Cork Food: Lovely leftovers turned into delicious lunches

Veggie Hand Pies

Hand pies are a great way to use up leftover veggies because everything tastes better in pastry! Chopping up the veg so it’s mostly the same size makes sure everything heats up evenly in the oven as the pastry cooks and puffs up.

Ingredients (makes 4)

• Leftover veggies (roast potatoes, carrot and parsnip, braised red cabbage, sprouts, stuffing)
• 1 tsp redcurrant or cranberry jelly
• 1 tbsp fresh herbs, finely chopped (thyme, rosemary, parsley)
• (Optional: adding tinned lentils, pre-cooked chestnuts or cooked chestnut mushrooms will add extra protein to the filling.)
• 2 x 400g ready to use all butter puff pastry sheets
• 1 egg, beaten

Method;

Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan).

Select the leftover pre-cooked vegetables you want to use chopped into small pieces of roughly equal size, enough to generously fill the hand pies. Add the jelly and herbs, and season lightly with sea salt and black pepper. Set aside.

Lightly dust your worktop with flour or lay down a sheet of parchment. Unwrap and unroll the pastry sheet, lay on the floured surface or parchment and cut in half down the middle.

Place a small side plate (aprox 15cm diameter) upside down on the centre of each half of pastry and cut around to make a circle.

Lay the pastry circles on a lined baking tray (two if they are small). Spoon the vegetable mixture onto the bottom half of the pastry circle leaving 0.5cm gap from the outer edge.

Brush the egg mixture on the edge of the pastry. Take the top half and fold it over the bottom half containing the vegetable filling. Press down to seal with the tangs of a fork. Brush the egg mixture all over the pastry dome. If you have some sesame, sunflower or nigella seeds to hand, sprinkle some over the top with a little more sea salt.

Place in the oven and bake until the pastry is cooked, golden and puffed.

Serve with a side salad, extra green veggies or some left over meaty bits like pigs in blankets.

Shredded Ham and Potato Hash

This is a great way to stretch the last remaining bits of ham. I prefer to use steamed potatoes, but if you are plagued with loads of leftover roasties, use them instead. Works great as a Twixmas brunch or lunch dish.

Ingredients (serving dependent on quantity)

• Olive, sunflower or rapeseed oil
• 1 x red onion, peeled, halved and sliced
• Potatoes, peeled and steam-cooked
• Leftover ham, shredded or roughly chopped
• 1 egg per person
• 2 scallions, topped, tailed and finely sliced
• Fresh coriander or parsley, roughly chopped
• Rivesci Chili Cashew Crush

Method;

Place a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the red onion and cook slowly until softened. Add potatoes and increase the heat to medium high.

Let fry until the potatoes begin to go golden. Toss every now and again to ensure the onions don’t burn.

Add ham to heat through. Toss to combine with potatoes and onion.

In another frying pan, fry the eggs. Once the eggs are almost fully cooked through, add scallions and fresh herbs to the hash and toss through. Season with sea salt and black pepper.

Dish out the hash onto warmed plates, top with a fried egg, and spoon over some chili cashew crunch.

Turkey Broth, Sage Dumplings and Poached Veg

This cloudy broth is restorative and delicious. It takes a little time, but it takes care of itself.

Ingredients

• 1 turkey carcass (remove any remaining meat and set aside)
• 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, sliced into rounds
• 2 plump cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 or 2 fresh chillies, finely sliced (keep seeds in)
• 4 scallions
• Water
• Seasonal Vegetables: Carrots and Pak Choi work best
• 125g self-raising flour
• 65g butter, very cold
• Handful of fresh sage leaves, very finely chopped
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Salt and pepper

Method;

Preheat oven to 225°C (fan) and hard roast the carcass until a rich golden-brown colour (25-30 minutes).

Remove from oven and put into a large stock pot – you may need to halve it, so it fits!

Add ginger, garlic, chilli, scallions and enough water to cover the carcass. Place over a medium high heat with a lid on until at a gentle simmer. Remove lid and hold at a gentle simmer for half an hour.

Place a colander over a large saucepan and drain the stock to remove bones and aromatics. Add salt and pepper to taste, then place over a medium heat and add the sliced carrots first as they take longer to cook.

Meanwhile, make the dumplings. Into a bowl add flour and grate in the cold butter. Rub together with your fingertips until it forms a breadcrumb-like texture. Season with salt and pepper, lemon zest, and fresh sage. Add a little cold water, just enough for it to come together as a dough when mixed.

Split the mixture into 12 and roll into balls. Pop them into the broth, along with any of that leftover turkey meat and the Pak choi. The dumplings are cooked when they bob to the surface.

Check for seasoning and adjust as necessary. Ladle into warmed bowls.