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Lately, I am far more likely to nosh than to sit down to a full meal. I just can鈥檛 seem to get inspired enough in the kitchen to create a complete menu.

Because that鈥檚 so, I tend to cook a piece of protein 鈥� a roast, say, or a whole chicken 鈥� and then nibble on it over succeeding days.

Recently I roasted a lean pork loin roast, unseasoned but for salt and pepper. Even after slicing off pieces for a couple of days, I still had a big chunk left. I was at the point where I either had to freeze it or do something else with it to keep it from going to waste.

Given my noshing habits, changing that chunk into a p芒t茅 seemed like a good way to extend its life. Why not, I thought, make it into a Southwestern treat?

Classic p芒t茅s are made from raw ingredients, but I could see no reason not to start with my leftover pork roast. 鈥淧芒t茅鈥� means 鈥減aste鈥� in French, so that is what I went for 鈥� a smooth, spreadable mixture just right for spreading on crackers or bread.

The cognac in a classic French p芒t茅 adds flavor, of course, but the alcohol also adds a bit of preserving power. Because my kitchen is so oriented to Southwestern ingredients these days, I had no cognac or brandy on hand. Instead, I blended in a little tequila to perform the cognac鈥檚 chores.

Beyond that, I dug a variety of roasted chiles from the freezer 鈥� hot Hatch, jalape帽o, and poblano 鈥� and used the last of a can of chipotles in adobo. You could use all chiles of one variety if that鈥檚 what you have on hand, and the p芒t茅 will still be delicious. But when I鈥檓 able to do so, I like to combine chiles in a dish to make it more complex.

That pint jar of ground chile powder that I bought earlier this year at the San Xavier Co-op Farm store also beckoned.

I reached for butter to make a smooth p芒t茅 but cream cheese works, too. I don鈥檛 think I would use margarine here; had I neither butter nor cream cheese, I would have used a dribbling of olive oil. The p芒t茅 wants some fat, especially if the protein is lean, to help carry the flavors throughout the mixture.

What I ended up with from my kitchen is lively in the mouth but not overwhelmingly spicy.

A Makeshift P芒t茅

Makes 2 to 3 cups

This is less a recipe than it is an inspiration. Use what you have on hand. If you don鈥檛 have butter, use cream cheese. If you don鈥檛 have cream cheese, add a bit of olive oil or bacon drippings 鈥� the fat carries the flavor of the seasonings.

The booze does that, too, but you can omit it if you wish. Here, I鈥檝e used cumin, roasted chiles and oregano to bend the pate toward a Southwestern flavor profile, but a traditional French approach with thyme, garlic and bay leaf is always a hit, too. I make this in a food processor, but if you have a meat grinder, you can use that as well.

Ingredients

3 cloves garlic, peeled

1 to 1 1/2 pounds cooked beef, pork, chicken, or turkey, cut into 2-inch chunks

1 medium onion, cut into chunks

3 roasted chiles, seeded and cut into chunks

2 chipotle chiles in adobo, together with 1 teaspoon of their adobo sauce

2 teaspoons hot chile powder

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

4 tablespoons cold butter or cream cheese, cut into cubes

1/4 cup tequila, vodka, bourbon, or brandy

Salt and pepper, to taste

Crackers, tortilla chips or sliced toasted baguette, for serving

Preparation

With the food processor fitted with the metal blade running, drop the garlic cloves through the feed tube one by one, until each is finely chopped. Stop the machine.

Add the cooked meat, onion, chiles, cumin, chipotles and adobo, oregano and butter to the work bowl. Cover and whiz until the mixture is well blended and smooth. Stop the machine.

Add the liquor and salt and pepper. Whiz for a second or two, just until the liquor and seasonings are well-incorporated. Scrape the mixture into a bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least four hours or overnight to allow flavors to meld.

Serve with crackers, tortilla chips or baguette slices. The p芒t茅 will keep, refrigerated, for up to a week.