Good Morning Lovelies, 

How are you all today? I thought I would help you all this weekend, because I have been sent by Sainsbury’s the ultimate leftovers recipe ideas. As part of their new campaign lovelies, the store has made these recipes alongside Thomasina Miers to make sure that nothing goes to waste!

And while that is a brilliant reason to get cooking, I am seeing this as also the opportunity to continue to party through the dark and cold January, because really we don’t need to be upset or sad lovelies, if we keep the party alive. 

Below is a mix of recipes lovelies and I hope that Sainsbury’s have been your angels and helped you with all the Christmas/New Year’s leftovers clean up!

Firstly we have the Spiced turkey & sweet potato samosas Christmas day/New Year’s Eve leftovers recipes…

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 4 spring onions, chopped
• ½ small thumb ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
• 1 ½ tsp garam masala
• 1 small (250g) sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 175g leftover turkey meat, shredded
• A big handful of coriander leaves, finely chopped
• 100g butter, melted
• 500g filo pastry

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas 4 and line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Place a pan over a medium heat and warm up the oil. When hot, add the curry leaves and once they have crackled and turned translucent, add the garlic, spring onions, ginger and green chilli and cook until the spring onions have softened. Add the chilli powder and garam masala and allow the spices to cook for another 2 minutes.
3. Stir in the sweet potato and a big pinch of salt and pepper and allow them to cook in the mixture for a minute or so before adding enough water (approx. 75-100ml) to just cover and placing a lid on top. Allow to cook for 5-7 minutes, checking occasionally that the mixture isn’t catching on the bottom of the pan. Add a little more water if the mixture appears too dry. 
4. Once the sweet potato is just soft, stir in the turkey and the coriander and check the seasoning before transferring to a plate to cool. 
5. When the filling is cool, lay a sheet of filo pastry horizontally in front of you on a clean, flat surface. Brush with melted butter and lay another sheet on top. Cut vertically into 4 equal strips.
6. Place half a tablespoon of the filling in the corner of each strip. Fold the pastry over the filling to make a triangle-shaped parcel. Keep folding the parcel into triangles until the sides are sealed and the pastry is all used up. Brush the final edge with melted butter to seal it. I’d recommend watching a YouTube video on folding samosas to get yourself started – they are very easy to follow.
7. Brush the finished samosa all over with melted butter and place on the baking tray ready to be cooked. Repeat the process until everything has been used up (you may have some leftover filling).
8. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, turning over once, until golden and crisp. Delicious hot or cold.

Secondly lovelies, we have this Brussels sprouts with crème fraiche, parmesan, parsley and crisp bacon, which is keeping the bum burps alive (Let’s be honest!)…

• 450g Brussels sprouts, older leaves discarded
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 4 rashers of unsmoked thin-cut streaky bacon
• 2 tbsp crème fraiche
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• A big handful of parsley leaves, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp grated Parmesan, plus 50g shaved, to serve

1. Fill a large mixing bowl with cold water and add a few handfuls of ice cubes. With a very sharp knife (or using the slicer attachment on your food processor or a mandolin), very finely slice the sprouts, throwing them into the iced water to crisp up once done. It may take you a while, but will give you an opportunity to practice your knife skills! Once you’ve sliced all the sprouts, drain and spin dry, then return to the mixing bowl and toss them with the lemon juice.
2. Heat up your grill and place the bacon on a rack underneath it. Grill the bacon, turning once until completely crisp, then leave to cool.
3. Meanwhile, whisk the crème fraiche, lemon zest, olive oil and grated Parmesan together, then stir into the Brussels sprouts along with the parsley and season well to taste. Keep tossing until the sprouts are completely coated.
4. Transfer to plates, then finely chop the bacon before dividing it over the plates. Shave over the Parmesan, then serve.

Next up lovelies, we have the Chicken, bacon and prune pie recipe…

• 10 pigs in blankets, roughly chopped
• 30g butter
• 12 baby onions or shallots
• 8 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked
• 1 bay leaf
• 8 prunes, destoned and roughly chopped
• A big splash of brandy
• 150ml turkey gravy (thickened with 2 tbsp flour)
• 75ml double cream
• 500g leftover chicken, shredded into large chunks
• 375g puff pastry
• 1 egg, beaten

1. In a saucepan over a medium heat, gently melt the butter and fry the baby onions along with the thyme and bay leaf until coloured all over, about 10 minutes.  Add the bacon and when softened and is beginning to colour, stir in the prunes and after a minute, splash in the brandy and once it has reduced by half, add the gravy. Bring to the boil and simmer for 3 minutes, before stirring in the cream and folding in the turkey. Season to taste, then transfer to a small pie dish and leave to cool. You can do this stage up to a day in advance if you want.
2. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas 6. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to approximately ½ cm thick and a few centimetres larger than your pie dish.  Place a pie bird or upturned egg cup in the centre of the pie to prop up the pastry. Wet the edges of your pie dish (this helps the pastry to stick), then lay the pastry over and gently crimp the pastry over the edges of the pie dish (or alternatively tuck in around the filling), discarding any excess pastry. Cut a small hole in the middle, then wash with the beaten egg.
3. Place in the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden and serve with vegetables.

Now for the Christmas pudding & brandy sundae leftovers lovelies…

• 50ml brandy
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 200g leftover Christmas pudding
• 100g dark chocolate, roughly broken up
• 300ml double cream
• 500ml good-quality vanilla ice cream
• 2 handfuls of mixed nuts

1. Place the brandy in a small pan with the sugar and cook gently until the sugar has dissolved, then place the Christmas pudding in a bowl, pour over the brandy and leave to cool.
2. Once the Christmas pudding is cool and chocolate is melted, whip the remaining cream to soft peaks and start layering.
3. Add an eighth of the pudding and the brandy to the bottom of a sundae glass (or other large glass), then dollop over a scoop of ice cream and a pinch of nuts. Repeat again, before sprinkling and finishing with a dollop of cream and a scattering of nuts. Serve immediately.

And the last of the Christmas recipes lovelies is this Picadillo one…

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 200g leftover turkey
• 200g leftover ham
• ½ onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• A pinch of ground cloves
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground allspice
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• A few sprigs of thyme, leaves picked
• ½ apple, peeled, cored and diced
• ½ small banana, diced
• 3 tbsp raisins
• 2 handfuls of green olives, stoned and chopped
• 2 big handfuls of blanched almonds, toasted and chopped
• 1x 400g tin of plum tomatoes, drained, rinsed and chopped
• 25g dark chocolate, roughly chopped

1. Warm a tablespoon of the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Once hot, season the meat and fry, stirring occasionally until cooked through and beginning to brown. Scrape out the pan and put to one side for a moment.
2. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan and turn the heat down to medium-low. Add the onions, garlic and a pinch of salt and cook until softened, about 7 minutes. Return the meat to the pan, then add the spices and thyme and cook for a further minute or so until the spices begin to smell fragrant.
3. Stir in the apple, banana, raisins, olives and almonds and a big splash of water, cook for a further 3 minutes for the flavours to mingle, then stir in the tomatoes and chocolate and another splash of water if it needs it. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until dark and rich, and then season to taste.
4. Serve with a jacket potato or spooned over a piece of toast.

While the first recipe for the leftovers that New Year’s Eve brought lovelies, is this Gin and lemon salmon tartar, on cucumber with crème fraiche and dill idea…

• 10 Cucumber slices, salted
• 2 tbsp crème fraiche
• 1 tsp chopped dill
• Few sprigs of dill to garnish
• Salmon marinade
• 1 x 150g salmon fillets
• 20ml of good quality gin
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon
• Pinch of sea salt

1.  Chop the salmon very finely and place into a bowl with the marinade ingredients
2.  Leave for 5-10 minutes, until salmon is just starting become opaque around the edges
3.  Place a spoonful of crème fraiche on each piece of the cucumber pieces and add then top with a teaspoon full of salmon mixture. Sprinkle with dill.

Followed by this Thai Red Curry Meatballs, with a Lime Coriander Yoghurt Dip recipe lovelies…

• 100g leftover pork mince
• 1.5 tbsp ready-made Thai Red Curry Paste
• Small handful fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped (save stalks for dip)
• 100ml Greek yoghurt
• Juice of half a lime
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• Coriander stalks, finely chopped
• Salt, to taste
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil, for frying
• Fresh Coriander or lime wedges, for garnish

1. In a mixing bowl, mix pork mince, coriander and red curry paste thoroughly. Shape into small bite size balls on a plate or tray.
2. Heat oil in a non-stick frying pan on medium-high heat, start frying the meatballs until all sides are browned and just cooked through for about 7-8 minutes. Remove from pan and rest for a few minutes before plating.
3. Mix yoghurt, lime juice, garlic and coriander in a dipping bowl and serve alongside meatballs. Garnish with more coriander or lime wedges.

And now for the Mini stilton toasties topped with caramelised port glazed pear and rocket leaves lovelies…

• 4 slices of white bread
• 60g stilton (ends)
• 60g  butter
• 40g caster sugar
• 1 pear
• Splash of port
• Handful of rocket leaves

1. Butter the bread on both sides and lay onto a board. Slice the stilton and use to top 2 slices of the bread – then place the other piece of bread on top to form sandwich
2. Core and cut the pear into wedges and then halve each wedge. Melt the remaining butter in a frying pan, add the sugar and cook until beginning to caramelise. Add the pears and cook on each side until golden and softened (approx. 5 mins). Add the port and cook for a further 2-3 minutes
3. Heat a large frying pan and then cook the sandwiches on each side for a couple of minutes until golden and crispy and the cheese has melted – pressing down lightly with a spatula
4.  Remove the sandwiches, cut of the crusts and the cut each into 4-6 rectangular pieces
5.  Top with a rocket leaf followed by a piece of the pear and push a cocktail stick through to secure everything in place

Now get ready for the ultimate Harissa & Sesame Prawn Toast made from leftovers…

• 250g prawns
• 3 spring onions
• 0.5 tbsp cornflour
• 1 tbsp harissa paste
• 1 small egg white
• 1.5 tbsp sesame seeds
• 4 slices of white bread
• Vegetable oil, for brushing

1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Whizz prawns, harissa paste, spring onions, cornflour and egg white in food processor until a paste forms but still with texture. Alternatively, roughly chop prawns and spring onions and mix in cornflour and egg white.
2. Cut slices of bread into 4 triangles. Brush one side of bread slices with oil, grill oil side for 2 minutes or until just lightly golden. Remove from grill and flip over to non-grilled side. Divide prawn paste onto bread, press down lightly and brush with a little vegetable oil.
3. Sprinkle sesame seeds all over and place back under grill for 5-6 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

The next recipe is for Sausage and mash cupcakes lovelies. You will need…

• 12 Mini foil cupcake cases
• 150g leftover sausage meat
• 4 tbsp breadcrumbs
• 150g cold mashed potato
• 1tbsp butter
• 3 rashers of streaky bacon
• 1 tbsp chopped chives, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp dried thyme

And here is what you do lovelies…

1. Place the cupcake cases into a mini muffin tin and put a couple of pinches of breadcrumbs into the base of each (this will absorb the oil for the sausage meat). Pre-heat the oven to 180C fan
2. Season the sausage meat with salt and pepper and thyme (could also use leftover pork stuffing). Roll into 2cm balls and press each ball into a cupcake case
3. Using a star shaped nozzle, pipe the mash potato onto each sausage cupcake, as you would ice a cupcake. Place in the oven and cook for 10-12minutes
4. Cook the bacon until crispy and cut into triangular shaped wafers
5. Finish each cupcake with a sprinkling of chives