If there’s one thing you can never have too much of at Christmas, it’s food. Christmas dinner may be the main event and culinary highlight of the period, but the leftovers can keep you going for days afterwards. Get creative with your Christmas leftovers with these yummy recipes. Not to worry, there isn’t a turkey curry in sight!
Wild rice and Brussels sprout super salad
You can count on Jamie Oliver to think up unusual ways to use up your Christmas leftovers. After a few days of indulgence, the superfoods in this wild rice and Brussels sprout salad make for the perfect light bite. Packed full of herbs and with the tang of red wine vinegar, you might even be able to forget it’s full of sprouts as well as superfoods!
Image from jamieoliver.com
You’ll need:
300g mixed wild rice
2 red onions
1-2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (depending on how vinegary your tastes are)
500g Brussels sprouts
8 radishes
1 lemon
A large bunch of mixed fresh herbs
1 generous handful of dried cranberries
Extra virgin olive oil
How to make it:
Cook the wild rice according to the packet instructions, drain it, then spread it out on a large tray to cool
Peel and finely slice the red onions. Transfer to a bowl and add the red wine vinegar. Scrunch it all together then set aside
Shred the sprouts and radishes, then pop them in a bowl and dress them with the juice of the lemon and a pinch of salt. Rub the lemony flavours into the veg with your hands
Finely chop the herbs and put them in a large serving bowl. Add the cooled rice, onions and veg as well as the cranberries, salt and pepper to taste and a drizzle of olive oil, and toss together before serving
Spicy turkey enchiladas
Winter is all about comfort food, and even when Christmas dinner is done with, we still want something warming! Enchiladas are a Mexican-inspired favourite that put a new twist on festive fare.
Image from Delicious Magazine
What you’ll need
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, crushed or finely chopped
2 tbsp chipotle paste
2x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
250ml fresh turkey or chicken stock
8 small corn tortillas
A splash of red wine vinegar
400g leftover turkey, shredded
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
A tiny pinch of cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
5-6 slices of jalapeno from a jar, chopped finely, plus a splash of the jar liquid
40g cheddar cheese, grated
300ml sour cream, to serve
How to make it:
Heat the oil in a frying pan and gently fry the onion until golden and translucent. Add the garlic and chipotle paste and fry for a further 2 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes, 200ml of the stock and the red wine vinegar. Season with salt and pepper, then simmer for 15-20 mins.
Next, turn on your oven to pre-heat to 180 degrees celcius (or gas mark 4).
In another lightly oiled frying pan, fry each tortilla for 30 seconds on one side until golden – re-oil the pan between tortillas.
Once you’ve fried all your tortillas, throw your turkey into the empty pan and warm it through gently with the paprika, cayenne pepper and cumin.
Add the remaining stock and the splash of jalapeno water from the jar.
Remove from the heat and stir in the jalapenos.
Spread one third of the tomato sauce you made earlier over the bottom of a large, ovenproof dish.
Divide the turkey mixture between the 8 tortillas, rolling and nestling them into the ovenproof dish as you go. Make sure they all fit in one layer!
Top with the rest of the tomato sauce and the cheese.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes – it should be bubbling and piping hot when you take it out.
Serve with the sour cream.
Christmas pudding truffles
What’s better than Christmas pudding? Teeny tiny Christmas puddings with chocolate! This recipe is a great one for using up leftover pud, but you can also make it plenty ahead of the big day to serve these truffles up as a little treat with after dinner coffee.
Image from Taste.com
What you’ll need:
700g Christmas pudding
250g dark chocolate, melted
125ml brandy
80g icing sugar
200g white chocolate
Glace cherries – a mixture of red and green, cut up to look like berries and leaves
How to make it:
Crumble the Christmas pudding into a large bowl. Stir in the melted dark chocolate, the brandy and the icing sugar. Mix well.
Take a tablespoon measure of the mixture, and roll it into a ball between your hands. Place each ball on a tray, then pop the tray in the fridge for a few hours until your truffles have become firm
Melt the white chocolate in a small, heatproof bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water. Once completely melted, cool the chocolate for 10 minutes – stir it occasionally to stop the edges from solidifying
Drizzle the melted white chocolate over the top of your pudding truffles so that it looks like custard, then decorate with the red and green cherries
Bubble and squeak hamburgers
This is a great recipe for using up any of your Christmas veg leftovers – from spuds to sprouts, you can throw it all into these burgers. The trick is to make sure that your burgers hold their shape, so mash everything well so it doesn’t turn into a crumbly mess when you cook it!
Image from jamieoliver.com
What you’ll need
1 red onion
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
600g roasted veg – potatoes, swede, parsnips, carrots and sprouts are all great options!
280g cooked ham
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 bread rolls
A handful of salad leaves
Ketchup, brown sauce, mayo, or whatever else you like on a burger!
How to make it
Peel and slice the onion, and place in a small bowl. Cover it with the vinegar and set aside for now.
Throw all the veggies into a large bowl and mash well with a potato masher
Shred the ham and add it to the veggie mixture, mixing well. Season with a little salt and pepper if you like.
Shape the mixture into 4 burger patties, pop them on a plate and chill them in the fridge for a bit until they’re firm
Heat the butter and oil together in a large frying pan, over a medium heat
Cook the burgers – either in batches or one at a time depending on the size of your pan – for 3-5 minutes on each side, or until crispy and golden brown
Serve in the bread rolls, a little of the red onion you prepared earlier, lettuce, and your choice of sauce
