And that's how I differentiate.....

All you do is make a patty out of some dressing that you have let come to room temperature .  It's easier to work with your hands if you let it get to room temp.  This year I am at Papa's house and all he has is a Belgian waffle iron.  The waffles are better if you have a regular waffle iron.  You will have more crispy surfaces that way.  But I'm not complaining about how this one turned out.

 

Close your waffle iron and let it do it's magic.  Don't hurry about it or keep checking it.  You'll be able to smell when it's done.  In the mean time.....

 

cook your egg.  Look here! I had an egg with a double yolk.  I guess they would have been twin chickens?

 

Once your egg is done to your preferential satisfaction, place your dressing waffle on a plate and top it with the egg.  It will not disappoint.

Potato Pancakes

These conjure up memories of my childhood.  Never wanting to waste anything, my mother always made potato pancakes out of any leftover mashed potatoes we might have had.  We would usually get them for dinner but every once in a while we would find them on our plates at breakfast; which personally, was my favorite time to eat them.

It doesn't take many ingredients to make these creamy patties.  You have your mashed potatoes, of course; onion and cheese for flavor; egg and flour for binding.

Mix all of the ingredients together, blending with a fork.  Definitely taste before adding any salt.  I usually don't need to add any salt because I've corrected the taste when I made the mashed potatoes and, depending on the cheese you choose, that can add to the saltiness as well.  I always add a grind or two of pepper.

If making your 'batter' ahead of time you can form into 2-1/2" to 3" patties and place on a platter or a piece of wax paper.  Stick in the refrigerator for a little bit to firm them up. If not you can use an ice cream scoop and lightly flatten out with a fork once they hit the skillet

Sauté them in a little butter in a no-stick skillet.  Flip them over when golden brown.  Voila!  There you have a tasty treat and you've not wasted left over mashed potatoes.  And let's face it, re-heated left over mashed potatoes are n.e.v.e.r. as good as just-whipped.

 My favorite way to eat them....with an over-easy egg plopped on top of one.

Potato Pancakes
Makes 6 - 7 three-inch patties


Ingredients:
2 cups leftover mashed potatoes
1/4 cup minced onion
1/2 cup grated cheese (I use Vermont cheddar)
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. all purpose flour
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg
butter

Method:
Break up the potatoes with a fork.  Mince the onion; add to potatoes.  Grate the cheese; add to potatoes.  Combine the mixture with a fork.  Salt and pepper to taste

Add the flour to the mixture and mix thoroughly.  In a small bowl lightly break up the egg with a fork and add to potato mixture.  Mix the potato mixture until the egg is incorporated.

Melt a small amount of butter in a non-stick skillet.  When butter is bubbling add potato mixture to the skillet using a 1/4 cup (size 16) scoop, spreading potatoes out slightly, and let cook until brown.  Flip over and allow to brown on the other side.

Giving the Leftovers a Makeover

 

 For the most part I love leftovers.  Sometimes, however, foods aren't nearly as good as they were at their original cooking.  Take for instant a baked potato.  The white meat of that tuber will never be soft and fluffy as it was the night before.


corn on the cob is hard to get excited about as it was when you took it off the grill last night.

 

this is how I rescue leftovers to give them a second life.

peel the baked potato and slice in 1/2 inch slices, then slice those in half

slice the corn kernels off the cob

slice up half a yellow onion

and slice up a couple cloves of garlic




Melt the butter until browned then add the onions.  With a wooden spoon or utensil of your choice, delicately separate the onions.  Cook these over medium low heat until soft and limp.




Add the corn




Add the potatoes and the garlic




Sprinkle a pinch of smoked paprika over the top and gently stir.

Salt and pepper to taste.

With your wooden spoon scrape up the fond that will accumulate on the bottom of the pan and fold it in with the vegetables  This will really add flavor to the vegetables.


Mmmm.  The potato becomes creamy, the corn still pops and lends a little sweetness, the onions and garlic lend their flavor and the paprika gives it a little smokiness


Leftover Veggie Hash
Serves 4


Ingredients:
3 Tbsp. salted butter
One medium baked potato
1 medium roasted corn on the cob
1/2 medium yellow onion
2 to 3 small garlic cloves
pinch of smoked paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Mise en place:

• slice off butter and place in saute pan
• peel baked potato and slice cross-wise into 1/2 inch slices, then cut those in half
• shuck corn and with a sharp knife slice down cob from top to bottom to remove kernels
• peel and slide 1/2 yellow onion, slicing this from the side, not the end
• peel and slice garlic cloves

Method:
Heat butter in saute pan.  When the butter begins to turn brown add the onions.  Cook over medium low heat until they become limp and start to brown.  Toss in the corn and combine.  Then add the potatoes and the garlic.  

Allow the vegetables slowly heat up and take on a nice color.  Sprinkle the smoked paprika over vegetables then salt and pepper to taste.

Turkey Stock and a Soup to Take the Chill Off

Thanksgiving dinner clean up in our kitchen usually means throwing things together for turkey stock.  It was super easy this year because we had a smaller turkey than usual; a 13 pounder.  I didn't have to get the chain saw out and cut a 20 pound carcass into pieces.

Place your turkey carcass in a 5-1/2 quart Dutch oven (or larger if you have a big turkey).  Now, start going through your refrigerator and pantry and grab anything you can add to help create a rich stock.  I used the rest of my celery, carrots, an onion, garlic, some fresh oregano and rosemary.

I'm too full and tired to start the stock Thanksgiving night so I cover the pot with foil and put it in the refrigerator overnight.

The next morning I filled the pot with water, added a little salt and brought the pot to a boil.
Once boiling, I turned the heat down, covered (lid slightly ajar), and simmered for about 4 hours.

Allow to cool a bit and remove all solids.  If there is a substantial amount of meat on your turkey carcass you can pull that off at this point and save.  Strain broth then strain a second time through a cheesecloth lined strainer.

Broth is cooled in refrigerator to allow fat to rise to the top and solidify.  Scrape the fat off, discard, and store broth in an airtight container if using within the next few days.  If not, freeze.

I ended up with 8 cups of turkey stock.

To turn the stock into a hearty soup I added a turkey thigh that was obviously not being eaten as leftovers

zucchini & yellow squash

 

 and some small pasta shells; because that's what I had at hand.

 Once you have your turkey broth you can add anything you want and create the perfect soup that's just right for you and your family.

 I'm not going to post a formal recipe since this is a throw - together type of soup.  You don't even have to use the broth right away.  Freeze it for another day.