Pass the turkey....Top chefs share their ideas on how to use up those Christmas leftovers 

After the lead-up to Christmas and the family-filled chaos of the day itself, St Stephen’s Day can feel like a welcome relief, making your way through the ample leftovers of food.

Chefs, even if they have the day off, are still likely to be cooking on Christmas Day for their families, so a low-effort meal is in order. Here’s what top chefs and cookery writers like to create with the leftovers.

Rick Stein

“December 26 for me is leftover turkey, leftover ham, baked potatoes with lots of butter, winter salad, cabbage salad with sort of beetroot in it, celery, nuts, apple, cabbage and some mayo, sort of slightly coleslaw thing, and lots and lots of condiments; chutneys and pickles, and so when I get, like, I don’t know, 10 jars of stuff out of the fridge and the cupboard to serve with it. You have it cold except the baked potatoes.

“That’s almost as enjoyable as Christmas lunch or dinner,” says Stein, who also enjoys making bubble and squeak cakes - “which I find delicious” - or a Mexican taco. “You use the turkey, chop it and reheat it, then put various Mexican flavours like coriander, raw onion, tomato, chilli, smoky pepper, chipotle, maybe some cream, then you make a fresh slow-cooked taco with it.”

Rick Stein’s Christmas: Recipes, Memories & Stories For The Festive Season, BBC Books, is available now.

Donal Skehan

“We’re all about the leftovers,” says Donal Skehan. “You want something different after such traditional food the day before.

“I do a lovely turkey banh mi I borrow from Vietnamese cuisine. I love those fabulous crusty baguette sandwiches with pate and pickled vegetables and then you can stuff it with leftover turkey, leftover ham, and it’s absolutely gorgeous.

“If you’re still in indulgence mode, I do a lovely mac and cheese, extra-gorgeous as you can fold through the contents of the leftovers of your cheese board, and add ham, turkey, whatever you fancy. To be honest, I tend to kind of go towards fresh flavours and a lot of Asian ingredients. I love crispy, crunchy salads with the leftover scraps.”

Donal’s Real Time Recipes, by Donal Skehan, Yellow Kite, Hodder & Stoughton

James Martin

“I cook Christmas Day,” says James. “I’m at home cooking, I’ve got my family around, but the 26th really is a time we kind of chill out as chefs. I think we’ve done our bit, it’s somebody else’s turn now.”

So what does the ITV Saturday Morning star rustle up?

“Toasties are my thing - I’m just obsessed with them at the moment. I want them to come back. Toasties used to be really popular in the Seventies and Eighties.

“We’ve got bloody air fryers. The toastie machine, I want to be the new air fryer. It’s bloody great.

“Caramelised onions and a bit of stuffing, on a bit of beef with some cheese. You put it in a toastie with sliced roast beef or stuff like that. But I bloody love it.”

James Martin’s Saturday Morning Cookbook, by James Martin,Quadrille

Clodagh McKenna

The Cork chef says: “I love a Christmas sandwich on St Stephen’s Day; turkey, crispy cos lettuce, I get my cranberry sauce, and I mix it with the mayonnaise and put that on top. I put stuffing on there, tomato.

“Usually, if we have a bigger crowd around and we’re all out walking so it’s more of a kind of a supper thing.

“I’ll make a turkey curry, and I’ll make it with butternut squash in it and a coconut base which is really yummy. Or if I’ve cooked a ham, I do love a ham pie, which can be really delicious as well.”

Clodagh’s Happy Cooking, by Clodagh McKenna,Kyle Books, £25

Jon Watts

“St Stephen’s Day, for me, is Christmas without the chaos,” says Jon. “All the good bits stay, the food, the family, the slow morning, but the pressure melts away. It feels like the first proper exhale after the big day, and it is also when my head naturally starts drifting toward the New Year and what is coming next.

“I always spend it with family, usually still eating and drinking our way through the day. People assume I take a break from cooking, but that never really happens. I love the rhythm of it too much. The actual break comes a day or two later when I finally realise I have become 40% gravy!

“Leftovers are the whole point of St Stephen’s Day in my house. Turkey is my non-negotiable, and my absolute comfort move is the simplest one, thick slices of turkey tucked into soft bread with butter and a pinch of salt. It is a small tradition that never gets old. But turkey is incredibly versatile, so I like pushing it in different directions. It is brilliant in a creamy casserole or folded into a proper pie with leeks and tarragon. One of my favourites is throwing it into a quick curry with coconut milk, tomatoes, and whatever veg is hanging about.

I also love using leftover pigs in blankets as the base of a hearty hash, or stirring chopped stuffing into an omelette, trust me, it works.”

Speedy Comfort, by Jon Watts Bloomsbury Publishing, Hardback

Panettone Grilled Cheese Sandwich

There’s always panettone left over at Christmas.

“There is so much seemingly wrong about this combination of melted, rich cheese with golden toasted sweet bread, yet - by some kind of alchemy - the two work exceptionally together,” says cookery writer Skye McAlpine.

“Trust me on the addition of mustard: you need a slick of something sharp and peppery to cut through the glorious greasy, buttery richness of the whole affair (indeed, by the same principle, this would be good with a few cornichons or pickled onions on the side).

“Trust me also on the mayonnaise: I know it seems egregious to slather it over something as delicately flavoured as a slice of panettone, but you won’t taste it. I promise. The mayonnaise seemingly evaporates into nothingness, but the combination of its constituent parts - eggs and olive oil - paves the way for a perfectly golden exterior on the sandwich.

“This makes for a gloriously rich and indulgent breakfast, especially for those who like to start the day with something savoury, but I am also quite partial to a grilled cheese sandwich for supper, with a little crisp green salad on the side.”

Ingredients

(Prep: 10 minutes, makes one)

• 80-90g panettone
• 10g salted butter
• 2 heaped tsps mayonnaise
• 1tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 heaped tbsp grated mild Cheddar

Method

1. Slice panettone into 2 evenly (and roughly equal) sized pieces. If it’s a round, crossways section, I like to cut it on the diagonal, so that when sandwiched together you have a rounded triangular sandwich.

2. Set a non-stick pan over a medium heat and melt butter. Spread mayo over 1 side of each of the pieces of panettone. Now turn a slice over so its mayonnaise-coated side is facing downwards and spread with a thin layer of mustard, then top with the grated cheese. Sandwich together with the second slice of panettone, mayonnaise-coated side facing upwards this time, then set in the pan.

3. Fry gently over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, until the bread turns golden, then carefully flip the sandwich on to the other side and fry for a further 2-3 minutes, until golden on both sides and the cheese has melted. Serve immediately.

Yule Leftover Ragu

Throw everything into this pasta on St Stephen’s Day, by chef Tim Siadatan.

“Slightly dry, fridge-cold turkey meat and stuffing? Perfect. A few lonely pigs in blankets and the sludgy fat they’ve set in. The one sad sprout, the ‘roast’ potato that didn’t quite make it... and let’s not forget the dregs of leftover gravy.

There’s no hard, fast rule on what to include (though I’d draw the line at bread or cranberry sauce). The key is to lean heavily on the meat, with a little veg - a sensible ratio is 70% to 30%.”

Ingredients (serves 4)

• About 400g dried pasta (linguine or spaghetti if you have it)
• About 350g leftover cooked meat (turkey, duck, goose, sausage and chestnut stuffing, pigs in blankets, etc.)
• About 150g leftover cooked veg/pulses (Brussels sprouts, red cabbage, cavolo nero, pumpkin, carrots, roast potato, lentils, etc.)
• 1 heaped tbsp leftover fat (duck, goose, turkey or sausage fat) or a glug (about 40ml) of olive oil
• 50ml Marsala (or Vermouth or sherry)
• About 150ml gravy (or milk will do if the gravy is finished)
• 75ml single or double cream (or creme fraiche or mascarpone)
• 50g unsalted butter, cubed
• 1tbsp finely chopped parsley (if you have it)
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Parmesan (or a good mature Cheddar or Comte), finely grated, to finish

Method

1. For the pasta, in a large cooking pot, bring 4-5 litres water to the boil and add a fistful of salt. Finely chop your cooked meat. Chop the veg and pulses slightly coarser than the meat.

2. Heat fat or olive oil in a saucepan or flameproof casserole large enough to easily fit all the ingredients, including the cooked pasta. Add chopped meat and fry over a medium heat until just starting to brown. Add chopped veg/pulses, stir and continue to fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring often.

3. Add Marsala and stir for 30 seconds, then add gravy (or milk). Turn heat down to a low simmer and cook gently for 5 minutes. Take off heat, stir in cream and season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Drop pasta into boiling water and follow packet directions for timing, but take 2 minutes off recommended cooking time.

5. Drain pasta as soon as it’s ready, keeping two mugs of pasta water. Add pasta to ragu along with half a mug (about 120ml) of pasta water, the butter and chopped parsley, if using. Stir over medium heat until butter is melted, the sauce is smooth and creamy, and the pasta is al dente (firm to bite but easy to chew) and fully coated. If sauce is too dry, add splashes of water to loosen it as you stir - you want the pasta to be loose and for strands to slide freely over each other as you stir.

6. Serve on hot plates, finished with grated Parmesan (or other cheese). A peppery, herby green salad dressed in lemon oil sits well alongside.

St Stephen’s Day Curry

For a low-effort, high-reward meal.

“Leftover turkey is my favourite Christmas food and I’ll always buy a bigger bird than I need, so I can enjoy it after the day,” says chef Jon Watts.

“This recipe turns those wonderful leftovers into a tasty curry. Over the rest of the year, you can also substitute cold roast chicken, or rotisserie chicken from the supermarket. Serve with rice and naan, if you like.”

Ingredients (serves 4)

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

• 1tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cardamom pods
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated
• 20g root ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 3tbsp mild curry powder
• 1tbsp tomato puree
• 400g can of chopped tomatoes
• 300ml chicken stock, or vegetable stock
• 400g leftover cooked turkey, shredded
• 50ml plain yogurt
• 2tsp garam masala
• Coriander leaves, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium-high heat. Add the onion and cardamom pods and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the onion softens.

2. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a further minute.

3. Now add curry powder and tomato puree and cook for 30 seconds.

4. Pour in tomatoes and stock, stir well, then bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium, then simmer for 10 minutes, or until the sauce starts to thicken.

5. Add turkey, then cover with a lid and simmer for a further 5-10 minutes.

6. Stir through the yogurt and garam masala, then taste for seasoning and serve, scattered with coriander.