Don’t let holiday leftover food go to waste. You can still enjoy them for another hearty lunch or dinner.

 

For instance, these baby back ribs transform into an elegant makeover—the meat carefully flaked and wrapped in warm pita bread.

 

The tangy, smoky flavor of the charred meat, combined with mayonnaise, makes the dish more delectable. The addition of veggies gives not only visual appeal but added flavor and crunch.

 

“Aside from baby back ribs, you can also use your leftover fried chicken, adobo, caldereta or menudo as filling for your pita bread,” says chef Get Bautista Hao, who runs her own private cooking and baking classes.

 

Hao adds that you can also use leftover meat in pasta as rice toppings with sautéed veggies or as pan de sal filling.

 

 

Ingredients:

Leftover baby back ribs, flaked

Pita bread

Japanese mayonnaise (optional)

Lettuce, slivered

Onions, slivered

Tomatoes, slivered

Cucumber, slivered

Cheddar cheese

 

Pita bread:

2 ½ c all-purpose flour

1 ½ tsp instant dry yeast

1 c water

2 tsp corn oil or olive oil

1 tsp salt

 

 

1) To make pita bread, whisk together flour, yeast, oil and salt in a bowl. Add water a little at a time.

 

 

2) Knead dough and roll into a ball. Let it rest for one hour till double in size. Cut dough into small pieces, then form each piece into a small round ball (approximately 60g each). Let it rest for another hour.

 

 

3) Using a rolling pin, gently flatten each ball forming a flat, round bread about 1/4 inch thick.

 

 

4) Brush a nonstick pan with oil and place pita bread over medium-high heat. Cook bread until it begins to puff up and bottom has brown spots and blisters, about 3 minutes on each side. Wrap pita bread in a cloth to keep them moist and soft. Set aside.

 

 

5) Reheat leftover baby back ribs. Shred the meat with your fingers or fork, gently pulling apart the meat fibers. Set aside.

 

 

6) To assemble: put lettuce, onions, tomatoes, cucumber, mayonnaise, meat and cheese on top of the pita bread.

 

 

7) Carefully roll up the bread and secure with toothpicks.

 

 

8) Baby back ribs rollups.

 

 

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