Yesterday, as I was coming up with my Menu Plan for the week, I was also trying to figure out uses for leftovers in the fridge. Many I thought I’d be able to use for lunches this week, but there was a container of pulled pork that was really in a must-be-used-today situation. Leftover pork is only used for a few things here, usually it’s tossed with sauce for BBQ pork sandwiches. Sometimes, though, I’ll use it as filling for enchiladas or burritos. What I decided I really wanted, and thought would be good was some Mu Shu Pork, so I went hunting for a recipe I thought I had… I didn’t have it anywhere, and the few recipes I did find called for a whole slew of ingredients I didn’t have. Then it occurred to me that I may have seen a recipe for Mu Shu Pork in Robin Miller’s Quick Fix Meals, that seemed like something she would make with leftover pork.
Flipping through the book resulted in no Mu Shu Pork, but I did find a quick Pork Tortilla Soup that used only on-hand ingredients, and given how quick it would be to throw together, accompanied by a salad and some corn muffins, if it only turned out okay, it would be okay.
The only ingredient I was missing was some pre-made Pico de Gallo. My 
first thought was just to use salsa, but since I had the ingredients on hand, I chopped up onion, tomatoes, peppers, cilantro, tossed it with lime juice, salt and pepper, and had some Pico de Gallo. I’ll tell you though, it seemed a shame to toss this into soup- I really just wanted to scoop it up with chips and eat it that way!
I also had to defrost some chicken stock, and while the recipe called for 7 cups, I just used 6 cups, since that’s what my package had in it. I followed the recipe pretty much as is, went to taste, and actually, I was surprised. For what was in it, it was pretty good. But with a second taste, I thought it was a little flat, so I added a can of black beans, and really thought hard about adding a can of fire-roasted tomatoes. Instead, I let it simmer longer, thinking that maybe it just needed a little depth, and counted on the idea that adding scallions, cilantro and crushed chips tableside was going to take care of it.
Well, the end result was that it was just okay. It was good enough that I finished my bowl of soup, and the kids seemed to like it okay, but it definitely was missing something. I added a scoop or two of salsa to my bowl, and that seemed to help, but not really enough to make the soup spectacular. Overall though, it was good for what it was. I would make it again, but with serious modification, like adding that can of tomatoes, and some spices, like cumin, and a little cayenne or ancho chili. A squirt of lime juice to finish it would have been nice as well. I think you could easily play around with the bones of this recipe to come up with something you like. Robin Miller says this is the perfect leftover soup to use leftover anything- chicken, pork, beef, or even shrimp. I think a combination of proteins would be even better.
I’m still looking for a good recipe though for Mu Shu Pork with Pancakes…
Pork Tortilla Soup
from Quick Fix Meals by Robin Miller
2 teaspoons olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 7 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth 1 cup pico de gallo 2 cups diced leftover roasted pork tenderloin 1 cup frozen corn 1/4 cup chopped scallions 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro 2 cups tortilla strips or baked tortilla chipsHeat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the broth, pico de gallo sauce, pork and corn and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, partially cover the pan, and simmer for 10 minutes.
Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle with scallions and cilantro. Top with the tortilla strips just before serving.
Serves 4.