During this pandemic and while sheltering in place, my husband and I have been struggling to make room in our over packed freezer. One by-product of this effort has been the “mystery meal,” something frozen so long ago that we don’t know what it is. Sometimes even after opening the container, we’re not able to identify it.

Such was the case yesterday, when I lifted the container lid, examined the contents, and ventured a guess: “Curry?” I asked; “No,” replied my better half. “I think it looks more like beef.” The red sauce made me think that it could have been the oxtails, we made quite some time ago. But after it defrosted, there were no bones; and the shredded meat didn’t quite look like beef.

I scanned my blog for post pictures that would give us a clue. After a few minutes, I found a like likely candidate: Pork Shoulder in Genovese Sauce.

The first time we had the dish, last February, I served it with pasta. But last night, we were in the mood for mashed potatoes, which I seasoned with truffle salt and pepper.

It was extraordinary. As we do for many left-over braised dishes, we heated it up  slowly, over an extremely low flame, for about an hour. Moreover, because we were able to remove any excess fat before re-heating, the dish was much leaner but even tastier than the first time around. The slow reheating rendered the pork meltingly tender, which made it an ideal match for the potatoes.

We still have a number of mystery meals to look forward to, but we’re now making sure to label and date any new additions to our stash.

I invite you to share your own experiences with and thoughts about leftovers in the “Comments” section.

Wine Pairing: Chianti Classico