Tag Archives: Christmas

Creamy Turkey, Green Pepper and Jalapeno Tacos

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As we were considering what to do with our turkey leftovers, we took a mental world tour, thinking about some of our favourite foods. I haven’t got round to these, but maybe next year….

  • Pastilla – mmm those Moroccan spices and a crispy filo pastry
  • Danish Open Sandwich on rye bread with cranberry sauce, crispy fried onions and pickles
  • Spanish Croquetas, as delectable tapas… a good one for me to try in the air fryer
  • Italian Pasta Carbonara, using leftover ham too
  • Indian Curry, and then Samosas with the leftovers of that….
  • Cajun style Jambalaya
  • American Meatloaf
  • Lebanese Salad
  • Spicy Greek Turkey Pie

Oh, I am so ready to start all over!

But for now, there is just enough left for our Hot and Sour Thai style Soup tonight.

Last night, we ticked off the Mexican influence and I made a creamy green pepper, jalapeño and turkey filling for us to have with tacos (and the leftover rice from the Thai Green Turkey Curry). Of course it would work just as well with cooked chicken.

I had lots of cream left and most of a green pepper, to which I added a chopped dried chilli, some of my home made quick pickled jalapeño rings, a small onion and some garlic. I chopped up about 100g of light and dark turkey meat. Once the vegetables were softened in some olive oil, I added the turkey to heat through, then the cream, and sprinkled with chopped parsley and lime zest.

I usually have some tacos in the store cupboard, they are a favourite standby for using up leftover chilli con carne.

Accompaniments are shredded lettuce, finely chopped red onion, guacamole (a good way to use the slightly less than perfect avocado from the bottom of the fridge, together with some coriander leaf, garlic and lime juice), some cream soured with lime juice and some grated Red Leicester (which I keep in the freezer and grate as needed).

Served with the leftover rice from the night before, reheated with a bit more water.

The tacos only take a couple of minutes to heat through in the oven. I would probably load it up higher than this, but I was worried about it falling over before I took the photo! Two of these are enough for me.

Thai Green Curry Turkey

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It finally got to be time to deal with the turkey carcass and remove all the remaining meat. I was amazed at how much was still left, enough for several meals still! The carcass itself was made into stock, which provided the basis for a fantastic Turkey and Leek Risotto (with loads of Parmesan crisps). The rest of the stock will be used for a Hot and Sour Thai style soup on our first 5:2 fast day of 2021. Thinking about Thai flavours made me realise that I had an interesting set of ingredients for a Green Curry. I grew my own bean shoots, starting them a few days before Christmas, and then storing them in a box in the fridge once they had got to a decent size (best rinsed every day). I also have some lovely fresh coriander growing in pots in the polytunnel, it does really well over winter. Plus some beautiful young pak choi leaves, again, growing in pots (I do have some in the garden, but they were a magnet for wildlife of all sorts, so they are now recovering under a cloche…). Lime leaves from the freezer, green beans from the freezer, coconut milk and Thai Green curry paste from the store cupboard, and green pepper, celery and mushrooms from the bottom of the fridge. A quick and easy meal. Served with steamed brown rice, some chilli dipping sauce, and a ready made Spring Roll, plus a few prawn crackers on the side. Almost as good as going out to a restaurant!

This would work equally well with tofu, or other meat or fish (cooked or raw). Use spinach or broccoli instead of the pan choi, etc. I find the combination of coconut and green curry paste is an accommodating basis for lots of different interpretations, which is why I always have some in the cupboard. I happened to have some from the UK, but actually can get it in my local supermarket now, under the Ayam brand.

Christmas Leftovers? Plan Ahead!

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DSCF3424-3I love Christmas leftovers and my idea of heaven is having a house full of home-made and fresh foods, which will form the basis of delicious meals up to New Year. With just the two of us this year, I am planning ahead and making sure that I have all the things I need to make some of our favourite dishes and make the most of the turkey, ham, pudding, cheese, cream and so on. So my shopping list includes

  • mushrooms
  • celery
  • leeks
  • pomegranate
  • red cabbage
  • pumpkin or butternut squash
  • filo pastry
  • limes
  • Greek yogurt
  • long-lasting leafy greens such as baby spinach/rocket or endive

I also find this is a great time of year to use preserves and pickles and things stashed away in the freezer and cupboards. 

Here are some recipes which I look forward to.

Cinnamon and Citrus Pineapple – Have you got a pineapple that you didn’t get round to eating? This is a fab way of enjoying it. I usually serve it with thick Greek yogurt.

Cinnamon and Citrus PineappleSquash, Stilton and Quince Tart – a super way to use blue cheese. If you are lucky enough to have your own Quinces, making Membrillo / Pate de Coing is a fab way of preserving them. I love to use it with a sharp cheese like Queso Manchego as an appetiser, and also add to apple pastries for dessert, but less often think of it as part of a main dish. They have pate de coing on the cheese counter at our local supermarket. This is a fab and substantial lunch or supper dish, which is super with a bright green and red salad (spinach or rocket with pomegranate).
Squash, Stilton and Quince Tart with Spinach, Fennel and Pomegranate SaladCelery and Stilton Soup – I am so looking forward to this!  Yes, I love to have stilton with a digestive biscuit and a glass of port, but this is worth buying a bigger piece of cheese for! Other blue cheese can be used. Part-baked baguettes make fab crunchy garlic breadsticks.
dscf6344Roast Pumpkin and Glazed Walnut Salad – crack some of those walnuts, or maybe you have pecans, almonds or hazelnuts to use. It doesn’t need much in the way of leaves, but it is good to have some contrasting colour and texture, so I might use endive or radicchio.Roast Pumpkin and Glazed Walnut SaladClementine Cake – it is lovely to have a huge bowl of beautiful orange fruits to decorate the table, but you don’t want to let them get past their best, so whether they are Satsumas, Tangerines, Mandarins or Clementines, this dairy and wheat-free cake is a joy._MG_9002Don’t forget the fabulous stock that you can make from boiling a gammon or the turkey carcass. Soups made with such stocks don’t need to be complicated, they will be full of flavour. I am looking forward to a zingy Thai-style Hot and Sour Soup. I keep lemon grass and lime leaves in the freezer and a jar of red Thai curry paste lasts for ages in the fridge. 

_MG_0578As for the turkey, ours comes from Sarah Meakin at Domain du Merchien and it is the star of our Christmas table. With all the accompaniments we don’t actually eat a lot of it on Christmas Day, but just love a platter of cold meats with preserves and salads. Then there is our favourite Club Sandwich, as well as Turkey, Ham and Leek Flan; Turkey and Mushroom Pie; Turkey Curry; Turkey Risotto and Golden Tangle Pie. Golden Tangle PieSo, what leftovers will you be looking for ideas for? Or what are your favourite ways of using them?

DSCF1814A little bit of thinking ahead and you won’t have to rush to the shops to get anything extra. This year, more than ever, I have got accustomed to shopping only once a week, and I think I can happily manage a couple of weeks, as long as I have some fresh salad leaves from the kitchen windowsill – time to start sprouting!  Have a wonderful festive season.

Tangle Pie

Golden tangle pie

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Golden Tangle PieContinuing with my theme of using turmeric in more dishes and making delicious, healthy, well balanced meals…

When you are cutting back on starchy carbs, but not cutting them out altogether, a little filo pastry can provide a fantastic (and also quick and easy) topping for a pie. 

Here I have layered some softened leeks and mushrooms, followed by chopped cooked turkey, and pieces of cooked ham, topped with a creamy sauce with added golden paste. Then taking one sheet of filo per person, I cut each sheet into small squares and scrunched these up to cover the top of the dish. Sprayed or brushed very lightly with olive oil, then baked in a hot oven for about 20 – 25 minutes, until crisp and golden.

Tangle Pie

This would work equally well with fish or lentils, in fact there are probably hundreds of different possibilities! This is one of my favourite things to do with the Christmas leftovers – I put up a picture last year, but here is the recipe, complete with calorie counts.

Tangle Pie

My luxury version comes out at
Per serving:
490 kcals 25g Fat, 28g Carbs, 38g Protein
You could reduce this by 100 kcal per portion by using all semi-skim milk and swapping the cheese for a tsp of tamari soy sauce. So a delicious fast day main dish at only 390 kcals! Counts would be similar if you used about 100g of white fish or cooked lentils per person, instead of the meat. Calorie counts in brackets.

Golden Tangle Pie
Serves 4
A lovely crunchy topping on a luscious creamy base. Mmm, works brilliantly with leftovers, or a great alternative for all kinds of pie. Layer the vegetables, followed by the meat, fish, beans or lentils, pour over the sauce and scrunch the filo on top. Quick and easy to prepare, delicious to eat! Calorie calculations are for the 'luxury' version, using cream and cheese in the sauce, and turkey and ham for the base.
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Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
25 min
Total Time
40 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
25 min
Total Time
40 min
Ingredients
  1. 300g cooked turkey or chicken, chopped into chunks (510)
  2. 130g cooked ham, cut into cubes (117)
  3. 7g unsalted butter (50)
  4. 2 medium leeks, sliced (100)
  5. 100g mushrooms, sliced (22)
  6. 4 sheets filo pastry (264)
  7. 1.5 tsp olive oil (60)
White sauce
  1. 15g / 1 tbsp butter (102)
  2. 20g plain flour (68)
  3. 200 ml semi skimmed milk (80)
  4. 100ml cream (292)
  5. 1 egg, beaten (72)
  6. 50g grated cheese (203)
  7. ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  8. pinch cayenne powder
  9. sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  10. 2 tsp golden paste (22)
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 180c (fan)
  2. Melt the butter in a frying pan and gently sauté the leeks and mushrooms, until softened.
  3. Meanwhile, to make the white sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan and add the flour.
  4. Stir well and cook over low heat for a minute or so, then gradually add the liquid, stirring well after each addition to keep it smooth.
  5. Keep stirring until it comes to a simmer, then add the beaten egg, seasoning, grated cheese and golden paste and mix in well.
  6. Put the vegetables in the bottom of an ovenproof dish.
  7. Layer the meat, fish or pulses on top.
  8. Pour the sauce over.
  9. Now cut the filo pastry into 3 strips and each strip into 3 squares or rectangles.
  10. Scrunch up the pastry and distribute evenly over the top of the pie dish, then spray or brush lightly with olive oil.
  11. Bake in the oven for about 20 - 25 minutes, until crisp and golden.
Notes
  1. I used a mix of milk and cream, as that is what I had leftover. A little cream does give a lovely luxurious texture, but you could cut the calories down by using all milk. Of course, you can use non-dairy milk if you prefer.
  2. The cheese again, adds a little extra savoury kick to the sauce,and I had some scraps to use up - but for a non-dairy dish, you could add some other flavouring, such as soya, worcestershire or nutritional yeast.
Per serving
  1. 490 kcals 25g Fat, 28g Carbs, 38g Protein
  2. You could reduce this by 100 kcal per portion by using all semi-skim milk and swapping the cheese for a tsp of tamari soya sauce. So a decent fast day main dish at 390 kcals!
Adapted from Hairy Dieters
Adapted from Hairy Dieters
Focus on Flavour https://www.focusonflavour.com/