The Rest of the Roast

Right after we roasted our standing rib of pig, the Bay area experienced a heat wave, so the idea of stir-frying the rest of the pork and serving it over hot rice just seemed like too much hell.

Luckily, my friend Annie had the solution. Annie and I have been friends since we were 13 and the internet has brought us closer even though she lives in very southern Arizona where this kind of heat is pretty common. I knew she'd have an idea for using up the pork that didn't include heating up the kitchen.

She suggested a Southwest-themed salad and her recipe sounded great, to wit:

1 can black beans, drained
diced onion, diced Anaheim chili
diced jalapeno (can omit if you don't like heat)
can of corn
some garlic
chopped, fresh cilantro
quartered cherry tomatoes (they aren't on the "killer" list)
one cooked chicken breast.

The dressing is lime juice and a little oil, salt and pepper. Shred the chicken breast and stir into the mix. Serve on chopped romaine lettuce.

I made only four small changes to this recipe. Grilled two ears of corn that I had on hand, rather than using canned corn, and cut it off the cob. Added cubed avocado because, to me, it's just not Southwest food if avocado is not involved. Used canned chilis because my little market didn't have fresh ones that day. And, substituted the left over pork roast for the chicken.

It was too hot for tossing the salad so I just offered it in bowls from which we heaped our plates according to our preferences. Served under the shade on the deck to catch the breeze off the water, it made a spectacular hot-day dinner and a fitting end for the rest of the roast.