Use up the leftovers

I don't like waste so if there's ever any leftovers in this house I always use them up in something else. Last Christmas I made a delicious soup on boxing day from turkey stock and meat and vegetable leftovers. I can't tell you precisely what was in it and would never be able to recreate it exactly but no doubt I will make something similar this boxing day.

Unilever sent me a variety of their condiments to enjoy with our Christmas dinner and challenged me to get creative with my leftovers.

At the weekend I had some pork loin steaks leftover. There wasn't enough to have one each so I decided to use them up in a pie.

Pork, Apple & Stuffing Pie

Puff pastry block

Roast pork or loin steak leftovers, cut into small pieces

1 small pack of sage & onion stuffing

1 jar of Colman's Bramley Apple Sauce

milk or egg for brushing

• Roll out the pastry into a large rectangle
• Make the stuffing up as per directions on the pack
• Spread the stuffing over half of the pastry, leaving a 1.5" gap around the edge
• Top the stuffing with the pork and then the apple sauce (you might not need a whole jar)
• Brush around the edges with milk or beaten egg
• Fold the pastry over and seal the edges
• Brush the top of the pastry with milk or beaten egg
• Bake in a preheated 200C oven for approx 20 minutes, until nicely browned

I didn't stop at pie and decided to make Nigella's ham in coke and put half in the freezer for Christmas and half to use now. I baked some lemon & garlic focaccia and prepared some tasty sandwiches using some Hellmann's mayonnaise with a twist of pepper and a zing of lemon - who knew that there were so many varieties of mayonnaise! I spread lemon mayonnaise on one slice of bread and pepper on the other and sandwiched a couple of juicy slices of ham in between.

Lemon & Garlic Focaccia

350g strong white bread flour 

7g yeast
7g salt
1 tbsp caster sugar
75ml olive oil 

280ml cool water 
2 garlic cloves, grated
2 tbsp fresh lemon thyme

• Mix the flour, sugar, yeast, garlic, thyme & oil and half of the water together in a food mixer
• Add the rest of the water with the motor running until you get a thick cake like batter, adding more water if necessary
• Mix for approx 10 mins on high speed
• Put dough in a large silicone baking pan & cover with clingfilm
• Leave in a warm place to prove for approx 2 hours
• Bake in a 200 C oven for approx 15 minutes until golden on the top

Nigella's Ham in Coke

2kg gammon joint (I used unsmoked)

2 litres of cola (I used 17p smart price!)

1 onion, cut in half

• Add the gammon & onion to a pan
• Pour over the coke
• bring to the boil & simmer for approx 2 hours

I was sent the selection of condiments for the purpose of this post