Roast Pork & Pumpkin Soup

Things being what they are out there, you can't go past a good leftovers meal. One of the things I set out to do when I started this blog was focus not only on good tasty food but also economical meals, and making the most of your supplies.

I might have done something like this last winter, but what the hey. Learning by repetition is the best way, right?

Or was it learning by doing?

Anyway, not to worry.

This soup requires that you have the following leftovers:
Roast Pork;
Roast Pumpkin;
Roast Veges;
Chicken stock, made from leftover chicken and vege scraps.

This is good, because it gives you good reason to cook:
A Roast Pork;
Roast Pumpkin;
Roast Veges;
And a Roast Chicken, at some stage (although the stock can be frozen, of course).

Making the soup is dead simple.
Take your roast pumpkin and other veges, and chop them up into chunks.
Drop them into a bowl and add the chicken stock. Blend up to a nice, thick consistency. Try to get it ... soupy. Add water if further thinning down is required.
Add your leftover pork, chopped into nice little bites. Heat thoroughly, without boiling.
Serve with fresh rolls, sour cream, and freshly ground pepper.

Chicken Hash

This will be quick post, because I have to be on a ferry very shortly. We'll be away down south for a couple of days, attending a funeral. Accordingly, here's a quick recipe for using up those leftovers after you've cooked a roast chicken with vegetables.

What a roast chicken dinner has to do with funerals, I don't know. But I do know that dealing with grief and stress often involves keeping the cooking down a minimum, and whipping up something like this fills that gap very nicely.

I'm also hoping that the pictures will do the talking, as I must be off out the door in a few minutes.

Chicken Hash
Ingredients
2 Leftover Chicken Breasts, diced
Leftover Roast Potatoes, Onion, Pumpkin, Kumera, etc, grated
3 Eggs
1 Fresh chopped tomato
Grated Cheese
Freshly Ground Pepper and Salt
1 T Plain Flour, or Potato Flour for Gluten-Free
(Think of this as a blank page - you can add to it as you see fit)
Mix everything together in a bowl...
...like so. (Evidence here that I sometimes forget to add stuff, like the essential flour.) The mixture should hold together in solid balls, but should also be light and fluffy. Whip it up with a fork to get air through it.
Heat some oil in a pan. Only add the balls of hash when the oil is almost spitting. If it's too cold, the hash will just absorb the oil and go mushy. Gross.
Keep moving in the oil to prevent sticking, and turn when brown on the underside.
When the hash is cooked through, serve up with sour cream and a tangy sauce. Catch you all later in the week!

A Change of Seasons

I can't believe how busy I've suddenly become. Winter is gone and the days are getting longer, but it seems that there is more and more going on to fill them up. I barely even have time to blog anymore! Gone are those cold winter nights when it was OK to sit at the table with the fire roaring and waffle on about sustainable gardening and the guilt of eating bad food. Work is going nuts and since I published Urban Driftwood, that has been keeping me busy as well. It was meant to be a job off my plate, not create more work! Oh well, its good we've been generating interest. We even sold a copy!

Daylight Savings didn't help. It took more like two weeks rather than the usual one to get over the inevitable jetlag, but now that it's normal we're loving the extra sunshiney hour. It means that Isaac is staying up later too, just enough to chew into our sanity time in the evening and deny us time to get important things - like blogging - done. Mind you, I seem to have had an awful lot of television to catch up on lately, mainly because I was ignoring it all while I completed the third draft of my novel. Now I'm at a bit of a loose end in that regard. I have this hankering to start on my next one, but Dessert Chef has rapped me over the knuckles and told me to bl*@dy well DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT first. For that I must turn to my good friend Morgue, he of the sly wit and the golden wink, who knows all about this getting-a-book-published business. So alas, there will be no mad launch into a wild new adventure with all my favourite characters just yet. Patience, my friends.

I spent all day today out in the sun. Went to the Hutt Riverbank Market this morning, and it was packed. Heaps of people out in the gorgeous spring air hunting for new season asparagus and other delicious goodies among the cacophony of greengrocers and fishmongers. I doled out my coins very carefully, and was rewarded with enough change at the end of the circuit to afford some more of my favourite lamb. I got the sausages this time, and I'll be sure to let you know how that goes. Then I went up to Aunty L's where I spent another afternoon with Uncle B building playhouses for their kids and Isaac. What amazed us was that when we came to put all the bits together, it actually looked like a little house. There's something to be said for measuring before you cut, then. Who would've guessed?

Tomorrow we have to bring the frames we built at Aunty L's for Isaac's one home and assemble them into his playhouse. Going to be another long day in the sun. So much for getting any gardening done. Oh well, it's Labour Weekend next weekend, so we can do it all then. Fingers crossed for sunshine.

And I hear that people come here because I write about food sometimes. OK, lets see what I can pull out of my chef's hat today.

Cheese Hash (with Leftover Roast Veges)

This is a great way to use up those pesky leftover veges that seem to hang around the kitchen after a big roast dinner, and aren't quite enough to make into soup.
Grate up as many leftover veges as you need to feed the hungry mouths present. I used potato and kumera, about 8 pieces in total. If you have a some roast onion, chop that up raggedly and add all this to a bowl. Grate in a hunk of Cheddar cheese and a generous shaving of parmesan cheese, add freshly ground salt and pepper, and break in 2-3 eggs, or as many as you need to avoid open revolution.

Fry in hot ricebran oil (no cholesterol!) turning once or twice to prevent burning. Slice up a tomato or two and fry at the same time. When the hash is cooked, serve with sour cream and a sprinkle of paprika, along with the obligatory hot coffee.
Not only is that a brilliant way to start a weekend morning, its also making the most of the food in your pantry and therefore the money in your wallet. Nyummy.

Sweet & Sour Chicken

I must be quick tonight, as I have other very VERY important things to do (No, not more X-Box. I must continue with the redrafting of my novel, for the year is growing late and, alas, it is not yet finished). The other night I wanted to make a sweet and sour sauce to go with some leftover chicken, and I wasn't satisfied making the usual out of the cookbook. So I used the Foodie Googlie bar and got the following result from Cooks.com. I modified it ever so slightly to suit, but I was impressed with how well the search bar worked. Try it yourself sometime when you're stuck for ideas.

Sweet and Sour Chicken with Pineapple

In a small pan, mix up 2 T cornflour, 4 T brown sugar, 3 T cider vinegar, 2 T soy sauce and the fruit and juice from a 230g can of pineapple chunks. Cook over a moderate heat, stirring frequently, until thickened. Add the shredded meat of 2 cooked chicken breasts and heat thoroughly. Serve over long noodles with fresh steamed veges.

Now I've dallied long enough. Time to go do some work!

Barbeque for Breakfast

Last Friday was Uncle I's birthday, so we decided - based on the noonday almost-spring sunshine - that we might have a BBQ. Ah, folly. By 5pm it was cold and blowing, threatening rain, and what made it worse was that lo and behold, there was no gas for the BBQ anyway. So we used the electric BBQ instead, and it was great.

The biggest problem I usually have with BBQs (besides the occasional hangover) is dealing with the leftovers. In the past I've been guilty of cooking too much, which leaves us with more meat sitting in the fridge than we're able to eat in a week, so it ends up getting thrown out. I'll be making a serious effort, in line with my wider concerns regarding food wastage, to reduce that excess this summer. I think we managed that with Friday's meal, the highlight of which was the garlic steak and the Squashed Potatoes - I'll post that next.

Meanwhile, Saturday morning dawned and there was a tray of leftover steak and sausages in the fridge which I decided would not be wasted. Bring on the...

Breakfast BBQ Fritatta

So simple.
Slice up leftover BBQ meat: we had steak and chorizo. Toss a handful in a bowl with an egg, some chopped mushroom and capsicum, a grating of parmesan and some freshly ground salt and pepper. Heat some olive oil in a non-stick pan and add the egg mixture. When its browned on the underside, slide the fritatta out onto a plate, flip the pan on top of the uncooked side of the fritatta and invert the whole caboodle (with a tea towel or two). Pop the pan back on the heat and cook through.
Serve with sweet chilli sauce or whatever brightens up your post-BBQ Saturday morning. Hot coffee also highly recommended.

Trawling the Net

Just stopped by gallimaufree and read this post, which sums up really well many of the things I've been yammering on about over the past few months. Seems to be a site dedicated to the more benign elements of self-reliance and survivalism, with a focus on:

building a non-secret society of nice people who respond to disasters, catastrophes, and apocalypses with humanitarian aid, kick-ass tools, and extensive knowledge.

Maybe a bit more intense than my own attempts at a pumpkin patch (roll on Spring!), but full of good advice and a great attitude towards life and the planet.

Over at Adventures in Beanland, Anne explores making your own baby food. This is something we did when Isaac was starting solids. When we were in Canada last year, and Isaac was only 6 months old, we were stunned by the amount of sugar that goes into baby food over there. He ate a lot of banana and yoghurt in those three weeks. Beanland has a whole swag of Vego recipes, for those of us who are looking for new and interesting ways to reduce our meat intake.

And in a spot of good news from those nice folk in California, someone is finally doing something about Food Wastage, by spearheading a Food Rescue Program in San Francisco. There's also a bill before the California Senate that would allow purchasers of catered food to mandate that all leftovers be donated to a food charity, rather than discarded as so often happens.

Its good to see that the revolution of attitudes towards food and waste isn't limited to my backyard, and its encouraging to know that I'm not just one isolated voice, but one of a growing number of concerned global citizens determined to do whatever they can to make our planet a better place for our children.

Chicken and Corn Soup

Did I mention that the Slow-Cooker Chicken was just divine? As chef, I had an obligation to ensure the highest possible quality was being served up, and so I was forced to sample the wings as they fell apart all over the chopping board before I could get them under the grill. I could literally suck the meat away from the bone, and they just melted in the mouth. So good.

As usual, I reserved the breasts for later meals, and boiled up a stock with the veges scraps, the bones and the cooking liquid. I had intended to make some lunch servings of soup to freeze, but didn't quite get there. Isaac is so keen to be able to eat more that he's decided to get all his eye teeth at once, so our usually quiet Sunday night was anything but. Accordingly, little more than the dishes got done.

Monday night we were all pretty shattered, so the plan to make soup for lunches became a plan to make soup for dinner, and what a good idea it was! Soup and toast on a cold July night with the fire going; that's the stuff! Isaac liked it so much he even figured out how to eat soup from a spoon without getting most of it everywhere but in his mouth!


Chicken and Corn Soup

In a bowl, chop up about 1 C of roast veges (potato, onion, kumera, pumpkin, all leftover from the previous night's roast). Add about 600ml of Chicken Stock (also a by-product of the roast) to the bowl and blend up with a hand blender. Scrape this all into a pot and heat gently. Add 1 chopped roast chicken breast (yet again leftover from last night).

Open a can of whole kernel corn and drain the liquid into your original blending bowl. Add the corn to the soup, then add the liquid to achieve the desired consistency (I ended up using the whole lot). Serve with hot buttered toast, freshly ground pepper and a dollop of sour cream.

Table for One

I discovered an interesting thing this week: I don't really like cooking for myself. Somehow, the process of creating dishes and then having to wash them, all for the sake of sitting and eating a meal alone just doesn't seem worthwhile. C and Isaac have been away this week, visiting Nan and Obi, so I've been left to my own devices. There has been a lot of XBox played.

What's also amazing is just how much stuff there is floating around in the freezer and the cupboard that hasn't been eaten because there's not enough for 2 or 3 people, but there is enough for one. So what a good opportunity to clear out all that food.

Tuesday: Corned Beef Toasted Sandwiches

What more do I need to say? Bread, Butter, Corned Beef, Onions, Tomato, Cheese, Pepper. Be sure to cut the Corned Beef up into little bite size pieces beforehand, or you'll be struggling with meat trying to escape every time you take a bite. Wednesday: One processed Chicken Burger and a handful of wedges grilled with cheese and sour cream, with carrot sticks and tomato wedges. No picture here, too much shame.

Thursday: Lemon Pepper Fish Fillets, Udon noodles tossed with steamed carrots, broccoli, cauli, and sweet thai chilli sauce, plus sour cream and extra virgin olive oil, with tomato wedges.


So at least I ate one healthy meal this week. Which was then cancelled out by the pie and chips I had for smoko on Friday morning. Well, we try our best to be good, but sometimes you just can't help it.

Rehashed Corned Beef

There's always so much Corned Beef left over that it would be criminal not to come up with new and interesting ways to use it. I try to avoid heating it again unless its in some sort of liquid, since it has a tendency to go dry and chewy very easily. Its great in salad sandwiches or toasted sandwiches, or just cold on the plate with steamed greens and mash.

Because we had roast veges also leftover, but not enough to go around, we went with the failsafe option: Frittatas. So easy, and so yummy!

Corned Beef Frittatas

Chop up leftover veges (Pumpkin, Potato, Kumera) and place in a large mixing bowl. Add one chopped tomato, 2 grated carrots, 1 chopped onion, 1/2 C of grated cheese, and about 5 slices of corned beef chopped up into 1cm pieces. Break in 3 eggs for 3 Frittatas, and mix up well.


Heat some olive oil over a moderate heat in a small frying pan, and when the oil is hot, add enough frittata mixture to cover the bottom of the pan. Allow the egg to set, before shaking the frittata gently to prevent sticking. When the frittata is cooked on the bottom, flip and cook through.

Serve up with a few steamed veges, some slices of tomato, the leftover mustard sauce and freshly ground pepper.

Making the Most of the Roast

Sunday was Roast Lamb Day again, having found another lovely joint for $12.00 at the supermarket. It replaced Roast Chicken on the menu, but that all worked out.

Without labouring the point, Sunday's lamb was much the same as last weekend's Lemon-Tossed Lamb Roast, with a few changes.

I tossed the Lamb with lemon and lime zest, salt and pepper and 2T of honey. Otherwise it was much the same. It came out crispy on the outside and succulent on the inside, and it went down awfully well. Uncle K, who was treated to the now infamous Sugar-Free Stew a few weeks ago, joined us for Sunday Roast and it was good.

What I really want to cover is what we did with the Leftovers.

In our menu we had planned on getting two nights' meals out of the roast, like we usually do with a chicken. For Monday night we picked up a packet of roti breads so we could have...

Roast Lamb and Vege Wraps

Chop up the leftover lamb and roast veges into roughly 1cm cubes and fry quickly in a hot pan. Butter the Rotis very lightly and fry quickly in another hot pan.
In a third pan, fry a hunk of cabbage, some sliced garlic and a sliced courgette in some butter.

Lay the hot roti on a plate and dish a spoonful of the Lamb and Vege into the top quarter of the roti, followed by a spoonful of cabbage and courgette. Fold up the bottom, then each side, and press down. Dish up a pile of fresh steamed veges, sit down on the couch and enjoy. Of course, sauces are an option too. Normally I would go with an aioli or sweet chilli sauce, but since everything was so moist anyway I just went naked, which was superb.



It was quick and easy, and what's even better is that by the time we'd dished up enough for the two of us, there was still enough for another meal of the same. So one lamb roast for $12.00 ended up making 7 adult servings, for an average cost of less than $2.00 per person. That's what we like.

Next post: Will my attempts to make a pizza sauce meet with success or failure?