Monday, May 12, 2008

Integrating "Delivered/Takeout" Leftovers

Where Saturday Nights doggy-bag becomes Sunday Nights TV Dinner.

While it may be hard to integrate leftover pizza, there are many ways to use up your girlfriend's doggy-bag due to her "I'll-have-the-18oz-ribeye-steak" order, or for this matter Phil's BBQ Pulled Pork Entree (w/beans, coleslaw, & cornbread, AND butter. Mmm-Mm.)

Pasta & Stir frys are probably the #1 easiest way to stretch a meal and even clean out the fridge. So, with Phil's wickedly smoked pulled pork, I decided to riff on Vertical Restaurant's pappardelle pasta in a wild boar ragu.



THE SAUCE

A touch of vegetable oil into a saucepan, add chopped garlic, sautee, add chopped pieces of pulled pork and sautee till lightly browned. A splash of red wine to deglaze, add a small can of plain tomato sauce (none of that pre-herbed, pre-cheesed, pre-flavored crap.) Grate in a good whack of fresh Parmesan cheese. Tear in a couple sprigs of fresh basil. Let simmer.



















THE PASTA

Instead of parpadelle I boiled some rigatoni, al dente, in salted water. I measured out my dry pasta by using the dish I'd be serving it in. Once drained I added just enough pasta so that it wasn't overly saucy, but also that every noodle was covered in sauce. To plate. Generous grating of fresh parm to garnish. Eat!

Although it's shy in comparison to the quality of a restaurant item. It goes down pretty well with a mouthful of Briccotondo, Barbera, from Piedmont, Italy, which really picked up whatever the sauce was lacking. RO.

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