How to make brand new meals from that leftover Christmas food
Leftovers are my absolute favourite, so hopefully there will be some tasty morsels to provide, an opportunity to make some delicious dishes.
Don’t forget a make a turkey stock with the carcass and giblets, it makes the very best broth and basis for warming soups, sauces and stews. We love this turkey broth with orzo, pea and spring onion.
There’s a ton of ways to use up morsels of turkey, ham and goose — that’s if there’s anything left in the carcass after the family have tucked into turkey sandwiches on Christmas evening.
Stephen’s Day pie is a winner, but the mixture can be also be piled into popovers or pastry cases to make yummy bites.
This broth can be the basis of a flavoursome light soup to use up delicious morsels of cooked poultry.
Serves 6
1 litre (1¾pints) well-flavoured turkey, chicken or pheasant stock
pinch of chilli flakes (optional)
50g (2oz) orzo pasta
2 tender stalks celery, finely sliced at an angle
150 – 175g (5 - 6 oz) shredded cooked turkey, chicken or pheasant
110g (4oz) frozen peas
4 – 6 spring onions, sliced at an angle
lots of fresh coriander and/or fresh mint
Bring the stock to the boil; add the orzo, celery and chilli flakes. Cook for approximately 10 minutes or until the pasta is just cooked, add the peas and shredded turkey.
Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Cook for 3 or 4 minutes, correct the seasoning. Ladle into soup bowls, sprinkle with lots of spring onion and fresh coriander and/or mint.
Try to keep some left-over turkey and ham for this delicious pie — it’s the most scrumptious way to use up leftovers and can be topped with fluffy mashed potatoes or a puff-pastry lid.
Serves 12
900 g (2lbs) cooked organic or free-range turkey, white and brown meat and crispy skin
450 g (1lb) cooked ham or bacon
30 g (1oz) butter
1-2 teasp. grated fresh ginger (optional)
340 g (12oz) chopped onion
225 g (8oz) flat mushrooms or button if flats are not available
1 clove of garlic — crushed
900 ml (30 fl.oz) well flavoured turkey stock or 568ml (20 fl oz) stock and 300 ml/10 fl.oz)
Turkey gravy
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped chives
2 teaspoons fresh marjoram or tarragon if available
150 ml (¼ pint) cream
450 g (1lb) puff or flaky pastry or 900g (2lb) Duchesse or mashed Potato
2 x 1.1L/2 pint) capacity pie dishes with a lip.
Cut the turkey and ham into 1 inch (2.5 cm) approx. pieces and shred the crispy skin.
Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan, add the chopped onions and ginger if using, cover and sweat for about 10 minutes until they are soft but not coloured.
Meanwhile wash and slice the mushrooms. When the onions are soft, stir in the garlic and remove to a plate. Increase the heat and cook the sliced mushrooms, a few at a time.
Season with salt and freshly-ground pepper and add to the onions and garlic.
Toss the cold turkey and ham in the hot saucepan, using a little extra butter if necessary; add to the mushrooms and onion.
De-glaze the saucepan with the turkey stock.
Add the cream and chopped herbs. Bring it to the boil, thicken with roux, add the meat, mushrooms and onions and simmer for 5 minutes.
Taste and correct the seasoning.
Fill into the pie dishes, and pipe rosettes of potato all over the top. Bake in a moderate oven, 190C/375F/regulo 5, for 15-20 minutes or until the potato is golden and the pie is bubbling.
Alternatively, if you would like to have a pastry crust, allow the filling to get quite cold.
Roll out the pastry to about 1/8-inch (3 mm) thickness, then cut a strip from around the edge the same width as the lip of the pie dish.
Brush the edge of the dish with water and press the strip of pastry firmly down onto it; wet the top of the strip again. Cut the pastry into an oval just slightly larger than the pie dish.
Press this down onto the wet border, flute the edges of the pastry with a knife and then scallop them at 1 inch (2.5 cm) approx. intervals.
Roll out the trimmings and cut into leaves to decorate the top.
Make a hole in the centre to allow the steam to escape while cooking. Brush with egg wash and bake in a preheated oven, 250C/475F/regulo 9, for 10 minutes; then turn the heat down to moderate, 180C/350F/regulo 4, for 20-25 minutes or until the pastry is cooked through and the pie is bubbling.
Serve with a good green salad.
Serves 6-8
My eternal standby.
A frittata is an Italian omelette. Unlike its soft and creamy French cousin, a frittata is cooked slowly over a very low heat. Like the omelette you may add almost anything that takes your fancy.
10 large eggs, preferably free range organic
1 teaspoon salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper
75g (3ozs) Gruyére cheese, grated
25g (1oz) Parmesan cheese, grated
2 tablespoons (2 American tablespoons + 2 teaspoons) parsley, chopped
2 teaspoons thyme leaves
25g (1oz/1/4 stick) butter
2 tablespoons (2 American tablespoons + 2 teaspoons) basil or marjoram chopped
Rocket leaves
Tomato and Coriander Salsa
Non-stick pan – 22.5cm (10inch) frying pan
Whisk the eggs in a bowl, add the salt, freshly ground pepper, fresh herbs, diced ham and grated cheese into the eggs.
Melt the butter in a non-stick frying pan.
When the butter starts to foam, tip in the eggs. Turn down the heat, as low as it will go.
Leave the eggs to cook gently for 12 minutes on a heat diffuser mat, or until the underneath is set. The top should still be slightly runny.
Preheat a grill. Pop the pan under the grill for 1 minute to set but not brown the surface.
Alternatively after an initial 3 or 4 minutes on the stove one can transfer the pan to a preheated oven 170ºC/325ºF/gas mark 3 until just set 15-20 minutes.
Slide a palette knife under the frittata to free it from the pan. Slide onto a warm plate.
Serve cut in wedges, arrange some rocket leaves on top of the frittata and top with a blob of tomato and coriander salsa or alternatively you can serve with a good green salad and perhaps a tomato salad.
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