Leftovers that won’t get left over.

Every year it’s the same problem.  What to do with all that left over ham and turkey?

The trick is not to use the ham or turkey in recipes that require long cooking.  Forget the curry – the turkey will just end up dry and tough.  Aim to reheat – not recook.

Recipe ideas.

• Savoury Pancakes: Mix lightly fried spring onion and chopped tomato with chopped ham or turkey, add a little parmesan, your favourite herbs and spices and fill pancakes. You can also cover the filled pancakes with pasta sauce and grated cheese and put them in the oven until the cheese is golden.
• Moussaka: Replace traditional mince in any moussaka recipe with finely chopped turkey or ham.
• Christmas Meat Balls: Mix finely chopped ham and turkey with spring onions, parsley, lemon juice and pepper and salt to taste. Add one beaten egg white and enough plain flour to hold it all together. Roll mixture into meat balls and refrigerate for ½ hour before lightly frying. They’re great hot or cold.
• Cottage Pie: Add a little of your favourite tomato pasta sauce to finely chopped turkey. Cover with a generous layer of mashed potato, sprinkle with Olive Oil and bake till golden brown.
• Bread sushi: Take small, fresh bread rolls and scoop out most of the bread. Or use sub rolls cut in half long ways and scooped out. Mix finely chopped ham or turkey or a mixture of both with mayonnaise, chopped spring onions, chopped capers, a dash of mustard – or whatever delicious flavours you like. Stuff the mixture into the bread rolls then slice into rounds so they look like sushi but made with bread. Or leave the small rolls whole.