Fun with leftovers

Leftovers get a bad rap which I don't really understand - I mean how can something be so well received one night and then the same meal the next night be met with moans? Regardless variety is the spice of life and except in the rarest of cases even I hate to eat the exact same meal two days in a row. Almost every Sunday I roast a chicken; I spoke about it before here. It's enough for two to have a nice dinner and leaves enough leftovers for another dinner and few sandwiches and if I'm feeling ambitious I can make stock from the carcass. I highly recommend it!

This is one of my favourite ways to use leftover chicken. Luckily my summer of preserving has really paid off. All winter we've been enjoying the vegetables, pickles, jams and salsas I put down last summer. The salsa verde is especially nice, the lime zest I added right at the end is bright and floral and it really is like I trapped some summer in a jar. If you didn't make your own salsa never fear store bought is just as good. My favourite brand is Herdez it's fresh tasting and they make a great green salsa too. Even President's Choice has a new tomatillo salsa which is excellent.

This dish isn't authentic in any way; it's like a lazy enchilada casserole, almost a Mexican lasagna if you will. But it's tasty and forgiving. It can be made with a variety of leftover meats, or beans or soy veggie ground round products for vegetarians. I added peppers to make the chicken go further, too add some extra bulk and I'm always looking for ways to slip in extra vegetables. I've used both flour and corn tortillas with great success but I really prefer the corn tortillas; they break down in the salsa and become almost like a tamale or polenta in consistency.

I often make up the casserole in advance in the morning and leave it in the fridge while I go to work. When hubs gets home before me he can throw it in the oven and then when I get home dinner is ready!

1. Shred up some leftover chicken. I roasted a whole chicken on Sunday for the two of us and after we'd eaten our fill shredded up all the remaining meat and gave the fat, skin and wng tips to the hungry beagles.

Saute up some peppers over medium heat in a tiny bit of olive oil with a tablespoon of cumin and a teaspoon of chili powder of your choice. I scored some lovely fresh green Anaheim chiles so added them chopped up (without ribs and seeds) to some sweet bell peppers. If you can't find fresh green chiles the canned green ones are just as good.

2. In a medium casserole or pyrex pan lay down a layer of salsa and cover with a layer of overlapped corn tortillas. I cut my tortillas in half so they can go right up against the edge of the pan.

3. Layer with your shredded chicken - see that green stuff on part of the chicken? That's just the parsley and herb rub I rubbed all over the chicken before roasting - it's all flavour!

4. Cover your chicken layer with sauteed peppers, half the cheese and a bit more salsa.

5. Top this with more tortillas and then top with the remaining salsa. I used a mix of my red and green salsas because they are pretty together.

6. Top with remaining cheese and bake, covered with foil for 1 hour at 350 Degrees. Remove foil for last 15 minutes.

7. This is an important step. While it's hard because it smells so great and you're likely already starving (okay maybe it's just me who's always hungry) be sure to let the dish stand and cool for at least 15 mins before cutting. This will ensure nice neat pieces, otherwise it will be a sloppy but still delicious mess. Serve with some sour cream and to cut the richness a bitter green salad and some fresh tomatoes. This also reheats beautifully and this is one of those cases where it's leftovers the next day taste even better!