Leftover Stew

Tonight's supper wasn't so much a recipe, but a method. We had leftover pork roast from last night's slow cooker awesomeness, and both leftover pork tenderloin and leftover roasted chicken from this week all in the fridge. There wasn't enough to give everyone at the table the same thing of any one of the above, but by combining them, I was able to make an AWESOME stew. 

I started with your standard onion, carrot, and celery mixture in olive oil, and started to soften them over medium heat. I buy the celery bunches that have the tops still on them. They are cheeper than the "hearts" only, and I always use the leaves and tops in soups, stocks and stews. I chopped one onion, about a cup of celery tops, and about another cup or 2 of chopped baby carrots, which we always have around for the kids snacks, and my Honey's hummus addiction. While they were happily mingling in the Dutch oven, I cut up the leftover meat trio and then put that I as well. I took a quart of homemade chicken stock out of the freezer and placed that in the pot too. Yes, still frozen. It will melt while the veggies continue to soften, and eventually everything simmers beautifully. I added salt to taste and a little jarred pesto, then covered it and left it alone while I went put back to push the kids in the swings.

I checked on it after about 30 minutes, and it seemed a little "flat", so I added liquid smoke. It seemed a little thin, so I took a bag of gluten free crackers that were mostly crumbs anyway, and I began to crush them. My 5 year old thought this looked like TONS of fun, so I gave him the bag, and he helped me crush the last of the remaining crackers. He then got his stool, and added the crumbs to the pot. I stirred, and it instantly reminded me of chicken tortilla soup...but with 2/3 pork.

When my Honey got home from work, I put on a pot of brown rice, and tasted the stew again. It needed a touch of both acid and sweetness. So, one of my favorite ingredients went in, balsamic vinegar. When I went back to theAnd then, it was PERFECT! 

We each ate it a little differently. The 3 year old liked hers "separate". Rice on one side of the bowl and stew on the other. The 5 year old boy liked it mixed, but nothing added. The Daddy person liked it with crushed red peppers, and I put black pepper and olive oil on mine.

There is enough for him to take it to work with him tomorrow for lunch, and more that I can freeze for his lunches later this fall too. I just have to remember to label it! I'm terrible about forgetting what I put in the freezer...

So remember, a meal can be just the beginning. Someone else's recipe is nothing more than a good start. Eat what you like, and it's ok if you don't always like what you make.