Meat, poultry and fish can be chopped up in even smaller pieces for a number of family dishes, probably first invented because the cook didn’t want to waste any of the expensive pieces leftover from a roast. Again, many of these dishes are popular on their own, and many cooks plan to make them after their Sunday or Holiday meal.
Here are just a few perennial favorites…most
can be made with whatever meat or poultry you have on hand.
It's funny how food trends come and go. I know beef/chicken jellies and aspics were once all the rage, and I'm sure they're tasty--although many people would balk at eating chilled meat shreds encased in cold, jellied stock. I know my husband/kids would.
ReplyDeleteI may well be a lazy cook, but I can't bestir myself to spend too much time on leftovers. I would just as soon throw those bits of roast or chicken into a homemade tortilla with some cheese, green onions, and whatever else strikes my fancy and make some quesadillas. My fam also loves a nice hash when I've got the leftover cold potatoes to work with. My favorite thing to do with leftover grilled burgers and brats is to remove the brat casings, chop up the meat, and make a nice pasta meat sauce. My "I hate leftover hamburgers!" children are none the wiser!
I have made the leftover beef hash many times and love it, and the chicken salad sandwich filling is nice to have as well. I will often freeze the smaller pieces of meats and later throw them into a vegetable soup I am making. I like a variety of meats in the same soup, so nothing gets thrown out. I do the same with bits of leftover vegetables - freeze and add to soup. Small amounts will all be put in the same freezer bag and can be dumped into the soup in the crockpot. Since everything is already fully cooked, it just needs to be heated.
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas! I like the pasta sauce, quesadilla, and soup ideas...also mixed into burritos or enchiladas. I freeze my odds and ends until I can use them too.
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