Best leftover recipes - from turkey soup to Christmas pudding ice cream

I’ve always been a fan of leftovers, which is partly why Boxing Day is my favourite day of the festive season. It’s an excuse to make the most of what’s left, but also to put my feet up.

I love nibbling on a mince pie for breakfast, and for lunch, I like to serve cold roast meats like ­turkey or ham with Sperlari Italian mustard fruits (mostarda di frutta) and Fortnum & Mason piccalilli, which I buy every year.

That said, sometimes it can be too much. One Christmas I over-ordered and had so much food in the fridge that I didn’t know where to start. Fortunately, we gave plenty away to friends and family, and you can freeze most things: that way, you won’t get sick of having the same thing day after day. We’ve become obsessed by best-before dates, but you can keep leftovers for a good couple of days, and you can always freeze the turkey and use it for risotto another time.

If you’ve got turkey or chicken carcases, make stock with the bones ready for a risotto or a soup with the leftover meat running through it. You can jazz it up with mushrooms – I tend to sauté them on the side and then add them on top to serve. I don’t like soggy mushrooms, and that way they keep a bit of texture.

You don’t even need to buy fresh bread to serve with the soups and broths, because the pearl barley is filling enough. I like mine served with ­olive oil and plenty of parmesan, but you might also like to top it with a salsa verde or green pesto.

The Spanish omelette below is an alternative to bubble and squeak, with the addition of eggs. The traditional Spanish omelette would have chorizo and red peppers and so on, but there’s no reason you can’t sweat a couple of onions off until they’ve got a good sweetness and then make it with leftover Christmas veg. Make sure you’ve got a deep frying pan and use plenty of oil and butter. Pep it up with garlic, or serve with horseradish.

Finally, everything’s good in ice cream – so whether you want to make your own or cheat by buying your your favourite vanilla ice cream, my Christmas pudding version below is an indulgent Boxing Day dessert. enjoy!

Risotto with leftover turkey

A great dish for making use of bones as well as meat left over from the Christmas Day roast.

SERVES

Six

INGREDIENTS

For the stock

• 1 turkey or chicken carcase and any bones

• 1 carrot, peeled and cut into large dice

• 1 stick of celery, halved

• 1 small onion, peeled and halved

• 1 head of garlic, cut in half horizontally

• 1 sprig of thyme

For the risotto

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped

• 350g risotto rice

• 120g cold butter, diced

• 200ml white wine

• Approx 1-1½ litres hot turkey stock

• 300g button mushrooms, sliced

• A generous handful of picked and shredded cooked turkey meat, about 200g

• 120g parmesan, grated

• 1 tsp chopped tarragon

METHOD

1. If there is any meat still left on the carcase or bones, pick it off and leave to one side.

2. Add the carcase and bones to a large pan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Skim off any froth or residue that rises to the surface and add the vegetables, garlic and thyme.

3. Simmer for an hour to produce a nice light stock. When the taste is to your liking, remove from the heat and strain the stock through a fine sieve, ready to use for the risotto.

4. To make the risotto, heat the olive oil in a pan and cook the onion and garlic over a medium heat for around five minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent.

5. Add the rice, along with a spoonful of the butter and stir, toasting the rice for three to four minutes. Add the white wine and continue stirring until it has been absorbed.

6. Heat the turkey stock and start to add the hot stock a ladleful at a time, stirring regularly and allowing the rice to absorb each lot before adding the next ladleful. This should take about 15 minutes.

7. Meanwhile quickly saute the mushrooms in a little butter until pale gold. After all the stock has been added, add the mushrooms and turkey and cook for a further three minutes.

8. Remove from the heat and add the remaining butter and the parmesan, mixing well until it has all come together – you should be able to pour it onto a plate like a very thick soup (not spoon it like porridge).

9. Finish with the tarragon and serve immediately.

Leftover turkey soup

This uses the same stock method as the risotto recipe, above.

SERVES

Six

INGREDIENTS

For the stock

• 1 turkey or chicken carcase, and any bones

• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into large dices

• 2 sticks of celery, halved

• 1 small onion, peeled, cut in half

• 1 head of garlic, cut in half horizontally

• 1 sprig of thyme

To finish the soup

• Knob of butter

• ½ tsp picked thyme leaves

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 leek, sliced and washed

• 2 parsnips, peeled and diced

• 2 tsp tomato purée

• 100g pearl barley

• 2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

• Olive oil, to serve

• Freshly grated parmesan, to serve

METHOD

1. If there is any meat still left on the carcase or bones, pick it off and leave to one side. About 200g is a handy amount, so add any leftover ham or chicken too.

2. Add the carcase and bones to a large pan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Skim off any froth or residue that rises to the surface and add the vegetables, garlic and thyme.

3. Simmer for an hour to produce a nice light stock. When the taste is to your liking, remove from the heat and strain the stock.

4. Separate the vegetables from the carcase and place them in a sieve or colander (discarding the thyme sprig and garlic skins). Use a ladle to press the vegetables through so you have something like a purée. Keep to one side.

5. In another pan, heat the butter and add the thyme, garlic, leek and parsnips. Sauté for four minutes then add the tomato purée and cook for three minutes.

6. Add the pearl barley and pour over 1.2 litres of the turkey stock. Cook on a low simmer for 30 minutes, or until the pearl barley is cooked.

7. Just before serving, add the turkey along with the puréed vegetables and heat through. Finish with parsley, a good glug of olive oil and some parmesan.

Spanish omelette

SERVES

Six

INGREDIENTS

• 50g butter

• 2 small onions, finely sliced

• 400g leftover cooked vegetables such as potatoes, parsnips, carrots, cut into even-sized pieces

• Pinch of dried chilli

• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 8 eggs

• A handful of mixed chopped herbs such as chives, parsley and tarragon

METHOD

1. Melt half of the butter in a large non-stick, ovenproof frying pan. Mine is 24cm across.

2. Add the sliced onion and cook for 10 minutes until it is soft and starting to caramelise.

3. Add the rest of the butter along with the vegetables and mix well with the onion and some seasoning.

4. Add the chilli and garlic and cook for a further two minutes.

5. Meanwhile, heat the grill and beat the eggs together in a jug.

6. Pour the eggs over the vegetables and cook over the hob so that the base of the omelette starts to set, then place the pan under the grill.

7. Cook for five minutes or until the top is golden brown – check it’s done underneath by lifting the omelette carefully with a palette knife.

8. I like it when the omelette is slightly runny in the centre. Serve immediately, scattered with fresh herbs.

Christmas pudding ice cream

This uses a method for a classic crème anglaise.

SERVES

Six

INGREDIENTS

• 6 large egg yolks

• 130g caster sugar

• 400ml milk

• 500ml double cream

• 200g leftover cooked Christmas pudding, crumbled

METHOD

1. Have a bowl of ice or iced water ready for the sauce.

2. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until pale and thick.

3. Heat the milk and cream together in a pan and bring to the boil. Just as it comes to the boil, remove from the heat and pour one third of it over the egg mixture, whisking well.

4. Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan with the rest of the milk and cream, put the pan back over the heat, and allow to come to a low boil, whisking all the time.

5. Continue to cook until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.

6. Remove from the heat and pour the sauce through a sieve into a bowl set over ice or ice water.

7. When the sauce has cooled, fold in the crumbled Christmas pudding and turn the mixture into an ice-cream machine.

8. Churn as per the manufacturer’s instructions until set then transfer to a container to freeze.

My cheat’s version of Christmas pudding ice cream

You don’t need to make a proper crème anglaise, and you can do it without an ice-cream maker.

SERVES

Six

INGREDIENTS

• 4 large egg yolks (these stay raw, so they must be British lion stamped) 

• 100g caster sugar

• 150g cooked Christmas pudding

• 3 tbsp Madeira or brandy

• 300ml double cream

METHOD

1. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl until pale and thick.

2. Crumble the Christmas pudding into the egg and sugar mix, stirring well, then add the Madeira or brandy and mix again.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk the cream until you have soft peaks, then fold this into the pudding mixture.

4. Transfer to a freezable container, such as a 450g loaf tin lined with cling film, and freeze for a few hours to set.