When I was single I used to cook a chicken on Sunday and then make meals out of it all week long. I was a master of disguises … chicken disguises that is. The chicken would appear the first night unadulterated with a side dish of some kind. The next night it would be nestled among spaghetti disguised as tetrazzini. Then perhaps it would go off to India and become chicken curry with rice. It would then put on a bathing suit and jump into a pot of chicken noodle soup ... you get the idea.
I was perfectly happy munching on that poor, overworked chicken all week long. Then I married a man that, much to my horror, doesn’t like leftovers! How could this be? The best part of any meal is the leftovers!
Curiously, he will happily take the leftovers for lunch. As a matter of fact, he feels entitled to them. So I now pack them up in lunch-sized portions and send them off. But, when I have leftover potatoes, fish, poultry or meat, I wait a day and then bring out the disguises.
No those aren’t the mashed potatoes we had the other night, this is shepherd’s pie. That? Oh, that’s pasta mornay, nothing to do with that leftover ham we had. I know these salmon cakes look a lot like the baked salmon from Monday, but that’s just a coincidence … And so it goes.
It is amazing how much he enjoys these non-leftovers, and what he doesn’t know, certainly won’t hurt him!
This easy "one pot" pasta dish is a true 30-minute meal and is a great way to use up leftover ham. It requires little prep work and can be cooked, with the exception of boiling the pasta, in the microwave.
Pasta and Ham Mornay
(Serves 4.)
• 1 1/4 cups uncooked penne pasta
• 1/2 cup sliced zucchini, 1/8 inch thick
• 1/3 cup frozen peas
• 2 tablespoons diced shallots
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 teaspoons snipped fresh parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil leaves
• Dash pepper
• 2 teaspoons flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons shredded Swiss or jack cheese
• 8 ounces of cooked ham, sliced or cubed
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| Pasta & Ham Mornay |
In a 1 1/2-quart casserole, combine zucchini, peas, shallot, butter, parsley, basil and pepper. Cover and microwave at high for 2 to 3 minutes, or until vegetables are tender-crisp, stirring once.
Stir in flour. Slowly add the milk and stir until flour and milk are well combined.
Return to microwave, uncovered, and cook at high for 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 minutes, or until mixture thickens and bubbles, stirring once or twice. Stir in Swiss cheese, ham and pasta. Re-cover and microwave at high for 1 to 3 minutes, or until heated through.
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