I am a person who hates waste. I always try to use up everything that I can, all my leftovers, etc. I think I get that from my mother.
Its a good habit to get into, especially when you consider how much food is thrown away each day in the world, and how many people are starving in the world. Throwing anything away seems like a great sin to me!
I had my family over for dinner on Tuesday evening. I roasted a pork Porchetta that I had gotten at the grocery store around Christmas time and frozen for a future time such as this. It was a President's Choice brand.
I have never had Porchetta before so I cannot attest to its authenticity, but I can tell you that it was quite delicious! We all really enjoyed it. I served it with some mashed potatoes, carrots, and cauliflower I had roasted in the meat juices.
Altogether very good.
.JPG "Toasty Leftover Porchetta Sandwich")
I ended up with one nicely sized piece of the roast leftover. I thought about making a hash of it, but the more I thought about it I thought to myself, I bet that would make a great sandwich!
And so that is what I did, I made a Toasty Leftover Porchetta Sandwich! I enjoyed it on a toasted brioche bun, spread with a homemade basil garlic mayo, along with a quantity of sautéed peppers, onion and fennel, and some melted cheese.
.JPG "Toasty Leftover Porchetta Sandwich")
So what is Porchetta? I will tell you what it says on Wikipedia. They are the authority on most things!
Porchetta (Italian pronunciation: [porˈketta]) is a savory, fatty, and moist boneless pork roast of Italian culinary tradition. The carcass is deboned and, in some traditions, arranged carefully stuffed with liver, wild fennel, all fat and skin still on spitted or roasted traditionally over wood for at least eight hours, though many versions of porchetta do not involve liver or fennel.
Porchetta is usually heavily salted in addition to being stuffed with garlic, rosemary, fennel, or other herbs, often wild. Porchetta has been selected by the Italian Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policy as a prodotto agroalimentare tradizionale ("traditional agricultural-food product"), one of a list of traditional Italian foods held to have cultural relevance.
.JPG "Toasty Leftover Porchetta Sandwich")
.JPG "Toasty Leftover Porchetta Sandwich")
.JPG "Toasty Leftover Porchetta Sandwich")
.JPG "Toasty Leftover Porchetta Sandwich")
.JPG "Toasty Leftover Porchetta Sandwich")
.JPG "Toasty Leftover Porchetta Sandwich")
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.JPG "Toasty Leftover Porchetta Sandwich")
Mine did not have any liver or fennel in it, but instead a nice mix of herbs and spices. There was a lovely cap of fat covering the whole roast.
The flavors were fabulous and I knew the leftovers would make a great sandwich. I had some fennel in the refrigerator and so I added it to the vegetables. Call that a lucky co-incidence!
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WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE TOASTY LEFTOVER PORCHETTA SANDWICH
Simple, simple, simple.
- 1 toasted brioche burger bun
- 1 (1/3 inch thick) slice of Porchetta
- 1/4 each yellow, green, orange peppers, thinly sliced
- a small piece of fennel, thinly sliced (optional but nice)
- 1/2 small onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp butter
- 1/4 cup grated Italian cheese mix (Provolone, mozzarella, cheddar, Parmesan)
For the basil mayo:
- 1 TBS full fat mayonnaise
- 1/2 tsp gourmet garden basil
- Pinch garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp Parmesan cheese
.JPG "Toasty Leftover Porchetta Sandwich")
You could probably use any cut of leftover roast pork for this tasty sandwich. Pork chops, pork tenderloin, etc. If you are using anything but a porchetta, I would add some spices to the pork when reheating it, such as garlic, a bit of ground fennel seed, perhaps some crushed chilies, black pepper, thyme, etc.
Gourmet Garden Basil can be found in your fresh produce aisle at the grocery store. It comes in a tube and is a paste of fresh basil in some olive oil. Its very nice.
If you don't have that, I would just mix the mayonnaise with a bit of basil pesto.
.JPG "Toasty Leftover Porchetta Sandwich")
HOW TO MAKE TOASTY LEFTOVER PORCHETTA SANDWICH
Nothing could be simpler really. Its just a matter of toasting a bun, sautéing some vegetables and reheating the meat for the most part.
Butter your brioche bun on the cut side and toast cut side down in a skillet. Once toasted, set aside and keep warm.
Add the butter to the skillet along with the peppers, onion and fennel (if using). Stir fry until beginning to soften. Add the slice of porchetta to the skillet.
Brown on one side and flip over. Brown on the other. Mound the cheese on top of the meat. Cover the skillet and set aside for the cheese to melt.
.JPG "Toasty Leftover Porchetta Sandwich")
Mix together all of the ingredients for the basil mayonnaise. Spread on the cut side of the bottom half of the toasted bun. Place on a plate.
Top with the pepper/onion/fennel mixture. Place the cheese topped slice of porchetta on top and then finally place the toasted bun top, cut side down on top of everything. Enjoy!
.JPG "Toasty Leftover Porchetta Sandwich")
This was a really, REALLY delicious sandwich! The pork was perfectly reheated the way I did it, so that the fat was crisp on the edges and yet still melted in the mouth.
It went really well with the basil mayonnaise and that tasty mix of lightly caramelized vegetables.
Here are some other hot sandwiches created using leftovers that you might enjoy:
RUSTIC ITALIAN BAKED SANDWICHES - These Rustic Italian Baked Sandwiches are real favourites! Lots of meat and cheese, etc.
ULTIMATE MEATLOAF SANDWICH - Slices of leftover meat loaf served on a toasted baguette with lettuce, cheese and crispy onion rings.
BBQ CHICKEN SANDWICH - A delicious BBQ Chicken filling topped with creamy coleslaw served on a toasty bun
Toasty Leftover Porchetta Sandwich
Yield: 1
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 20 Min
Something delicious to do with your leftover Porchetta roast. You could also use leftover pork tenderloin, or even a pounded pork chop in this. Its delicious! Amounts are given for one sandwich, multiply to make more.
Ingredients
- 1 toasted brioche burger bun
- 1 (1/3 inch thick) slice of Porchetta
- 1/4 each yellow, green, orange peppers, thinly sliced
- a small piece of fennel, thinly sliced (optional but nice)
- 1/2 small onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp butter
- 1/4 cup grated Italian cheese mix (Provolone, mozzarella, cheddar, Parmesan)
For the basil mayo:
- 1 TBS full fat mayonnaise
- 1/2 tsp gourmet garden basil
- Pinch garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Butter your brioche bun on the cut side and toast cut side down in a skillet. Once toasted, set aside and keep warm.
- Add the butter to the skillet along with the peppers, onion and fennel (if using). Stir fry until beginning to soften.
- Add the slice of porchetta to the skillet. Brown on one side and flip over. Brown on the other. Mound the cheese on top of the meat. Cover the skillet and set aside for the cheese to melt.
- Mix together all of the ingredients for the basil mayonnaise. Spread on the cut side of the bottom half of the toasted bun. Place on a plate.
- Top with the pepper/onion/fennel mixture. Place the cheese topped slice of porchetta on top and then finally place the toasted bun top, cut side down on top of everything.
- Enjoy!
Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
Creamy Pesto Pasta Chicken makes a fabulous weeknight meal. Not only is it quick and easy to make, but it is incredibly delicious and uses things which most of us have on hand most of the time in our larders and refrigerators.
I don't know about you, but chicken is the one thing that I cook most of the time in my kitchen. It is, to put it simply, my protein of choice. Not only is it fairly affordable, but it is incredibly versatile, and one of my favorite things to cook and to eat!
.JPG "Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta")
I saw this recipe for Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta on Pinterest a few weeks back. Attributed to Julia's Album it immediately caught my eye, with it's bright fresh flavors and colors.
I put it on my list of recipes that I wanted to try. Let it be noted the original recipe made four servings. I have cut that down to two servings and I actually only cooked one serving for myself. No waste here!
With a creamy delicious pesto sauced pasta, garlic roasted cherry tomatoes and asparagus, perfectly cooked tender pieces of chicken and crunchy pine nuts, there is much to love about this quick and easy pasta recipe!
.JPG "Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta")
WHAT YOU NEED TO COOK CREAMY CHICKEN PESTO PASTA
Simple everyday ingredients. There is nothing too out of the ordinary here.
For the roasted tomatoes:
- 5 ounces of cherry tomatoes, halved (about 9 tomatoes)
- 2 large stalks of asparagus, washed and trimmed
- 1 TBS olive oil (I used garlic olive oil by Fody)
- 1 fat clove garlic minced
For the Chicken Pesto Pasta:
- 1 TBS light olive oil
- 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
- fine sea salt, black pepper and ground paprika to taste
- 4 ounces (1 cup) of bow tie (Farfalle) pasta (can also use penne or fusilli)
- 1 heaped TBS of basil pesto
- 1/4 cup (60ml) heavy cream
- 2 TBS lightly toasted pine nuts (optional)
.JPG "Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta")
Because of my IBS I can no longer tolerate eating onions or garlic, at least not often. To infuse the flavor of garlic into the roasted cherry tomatoes I used garlic infused olive oil. It works beautifully.
I used a good store bought basil pesto this time, but I often make my own pesto. You can find my recipe for A Simple Basil Pesto here. Its really good and not all that difficult to make so long as you have access to a foodprocessor.
.JPG "Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta")
Pesto is actually an ingredient that I use often on here. I have quite a few recipes which use this delicious ingredient! Some of my favorites are:
Skillet Chicken and Rigatoni with Pesto - A delicious quick and easy weeknight supper that cooks in one pan! (You could also use leftover cooked chicken and cooked pasta shapes in this.)
Pasta Salad with Roasted Tomatoes and Asparagus - A deliciously different Pasta Salad. Easy to make, quick, colorful and very tasty with fresh spring asparagus and a punchy pesto dressing!
Mini Scone Focaccia Breads - A lot easier and quicker to make than a traditional focaccia bread, these are incredibly moreish and go very well with soups, salads and main courses.
Spinach and Gruyere Tart - A fabulously tasty recipe for a quick and easy to make free form tart that I got many years ago from my good friend Audrey. Its fabulously delicious!
HOW TO MAKE CREAMY CHICKEN PESTO PASTA
This might look complicated but I can assure you that it is very easy to make and if you have everything in place it goes together very quickly!
Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Line a small baking tray with nonstick foil. Toss the cherry tomatoes with the oil and minced garlic. Spread on the baking tray. Roast for about 10 minutes, add the asparagus spears and roast for a further 10 minutes while you prep the remainder of the dish.
Slice your chicken breast in half horizontally. Season on both sides with the salt, pepper and paprika.
Put the water on for your pasta. (Lightly salted.) Bring to the boil while cooking the chicken.
Heat the oil in a medium sized skillet for the chicken over medium high heat until hot. Add the chicken and cook for about 5 minutes per side, until golden brown and cooked through. The juices should no longer run pink.
.JPG "Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta")
Remove to a plate and tent lightly with foil to keep warm. Add your pasta to the boiling water and cook according to the package directions. Drain well, rinse, and drain again.
Add the cream and pesto to the same skillet you cooked the chicken in. Add the drained pasta, tossing to coat it well in the sauce. Cut the asparagus spears into 2 inch lengths and add to the pan. Bring to a simmer and heat through.
Slice your chicken breast into thinnish slices. Top the pasta with the sliced chicken breast. Scatter the roasted tomatoes and pine nuts over top. Serve immediately.
.JPG "Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta")
I really hope that you will be inspired to cook this delicious pasta recipe. Quick, easy and delicious it has become a firm favorite with me that I know I will cook again and again!
A grating of fresh Parmesan cheese would go wonderfully lightly dusting the top of this tasty dish. I think some warm crusty bread would also go well.
The juices from those delicious roasted cherry tomatoes leak into that rich creamy sauce, creating something that is incredibly tasty! Everything together was quite simply wonderful!
Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta
Yield: 2
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 30 Min
This deliciously creamy chicken pesto pasta is a fabulous choice for a weeknight dinner. Sized perfectly for two, it uses basic every day ingredients. You can use store-bought basil pesto, or make your own from scratch.
Ingredients
For the roasted tomatoes:
- 5 ounces of cherry tomatoes, halved (about 9 tomatoes)
- 2 large stalks of asparagus, washed and trimmed
- 1 TBS olive oil (I used garlic olive oil by Fody)
- 1 fat clove garlic minced
For the Chicken Pesto Pasta
- 1 TBS light olive oil
- 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
- fine sea salt, black pepper and ground paprika to taste
- 4 ounces (1 cup) of bow tie (Farfalle) pasta (can also use penne or fusilli)
- 1 heaped TBS of basil pesto
- 1/4 cup (60ml) heavy cream
- 2 TBS lightly toasted pine nuts (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Line a small baking tray with nonstick foil.
- Toss the cherry tomatoes with the oil and minced garlic. Spread on the baking tray. Roast for about 10 minutes, add the asparagus spears and roast for a further 10 minutes while you prep the remainder of the dish.
- Slice your chicken breast in half horizontally. Season on both sides with the salt, pepper and paprika.
- Put the water on for your pasta. (Lightly salted.) Bring to the boil while cooking the chicken.
- Heat the oil in a medium sized skillet for the chicken over medium high heat until hot. Add the chicken and cook for about 5 minutes per side, until golden brown and cooked through. The juices should no longer run pink.
- Remove to a plate and tent lightly with foil to keep warm.
- Add your pasta to the boiling water and cook according to the package directions. Drain well, rinse, and drain again.
- Add the cream and pesto to the same skillet you cooked the chicken in. Add the drained pasta, tossing to coat it well in the sauce. Cut the asparagus spears into 2 inch lengths and add to the pan. Bring to a simmer and heat through.
- Slice your chicken breast into thinnish slices. Top the pasta with the sliced chicken breast. Scatter the roasted tomatoes and pine nuts over top. Serve immediately.
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
I have been trying to eat more low carb things recently in an effort to be kinder to my liver. No sugar, very little salt, lower carbs (which turn to sugar). Its not easy when you are a bit of a carboholic!
Potatoes and pasta have always been my favorite thing, and don't get me started on bread. I am quite surprised and amazed at the options that are available out there now for people who are trying to cut back on these things.
Just a few years ago, when I was diagnosed as a type 2 Diabetic this was a lot more difficult! There was not much available that was keto friendly, low carb, or sugar free. I am happy to say that is not the case anymore.
I have been able to find quite a few products in the local grocery stores and online that are very diabetic and keto friendly. I am not sure I could ever embrace totally Keto.
I have been conditioned to watch the fats my whole life, thinking they were super bad for you. And while they aren't that good for you . . . sugar is the real enemy.
.JPG "Low Carb Double Chocolate Mug Cake")
I have found a bread that is very low carb friendly and that actually tastes good! Carbonaut. Their bread is quite nice actually. And they also have hot dog buns, burger buns, etc.
It is a bit pricey, but you can keep them frozen and use only what you need at any given time. Save the regular stuff for the family!
I have been using Swerve sweetener in most of my baked goods. It measures one for one like sugar and is made from totally natural ingredients, produced from natural sources that exist in nature.
.JPG "Low Carb Double Chocolate Mug Cake")
You can even get sugar free, keto friendly chocolate chips. Sweetened with Stevia, which is a natural plant ingredient. They come in dark, semi sweet, and milk chocolates as well as white chocolate and butterscotch. Who knew!!!
I am enjoying discovering these new things and testing them out in recipes such as this low carb double chocolate mug cake recipe which I am sharing with you today!
.JPG "Low Carb Double Chocolate Mug Cake")
I adapted the recipe from one I found in a magazine called Keto Made Easy by the people at Delish. It looked really good and I happened to have everything in my cupboard to make it.
Low carb, keto friendly, fudgy and loaded with chocolate. What more could you want for a bit of an indulgence. The recipe makes enough for one deliciously decadent mug cake!
.JPG "Low Carb Double Chocolate Mug Cake")
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE LOW CARB DOUBLE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE
They are not ordinary ingredients that most people have in their kitchen, but I dare say if you are following a low carb or keto diet you will have them. And if you are trying to watch your carbs, you should have them!
This is a delicious way to have a bit of an indulgent treat without going overboard!
.JPG "Low Carb Double Chocolate Mug Cake")
For one mug cake you will need a microwave safe mug and the following:
- 2 TBS (29g) butter
- 1/4 cup (24g) almond flour
- 2 TBS (13g) cocoa powder, sifted
- 1 large free range egg, beaten
- 2 TBS (23g) sugar free keto friendly chocolate chips (Lily's or Krisda)
- 1 tsp Swerve granular sweetener
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- pinch salt
- a few chocolate chips to sprinkle on top (optional)
- whipped cream to serve
.JPG "Low Carb Double Chocolate Mug Cake")
I found all of these ingredients at my local superstore. (Loblaws) You can also find them in Sobey's and purchase the online from Amazon and other online retailers that cater to the low carb market.
I took great care to measure everything out in grams to that my UK family and friends could also enjoy this fabulous mug cake!
.JPG "Low Carb Double Chocolate Mug Cake")
HOW TO MAKE LOW CARB DOUBLE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE
These microwave mug cakes are some of the easiest cakes to make. You simply stir everything together in a microwave safe mug and bake in the microwave for almost instant satisfaction.
If it takes five minutes total (measuring, mixing, cooking) I would be surprised!
I did measure everything into a bowl and mixed it up separately and then put it into the mug to cook, but that is only because I wanted my mug to look neat and not messy. Normally you would mix it all together right in the mug.
Place the butter into a microwave safe mug. Microwave on high for about 30 seconds until melted. Whisk in the cocoa powder, almond flour, swerve, baking powder, salt and beaten egg to combine well. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Sprinkle a few chocolate chips on top. (optional)Cook on high in the microwave for 45 to 60 seconds or until cake is set but still fudgy in the middle. Top with whipped cream and enjoy!
.JPG "Low Carb Double Chocolate Mug Cake")
This was not overly sweet, decadent, fudgy and filled with lovely chocolate flavors. I think when I make it again I am going to add a touch of vanilla extract, but that is only because I enjoy the flavor of vanilla in my chocolate bakes and makes
All in all I give it two thumbs up!
Low Carb Double Chocolate Mug Cake
Yield: 1
Prep time: 4 MinCook time: 1 MinTotal time: 5 Min
Watching your carbs? Now you can have your cake and eat it too!
Ingredients
- 2 TBS (29g) butter
- 1/4 cup (24g) almond flour
- 2 TBS (13g) cocoa powder, sifted
- 1 large free range egg, beaten
- 2 TBS (23g) sugar free keto friendly chocolate chips (Lily's or Krisda)
- 1 tsp Swerve granular sweetener
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- pinch salt
- a few chocolate chips to sprinkle on top (optional)
- whipped cream to serve
Instructions
- Place the butter into a microwave safe mug. Microwave on high for about 30 seconds until melted.
- Whisk in the cocoa powder, almond flour, swerve, baking powder, salt and beaten egg to combine well. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Sprinkle a few chocolate chips on top. (optional)
- Cook on high in the microwave for 45 to 60 seconds or until cake is set but still fudgy in the middle.
- Top with whipped cream and enjoy!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
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