Cinderella Leftovers

When I was a young bride, we lived in a remote, rural part of California. My then-husband was assigned to work at a State fish hatchery, and we lived on the hatchery grounds. It was situated in the Owens Valley, and the closest town was about 10 miles away, with only one very small, family-owned food market. The closest “city” was about 45 miles away, and it had a chain supermarket. Needless to say, I learned very quickly how to be economical and resourceful with our meals since the small market only carried necessities, and the supermarket was almost a two-hour round trip. Leftover meatloaf got crumbled up and used in spaghetti sauce. Porkchops got cubed and turned into a stir-fry with leftover pasta from the spaghetti. The previous night’s chicken got shredded and turned into enchiladas, chicken salad, pot pie, soup, etc. Leftover mashed potatoes were transformed into hot dog casserole (it’s really yummy!). Soon, my leftover creations were dubbed “Cinderella” leftovers because they started as one thing and were transformed into something totally different. This is actually one of my favorite ways to cook. I love getting creative and seeing what I can come up with! It has resulted in some of my best-loved dishes. You’ll be seeing Cinderella Leftovers as a regular feature here at the Kitchen Counter, so I hope you’ll be inspired and create your own tasty transformations!

Pork Stir Fry with Noodles

 Leftover cooked spaghetti noodles

 Leftover cooked pork, chopped or cubed (i.e., pork roast, pork chops, etc.)

Add:

Veggies of your choice* (I like onions, mushrooms, chopped water chestnuts, broccoli, and carrots)

1/4- 1/3 Cup Bottled Oyster Sauce (or use a good soy sauce, 2-3 TBSP of honey, and 1 tsp of minced garlic)

1 TBSP Canola Oil

Optional: Red Pepper Flakes or Hot Chili Oil

In a large frying pan or stir-fry/wok pan, heat the Canola oil over medium-high heat until it’s hot. Add the meat and stir frequently with tongs to avoid charring. Next, add the noodles, tossing with the tongs. Continue to cook the meat and noodles over medium-high heat, turning with the tongs every few minutes so that the noodles don’t stick. Noodles should start to get a little brown. Once the noodles start getting brown, add the veggies. Cook until the veggies are heated through. Now add the oyster sauce and use the tongs to thoroughly toss and coat all the ingredients with the sauce. If desired, add a few red pepper flakes or a couple of dashes of hot chili oil, if you like, for a spicier flavor. DO NOT add salt, as the oyster sauce has plenty of salt.

*If using frozen veggies, cook them for 2-3 minutes in the microwave first, then drain any water from the veggies before adding to the pan.