If your Christmas is anything like ours, then it’s a time for eating, drinking and making merry. Every year we contemplate what to eat on Christmas Day, and like most people we opt for a nice bit of turkey.
Now, it’s always delicious, but later on it always leads to the same Christmas conundrum – what to do with all those leftovers.
It’s fair to say that I’m a big fan of the turkey sandwich (it just wouldn’t be Christmas without one to be honest) but there’s only so many you can eat – and believe me I’ve tried.
Well, we want you to make the most of the big bird this Christmas, and as well as top tips on keeping it at its tastiest; we’ve also included a few recipes for you as well (because we’re good like that) to help you transform that turkey into something amazing.
It’s always important to keep your leftover turkey at its absolute best, and to do that it has to be left to cool completely before you put it in the fridge. Once it’s cooled you need to get it in there as soon as possible. If you leave it hanging around all afternoon it could become unsafe to eat, so please bear that in mind before you slip into the inevitable Christmas induced coma listening to the Queen’s speech.
Always store it on the middle shelf of the fridge, away from the raw meat and fish you have in there. I know this means having to shuffle things around (putting things in our fridge over Christmas can seem like a game of Tetris) but that’s where it’s safest.
Your cooked turkey should be eaten within two days, but the chances are you won’t get through all of it, so portion up those leftovers and pop them in the freezer for a later date!
Here are a few recipes to help you make your turkey a bit more perky!
Enjoy, and have a fabulous Christmas and New Year everyone!
Delicious Christmas Pizza
This is quick and easy (it takes about 15 mins to prep and 12 mins to cook)
Ingredients (serves 2)
145g pizza base mix
6 tbsp tomato pasta sauce
Large handful (about 100g) leftover stuffing (a sausage stuffing works well for this)
Large handful (about 100g) leftover shredded cooked turkey
100g sliced mozzarella,
Small pack sage leaves
1 tbsp olive oil
Method
Leftover Turkey Casserole
A real one pot wonder, this uses leftover veg too!
(Prep time 15 mins – cooking time approx. 25 mins)
Feeds 4
Ingredients
2 finely chopped onions
2 tbsp olive oil
1 eating apple, chopped and cored
1 tbsp dried sage
300ml veg stock
2 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp runny honey
2tbsp wholegrain mustard
Approx 500g shredded turkey
Roughly 350g of any leftover roasted veg, diced
Method
Turkey Soup
Here’s a recipe for a spicy soup, nice and filling without leaving you feeling stodgy.
It takes 25 mins and feeds 4 people. Once it’s cooled it can be frozen for up to 1 month.
Ingredients
1 large onion thinly sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 red pepper thinly sliced
½ tsp chilli flakes
2 tsp ground coriander
3 tbsp Basmati Rice
1 ½ litres of hot Chicken Stock
250g of Turkey (leg meat is more flavoursome, but breast will do)
1 Can of Chick peas
Method
Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion and fry for 5 minutes until it softens.
2. Add the red pepper, ground coriander, chilli and rice and stir round the pan for about a minute. Pour in the hot stock, stir in the turkey and chickpeas and season well. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes, until the vegetables and rice are tender
