Marrying Leftovers After a Wedding

I was so occupied with the process of getting food out that I didn't get any photos! Sad face.

Overall, the wedding cocktail hour was a success. It was a huge adrenaline rush and things didn't go exactly as I would have liked, but I think it was important that we were able to adapt and respond quickly to the unexpected. Not bad for my first catering gig. I wouldn't have been able to do it without the help of Jess and Kenzie. People loved the fresh salsa verde on the pork al pastor tacos, as I expected. Unexpectedly, I got a lot of positive feedback about the veggie version of the brat bites, where I subbed in some carrots intensely flavored with cumin and garlic.

I also had the opportunity to help with setting up a very cool light installation in the top of the tent. Tree branches, Christmas lights, paper lanterns and lots of cable wire. A huge testament to the creativity of Erin and Michael and their dedication towards making a reality of their vision. You can see more of their work here at hi note.

So that's that. They sent me back to Atlanta with boxes of leftover beer, wine, and more food from the dinner. Which was amazing. The reception caterer knew where it was at. And that brings me to somehow finding a way to use leftovers.

Cabernet Sauvignon + Salsa Verde + Aromatics + Beef Back Ribs = Tasty Tacos

I got the ribs from the store. They're cheap and are great slow cooked, so after a quick sear, a saute, a deglaze and a low simmer, I was able to set it and forget it. They turned out ridiculously tender and packed with flavor. The acidity of the wine and the tomatillos broke down into a nicely sweet sauce with just the right amount of tartness to balance with the fattiness of the meat. Memorial Day weekend, anyone?

Crispy Pork Belly + Sweet Adobo

Here's a dish that came together way too easily because everything was incidentally pre-prepared. The pork belly was roasted last week and these were two strips I hadn't used. The adobo sauce was saved from some chicken adobo I also made last week and reduced to concentrate the flavors. And this past weekend, I had made a drunken meal at about 3am and two of the carrots that I cleaned and peeled didn't make it into the food.

crispy pork belly with a reduced Filipino adobo sauce

Put this all together with some finely chopped onions and we have an accidentally luxurious and decadent meal in less than half an hour. Which I find kinda silly, because pork belly is not often a luxurious food in Chinese cuisine.

All I did was sweat some onions with the carrots and some garlic in a small saucepan. Add the reduced adobo sauce with a spoonful of sugar and a splash of dry sherry. Low simmer to soften the carrots and further reduce the sauce. Cut the pork belly into cubes and brown-crisp on all sides. Serve together on steamed rice.

The most interesting part of this was that the altered, re-reduced adobo sauce had a hint of hoison flavor.

Leftover Pork Butt Tacos

These tacos made from leftovers have a remarkable semblance to the tacos I originally made with the roasted pork butt on Saturday. Fresh corn is missing and the chopped onion got mixed in with the meat when packing it away, so those got cooked in the reheating. The turmeric pickled zucchini I made is the same. Sriracha is an addition. All leftovers are delicious when you know what to do with them...

pork shoulder tacos with house-pickled turmeric zucchini, sriracha

Rice Bowls with Leftovers

More leftovers: braised beef ribs, brussel sprouts and carrots, leeks and a freshly fried egg.

rice bowl: braised beef ribs, brussel sprouts + carrots, leeks, fried egg

Improvised BBQ Pork Fried Rice

I have to say that this one came out pretty damn good. A week ago, I made a ramen soup stock using pork bones. I always save the scrap meat from those bones because after cooking in that stock for hours, the meat pulls right off, just like pulled pork, maybe even more tender. I also had about two cups of leftover steamed rice in the cooker and onions and scallions on hand.

scraps from pork bones with Chinese BBQ sauce, Sriracha

Too fucking easy. I tossed the pork in a Chinese BBQ sauce, sesame oil and some Sriracha, put it under the broiler to toast up and char. Sauteed some chopped onions, added the rice, then incorporated the pork and some scallions. Done. And ridiculously delicious.

leftovers come together for an improvised BBQ pork fried rice

Noodle Bowls Made With Leftovers

Here's an improvised variation on what to do with that ramen stock.  I had some leftover chicken thighs in the fridge that I had braised in a fermented black bean and rice wine sauce.  In addition to the noodles I have pre-cooked in the fridge, I sliced up the meat, cooked the sauce with the stock, poached an egg in it, and voila, breakfast (yes, breakfast).

improvised noodle bowl breakfast