Pork Roast

No, Pork Roast itself isn't a leftover or a pantry item. It is delicious if treated and seasoned well.

Why do we cook roasts? Because they are easy, forget-it kinds of meals that taste really good. We put a hunk of meat with some cut up vegetables in a crock-pot, add some seasoning and liquid (wine or juice is my favorite), plug it in, turn it on and forget about it until supper time. Oh yeah, yummy stuff. Or do the same thing but instead of a crock-pot, we put it all in a roasting pan and in the oven. Leave it in for less time, but similar result.

Well, yesterday I cooked a roast. I did not add vegetables. I seasoned it and added Apple Juice to the pan. Roasted it in the oven, covered, for about 90 minutes, uncovered it and allowed it to cook for an additional 15 minutes just to crisp on the fat a little more.

Then I reserved all the broth in a jar, wrapped the roast and put them in the fridge overnight. Why? Because the roast that I had wasn't large enough for a meal for a large family/group. Now, I'll tell you the fun part.

Today, I chopped up the entire roast into bite-sized pieces. I returned half of them to the fridge and used half in a stir-fry for lunch. A little meat, some onion, garlic and sweet peppers (choose your favorite veg), a little Asian seasoning, soy sauce, fish sauce and a touch of teriyaki and pepper and viola - a delicious, quick lunch!

Immediately following lunch, I pulled out a large kettle and began on supper - it was still quick and easy. Here's how.

Chopped an onion and minced some garlic. Chopped a few potatoes and carrots. Opened a can each of green beans, hominy and tomato sauce. Began the saute on the onion and garlic. After a couple of minutes, added in the remaining prepped ingredients. Added a box of chicken broth (or a quart of homemade if you have it on hand), a few splashes of hot sauce (simple Tobasco works well), some ground New Mexico Chiles, Salt and Pepper about a quart of water and brought it to a boil before turning the heat down to let the soup stay on a slow simmer for the rest of the afternoon. A few minutes before serving, I checked for seasoning, made some biscuits to eat with the soup and let me tell you: my family was surprised at how delicious it was!

Just enough chiles to get the flavor without much heat, the hot sauce just enhanced all the other flavors without adding heat and the flavor of the roasted pork was amazing. You could notice the flavor of each vegetable used, but not a single flavor overpowered any other flavor and the combination of flavors produced perfection in a soup.

I will definitely be using this method again. Probably with leftover from a roast meal, but if I find small roasts on sale... this will be what I buy them for. Enjoy!