By Kenneth Irving Ong
Davao is a food lovers paradise specially when the holidays arrive and there just seems to be a never ending stream of food from the Christmas Party at the office, to the traditional Noche Buena feast. Inevitably though, there will be leftovers ranging from roast chicken, lechon, or ham, sitting in the refrigerator waiting to be forgotten. With some creativity and know-how, one can transform boring leftovers into delicious hearty meals.
Try these simple and delicious ways to do away with waste and at the same time impress your family and friends.
The sandwich way
With the help of bread and some dressing or even leftover fruits and nuts, you can prepare for yourself a gourmet roast chicken sandwich. Simply de-bone the roasted chicken and chop the pieces into a more manageable size. Layer it over a bed of lettuce greens and add a bit of salad dressing for that gourmet look and taste.
Chicken Salad Sandwich
Ingredients
1/3 cup seedless red grapes, cut in half
1/4 cup finely sliced celery
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons dried cranberries
2 tablespoons golden raisins
1/3 cup reduced-fat salad dressing
2 tablespoons sliced natural almonds
3 leaves lettuce
6 slices multigrain bread, lightly toasted
1 cup leftover roast chicken
Directions
1. In large bowl, combine chicken, grapes, celery, onion, cranberries, raisins and dressing. Stir until well combined. Cover; refrigerate at least 1 hour.
2. Stir almonds into chilled chicken mixture.
3. Place lettuce on each of 3 slices bread. Top each with chicken mixture and remaining slices bread.
Baked Ham Sandwiches
Ingredients
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup dried minced onion
1/3 cup prepared mustard
8 hamburger buns, split
16 slices leftover ham
8 slices queso de bola
Directions
1. In a bowl, combine butter, onion, and mustard. Spread about 1 tablespoon over both halves of buns. Layer ham and cheese on the bottom halves; replace tops. Wrap each sandwich in foil. Bake at 350 degrees F for 6-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Lechon pizza
This homemade version of a popular pizza chain’s pizza is one of the easiest ways to dispose of lechon is to make a pizza out of it. Say goodbye to the old style paksiw by layering a piece of flat bread with some pizza sauce, add some deboned lechon pieces. Add on some grated leftover Queso de Bola and place it into the toaster oven until the cheese melts.
Gourmet omelettes
Omelettes are another great way to dispose of leftovers. Simply beat some eggs and cook the eggs in a pan. Once a thin layer of egg is set, add your chopped up leftover chicken, ham, meat, or even veggies and fold the egg layer to finish the omelette. You can add some fresh parsley to liven up the flavor.
Arroz caldo
Another way to dispatch roasted chicken leftovers while keeping things light for the new year is to cook up some piping hot arroz clado. Simply cook some rice with the leftover roasted chicken for the rice to get a rich taste and a smoky aroma from the roasted chicken. Season the porridge to taste. Serve the arroz caldo with some toasted onions, fresh spring onion and a slice of lemon.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (2 inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
2 1/4 pounds leftover chicken
1 tablespoon fish sauce
5 1/4 cups chicken broth
1 cup rice
salt and pepper to taste
1 green onion, chopped
1 lemon, sliced (optional)
1 teaspoon fish sauce for sprinkling, if desired (optional)
Directions
1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat; cook and stir the onion, garlic, and ginger in the hot oil until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken; cook and stir together for 1 minute. Stir the fish sauce into the pot, cover, and cook another 2 minutes.
2. Pour the chicken broth into the pot. Add the sweet rice and stir. Bring the mixture to a boil; cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to assure the rice is not sticking to the bottom of the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with the green onion, and serve with lemon slices and additional fish sauce, if desired.
