It’s always a challenge at this time of year to use up our Christmas leftovers!
I combined a bowl of cold mashed potatoes with a handful of chopped ham and a couple of spring onions from the garden. The mixture was shaped into patties and dusted with flour before shallow-frying to golden brown.
Topped with a freshly laid egg and garnished with a little backyard purslane, our homemade bubble and squeak was a great start to the day!
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We had four leftover eggwhites from the brandy custard we made to accompany our Christmas pudding. They became a double batch of marshmallows…
…which in turn became Rocky Road, with a blend of dark and milk Callebaut chocolate, pailleté feuilletine and roasted skinned hazelnuts…
. . . . .
And finally, our leftover Christmas turkey and gravy became the base for a delicious turkey pie. The pie was better than the original turkey dinner!
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How are you going with using up your Christmas leftovers? We still have some glazed ham left, and I’ll have to get creative, as the boys are sick of eating cold sliced ham!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Oh now you are talking, bubble and squeak for me please!.. c
Celi, we used to eat packaged, frozen B&S when I was growing up – my sister and I adored them. I’m sure they were probably terrible, but it’s nice to be able to revisit the memory! :)
It all looks delicious Celia, especially that rocky road. Our house is sadly bereft of goodies or leftovers, though we did bring back some nut roast for me and some ham for CT from my mother’s which was appreciated. Nothing so good as a new laid egg!
Hope you had a lovely Christmas.
Choc, that first batch of RR was distributed and eaten within the day, and I’ve since made a dark batch (there were a LOT of marshmallows!). And you’re right, there’s nothing better than a fresh egg! Thanks…we had a lovely Chrissie, hope you did too!
So far our ham has gone in a creamy leek, ham and mushroom pasta dish. We made stock out of our left over turkey bones and turned that into this soup recipe with left over sprouts: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/jan/16/chicken-broth-with-winter-veg-recipe-hugh-fearnley-whittingstall
The pie is a good idea – I’ll have to try that with some of our ham as well!
Kate, the last of our ham went into a vat of pasta soup last night! It’s nice to be at the end of the leftovers before the new year! :)
We didn’t have many leftovers, but I made some ‘bubble and squeak’ patties to eat with pork pie and red cabbage. There were a few chestnuts and a little bacon in there from the brussels sprouts, which made it extra tasty! Yours look and sound good too!
Ham is the hardest to use up, I think, as it often doesn’t have quite the right flavour or texture to use in the same way as other meats. I haven’t started my ham yet, so I’ll be interested to see what you come up with. My best(only) idea, so far, is cold with jacket(baked) potatoes and a spicy chutney – and possibly some more red cabbage.
Suelle, yum, pork pie! I haven’t had one of those in ages! And the chestnuts and bacon sound wonderful, although if I put brussels sprouts in, I’d be the only one eating it.. ;-)
Our ham is now all gone – Pete’s brothers and sisters were over for lunch yesterday, so a lot of it went then, and the rest into a soup for dinner. It’s actually amazing how much meat is on a half-leg of ham!!
Those potato patties are brilliant!
Thanks Greg! I made a soup with my ham bone too, only mine had three types of leftover pasta in it!
Here’s a link to Greg and Katherine’s recipe:
http://rufusguide.wordpress.com/2011/12/28/hambone-soup/
Oh I love leftovers, we regularly have leftover Monday’s here :)
and clever you making marshmallows, somthing I’d like to have a try at soon.
Claire, they’re great fun to make once in a while, although we do seem to end up with a mountain of marshmallows every time we make them. I’ve just whipped up a batch of hot chocolate mix for Small Man to have with them!
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2009/03/22/hot-chocolate/
Can I please move in? Just for a short while… that Rocky Road has me forgetting how tired I was of Christmas baking:) I’d love a little piece right now!
Smidge, the RR is always really popular – we’re eating a dark one now as the milk/dark version is all gone. Wish I could send you some! :)
Very tasty treats Celia. And interesting about the pie, as we usually enjoy the turkey as a curry more than the sliced turkey as a roast dinner.
But aren’t leftovers so difficult.
We’ve got left over pork tonight. But are just having it sliced with salad potatoes and black pepper. And a plate of tomatoes.
I can’t think of anything more to do with it …..
Gill, this was my first and last turkey. I wanted to try it, and it roasted perfectly – tender and moist, crispy skin, the whole bit – but frankly, it was just a bit boring. For the same money I could have cooked three ducks, and next time, I will! I can’t help you with roast pork – my Small Man loves it so much that there’s rarely any leftover! :)
As always inspirations aplenty. Yes did see you now have a set of the bee glasses, I want some too! Roz
Roz, of course, now that I know the brand name, I’ve found them at Peter’s of Kensington! :)
Delicious, Celia.
Love the bubble and squeak idea. Peter would certainly approve.
It looks divine, though I am not sure I could eat any rocky road… I love it but am truffled out, LOL. And my jeans were not easy to do up yesterday. A few more salads are going to have to take centre stage, along with more cycling during the holidays, methinks.
Having said that, I am about to post my recipe for RETRO ham and pineapple pizzas, which we enjoyed last night and, if I do say, were absolutely superb! I also have a packet of French style lentils, which will be used in a soup with the ham bone.
Happy cooking everyone. ( :
Lizzy, I think more cardio is on the cards for me too in the New Year! And maybe a few sit-ups.. ;-)
I had hungry people and nothing let over…I loved all of the above.
Happy and Healthy New year to you and your family!
Norma, how amazing not to have leftovers! Perfect catering on your part! All the best for 2012 to you and yours too! :)
Such yummy things does not encourage exact catering in the first stage!
Thanks Cosmo! Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!
We had a shared meal with the neighbours the other night, pooling our leftovers. It was a great way to share the celebrations, taste each others meals and clear up the extras.
Amanda, we do that too – we get together with the neighbours and eat all our combined leftovers, but somehow, there still seems to be excess! :)
No leftovers here, but seeing your delicious looking food has made me want some! I particularly like the look of those golden little potato cakes and your glorious pie!
C, thank you, the pie was a real winner, it was demolished at dinner! I saw a nifty trick on a Rick Stein cooking show of adding a pastry tassel in the middle of the pie – I think it looked quite cool! :)
We had 23 people for Christmas day, half of them arriving Christmas Eve and the other half not leaving till Boxing Day evening. My daughter – brave girl – decided she wanted to put on a big family Christmas this year, and managed to seduce all the aunts and uncles and cousins from two states and away from their other families. Her first go hosting Christmas and I was very proud and impressed! But between 23 of us, and a few days to do it, we managed to get through a whole glazed ham, two turkeys, five kilos of prawns, salads, baked vegies, cake, pudding, pavlova, gingerbread, and boxes of mangoes, with almost no leftovers. I brought the ham bone home and made ham and bean soup, with shelled purple king beans and vegies from the garden, which felt gloriously restorative after all the indulgence.
Linda, what a feast! Most impressed your daughter managed all that! We had a ham bone pasta soup last night, and as you say, it does feel like a calming, settling meal after all the big eating! :)
Clever and culinarily creative Celia! Leftovers have never looked so good. I buy a huge ham every Christmas as our holiday plan is to eat ham exclusively until school goes back :) fried ham, baked ham, ham sandwiches, ham salads…. We base our entire diet on pink porky nitrates of goodness. Perfect for hot weather.
Infinitely sensible idea, Becca! We’ve tried that in the past, but after the first week, the boys rebel.. ;-)
LOVE the Intolerant Chef’s comment – we are still happily eating pink porky nitrates too. got a small amount of turkey leftover and that pie looks awesome, but I sadly fear my attempt would not be quite so photogenic!!
Got a small piece of raspberry marscapone trifle cake still here but I don;t think anyone’s going to eat it now. . .
Anne, the secret to a good looking pie is the pie tin, I reckon. ;-) Mine is a cheap camping one, but it looks the part!
Oh I wish I had seen this yesterday! I had potatoes and loads of ham but I went another route. I think I’m pushing it serving hubby ham so much but alas there are just the two of us. Unless you all and the clones want to come over for lunch? ;)
Ah you’re kind, thank you, but we’re just about hammed out! Good luck feeding it all to Mr NQN, I reckon he’s up for it (after all, it’s not blue jelly.. ;-)). xx
Oh Celia your after Christmas food looks better than my Christmas food. Yum yum yum! We ate all our ham in the very boring fashion of ham sandwiches. I can’t say I didn’t enjoy them though.
Claire, there’s absolutely nothing boring about a great ham sandwich! :)
It all looks sooo delicious!! I don’t know if its a good thing or a bad thing that I don’t have leftovers, but I have none since we always go away for Christmas. Definitely think’n of trying that Rocky Road. I really like the idea of mashed potatoes & ham in fried patties too. I like to make a ham loaf w/ any leftover ham I might have.
Melanie, I’ve never heard of ham loaf before – is that like meat loaf? If there was any left on the weekend, I was going to make a stuffed focaccia with it!
Yup, its meatloaf w/ 2 parts ground ham and 1 part ground pork. I like to use graham cracker crumbs w/ the usual milk, egg, salt & pepper. Then I make a sauce for the top. Stuffed focaccia, yummmm!!
I made a yummy split pea soup with leftover ham tonight. Perfect on this chilly evening! I’m also drinking cocoa with some of my homemade cinnamon marshmallows. I made my own cinnamon extract this year and it’s soooo amazing.
KK
KK, cinnamon extract! That sounds wonderful – bet it makes a great addition to coffee!
Love potato cakes, they’re great with any leftovers stuffed in them–fish, meat, cheese,veggies! I like to take a nice thick slice of ham and some slices of pineapple and saute them together in a little butter until the pineapple is caramelized.
Hehehe..Liz that’s so retro cool of you! Personally I love ham and pineapple, but my boys won’t eat it! :)
All I had was Turkey from which I made Turkey pie and Turkey burritos!. Work has interrupted any other planned creativity!
Turkey burritos! There’s a novel way to use up leftover turkey, Tania! :)
I have a passion for cold roast meat sandwiches with homemade chutney – the post Xmas period is sanger heaven!
Lee, we didn’t have any leftover sausages, but I’m always happy when I do – I reckon I can do more with a leftover sanger than just about any other meat!
I like leftovers- the challenge, the ease and the flavors all make them one of my favorite foods!
You are rather inspiring- and that turkey pie is a work of art!
But the marshmallows and the rocky road chocolates- those are on my top ten food wish list right now!
Heidi, one of the joys of having backyard chooks is that we always have an abundance of fresh eggs. That means lots of custard, meringues, friands and now marshmallows. I used to freeze eggwhites, but I now just try to use them up, otherwise they end up lost and forgotten in the freezer! And since the chooks put so much into laying the eggs, I don’t want to waste a single one!
Nomnomnom! We had a dinner party last night for some friends who are “Low carb” enthusiasts… Stuffed pork chops, cheesy leeks, roasted broccoli, hummus and cucumbers, olives, goat cheese and a batch of homemade rolls. (Carbs worth eating. ;-)
Looking forward to 2012!
Maz
I bet your homemade rolls are definitely a carb worth eating! :) All the best for 2012 to you and your gorgeous fam, Maz!
The recipe is Mark Bittman’s Rich Golden Bread. Easy and tasty.
And best wishes back across the ocean to you and your mens.
“Raises glass.”
Will be making your ham and potato cakes today to have cold tomorrow night as we picnic in one of the parks from 10AM – midnight to watch the fireworks. Just the kind of food I need for the three of us as we munch the hours away!
Jenny, be warned, they’re quite fragile, so you’ll need to handle them with care! Enjoy the fireworks! :)
Hi Celia…fantastic leftovers you have made…Your pie looks delicious…as does the chocolate and marshmallows…mmm, now I’m hungry for those potatoes as I haven’t had breakfast yet…Wishing you a wonderful 2012 ahead…and much baking of course…Dzintra xo
Hi Dzintra, nice to see you! All the best for a fabulous 2012 to you and your family!
We’re all beyond sick of cold glazed ham, I’m boiling the remains up today, going to use it for stock for a pea soup :)
Cindy, we enjoyed our lentil, ham and pasta soup enormously last night, and then again today for lunch. Honestly, the ham just keeps going.. ;-)
The bubble and squeak looks fab!! Might jut be dinner tonight ;) Happy New Year :) its been such a pleasure reading you blog. Cant wait for more in 2012!! :D x
Nic, thank you! It’s been fun chatting with you too! Hope you have a wonderful New Year!
Hello Celia,many thanks for your excellent blog – my daughter introduced it to me, and now we talk about your latest posts.
Apropos of nothing much – I’ve been looking for a different recipe for flatbread and found yours for crackers, which I thought I’d give a shot. If you’re like me and change the recipe each time you make it, and as the original recipe is a few years ago now, I’m wondering if you do anything differently? I thought I’d go for half a batch first.
All the best for you and yours in 2012,
Bye
A
Amanda, thanks for reading and for popping in to leave a comment! I’ve tried a few different recipes for flatbreads and crackers – don’t know if you’ve found them all as they’re a bit all over the shop. Here are the links:
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2010/03/22/ottolenghi-crackers/
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2009/05/16/cracker-mania/
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2009/09/21/flatbread/
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2010/02/16/fried-bread/
The other thing I do (and I know this is cheating a bit!) is crisp up Lebanese bread in the cafe press – a dead easy way to make instant crackers! :)
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2011/04/03/lebanese-bread-crackers-and-fattoush-salad/
Have fun! :)
Many thanks – will give the crackers and the ottolenghi crackers a shot tomrrow and let you know how I get on!
Bye
A
Man this all looks so delicious it’s almost unfathomable to think they were made from left-overs. Hey, if you have any leftover leftovers, just tell me when dinner is served.
Bless You
paul
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Thanks Paul! Happy New Year to you and yours too! Hope it’s a great one! :)
Can I come over for dinner? :) All I want is the chocolate!
Great blog, I love looking at the recipes. Maybe they will inspire me to try something new in the kitchen.
Have a great year in 2012!
Hi Delia, thanks for stopping by! Hope you have a wonderful 2012! :)
I was a bit suss with the bubble and squeak, but my wife has informed me that she would devour all of these things. And who am I to argue with that?
Lucas, it’s a big hit here, especially with my eldest son. I ate one of the B&S in the photo above, Big Boy demolished the other four.. ;-)
Wow now thats what I call making the most of your christmas left overs! The pastry on that turkey pie looks seriously good! I feel hungry reading your post..nom nom nom!
Thank you! It was nice not to have to waste any of them! :)