Anglesey Eggs (alternate version)

I came across a cauliflower variation on the classic Anglesey Eggs in a very old recipe book recently, with a little bit of tweaking to suit my tastes I rustled up this little beauty in next to no time.

This version lends itself very well to leftover cookery – especially if you cook surplus to make sure you have ‘leftovers’ (please tell me I’m not the only one who does that?!).  With a bit of forward planning and cheating this is really nothing more than a quick assembly job.

Quantities very much depend on your appetite and the number of people you are cooking for but the ingredient list for one, is :

1 cup cauliflower – par-boiled for a few minutes

The green part of a small/baby leek, halved and cut into fine half-moon slices

1 hard boiled egg cut into halves and then quartered, or chopped – as you prefer

½ cup or thereabouts of cheese sauce

Salt and pepper to taste and a scant sprinkle of cayenne pepper

Grated cheddar to scatter generously over the top

Layer the sliced leek at the bottom of an oven-proof dish, arrange the cauliflower florets on the top and poke the slices of egg among them, or scatter the chopped egg over the top and around the cauliflower.  Season with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper.

Cook in a hot oven for about 30 minutes until bubbling nicely and the cheese topping is browned.

The Twelve Leftovers of Christmas

Christmas, the season of good cheer and gluttony.  After all the hard work in the run-up to Christmas, this little housewife doesn’t believe in lifting a finger beyond defrosting, re-heating or vaguely assembling ingredients in the days between Christmas and New Year.  If she could get away with it, she would see the inside of the supermarket for the duration either! 

With a bit of forethought, planning and some advanced prepping and cooking, you can join me in my well-earned holiday.

In no particular order, here are my leftover superstars:

Bubble and squeak 

A Boxing Day tradition, this is a lovely lunch before taking off for an afternoon at the beach blowing off the cobwebs and topping-up the mermaid blood.  This requires nothing more than chopping up the leftover cooked veg from Christmas Day in a little turkey, goose or duck fat – it’s Christmas, push the boat out!

http://thehappyhousewife12.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/bubble-squeak.html

Sausage and turkey pie with sage and onion stuffing

This is a lovely way to use up some of the leftover turkey and stuffing.  True, you will need to skin the sausages and roll out the pastry, but the results will be worth this bit of effort – trust me!

http://thehappyhousewife12.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/sausage-and-chicken-pie-with-sage-and.html

Golden turkey and vegetable soup

All this beauty requires is a bit of leisurely peeling and chopping of root vegetables and then you just pop the casserole in the oven for the magic to happen.  This is a lovely welcome-home after a long cold walk.

http://thehappyhousewife12.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/golden-turkey-and-country-vegetable-soup.html

Brussels sprouts with bacon and Stilton

This is an absolute superstar of a dish and it requires no more than peeling and slicing some sprouts, chopping up some cooked ham, forking a bit of Stilton and stirring in a pot of cheese sauce. 

I make it to use up leftovers, or as a stand-alone meal, but it would make a lovely side-dish to any meal.

http://thehappyhousewife12.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/sprouts-and-bacon-with-stilton.html

Broccoli, leek and Stilton gratin

This is another simple assembly job if you have leftover cooked broccoli.  If not, 10 minutes boiling won’t be too arduous and can be done ahead of time.  It’ll be worth that bit of effort!

http://thehappyhousewife12.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/broccoli-leek-stilton-gratin.html

Turkey Tettrazini

Strictly speaking this doesn’t come under my assembly- line Christmas rules, but if you make and freeze the sauce and the pasta before Christmas then all it needs are some cleaned, sliced mushrooms and the leftover turkey stirring in.

http://thehappyhousewife12.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/turkey-tettrazini.html

Turkey and Ham Pie

Again, this doesn’t fit the assembly-line ethos, but you can make and freeze the sauce ahead of time to save doing it on the day.  I’d still be inclined to make the mashed potato on the day though, potato doesn’t do terribly well in the freezer.

http://thehappyhousewife12.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/chicken-leek-and-bacon-pie.html

Quiche Lorraine

Aside from rolling out the pastry, this is simplicity itself and a lovely way to use up a bit of cooked ham.  If you have some Stilton to spare, fork a bit of that in as well – it’ll be worth the sacrifice!

http://thehappyhousewife12.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/egg-bacon-flan.html

Chicken tortilla soup

This is such a treat at Christmas, after all the rich food this is a lovely fresh soup and makes a complete contrast, it’ll be well worth the bit of extra effort required. 

http://thehappyhousewife12.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/chicken-tortilla-soup-with-avocado.html

Stilton stuffed chicken breasts

This only falls under the leftover category if you have leftover Stilton, but if you do then it’s a lovely way to use some up.

http://thehappyhousewife12.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/stilton-stuffed-chicken-breasts-wrapped.html

Pan haggerty

This is a very calorie-laden dish, but a lovely way to use up some cooked ham – and it is Christmas after all!

http://thehappyhousewife12.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/pan-haggerty.html

Salmon Pasta Bake

Again, this is a sauce that you can make ahead of time and stash in the freezer ready for when you need it.  It’s a lovely way to use up some smoked salmon, or cooked salmon.

http://thehappyhousewife12.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/zingy-salmon-pasta-bake.html

From my home to yours, Merry Christmas!

Sprouts and Bacon with Stilton

I came up with this lovely 'recipe' last Christmas as a way of using up the last of the Brussels sprouts and cooked ham. 

Using a tub of cheese sauce makes this a real convenience.  You could make it as a side dish to a roast dinner too - a sort of cauliflower cheese meets sprouts and bacon!  If you can find the purple sprouts as well as the green, this would make a real showstopper.

You could make the cheese sauce from scratch, or open a tub of supermarket cheese sauce - the Tesco Finest cheese sauce gets top marks from me.

Then simply slice the sprouts, chop the bacon or ham and combine with the cheese sauce, season to taste and fork in some crumbed Stilton before turning into a baking dish. Pop in a hot oven and cook until, bubbling.

Cheesy Broccoli and Rice

I can’t claim any credit for the provenance of the recipe - it’s a Delia, but I do claim the shortcuts as my own!

I love my freezer, and I love my leftovers.  I’m always stashing Ziploc bags of cooked rice, cooked pasta and tubs of cheese sauce for quick meals on lazy days.  This one was put together to use up some leftover cooked broccoli from the day before and is simplicity in itself. 

Quantities depend on how many you are cooking, I think in terms of about 1/3 cup a person. 

This is really nothing more than a simple assembly job!  Defrost a bag of cooked rice (Camargue red rice is flavour of the month here at the moment) and tip into an ovenproof dish.  Top with the cooked broccoli (par cooked would be better if you’re making this from scratch) and then with the cheese sauce.  Add a grating of cheddar and parmesan (if you have it to hand, if not good old cheddar is just as good) and then pop into the oven.  I cooked mine at 200^oC (400^oF/gas mark 6) for about half an hour – until the cheese is bubbling and the dish is hot right the way through.

My cheat hero ingredient! 

Delia’s original recipe is here :

http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/type-of-dish/vegetarian-food/cauliflower-and-broccoli-gratin-with-blue-cheese?utm_source=https%3A//www.bing.com/&utm_medium=d&utm_campaign=otn&utm_content=recipes/type-dish/vegetarian-food/cauliflower-and-broccoli-gratin-blue-cheese

Baked Chicken and Rice

This recipe is testament to the miracles that can occasionally come out of the kitchen thanks to some frantic fridge raiding and seat of the pants cooking!

I was out walking Holly one sunny Saturday morning when the call came – “cricket’s off, I’m going fishing and I’ll be back in time for tea”.  The poached egg on toast I’d been planning for my tea was never going to satisfy a non-dieting and hungry fisherman so cue some frantic mental stocktaking of the fridge and freezer contents.  It was a huge hit, so much so that I was coaxed into making it again the following week.  The first time I made it I used up some leftover frozen chicken from the freezer, but I’ve made it with fresh chicken breasts since which was almost as good.  If I’m honest, the smaller chunks of leftover roasted chicken worked better, but that’s just a personal preference.

For two people I used :

  

2 sticks of celery

1 medium carrot

½ a leek (or all of a very small one)

1 small carton of chestnut mushrooms (approximately two cups when chopped)

Knob of butter

¾ - 1 cup of rice – I used a mixture of Camargue red, wild and white basmati rice

About a cup or so of leftover cooked chicken, or two whole chicken breasts.

1 ½ - 2 cups of chicken stock (double the volume of the rice you used)

Finely dice the celery, leek and carrot and add to the butter in a small frying pan over a low heat.  Clean the mushrooms and chop half of them finely and add to the frying pan.  Coarsely slice the remainder of the mushrooms and add those too, together with a seasoning of ground black pepper and sweat gently for 10 – 15 minutes.

Add the rice to an ovenproof dish and make up the stock – I like Knorr stock pots best for this sort of thing.

Turn the vegetables together with their buttery juices into the dish with the rice and combine together, pour over the stock and season with salt to taste.  If you’re using leftover cooked chicken add this to the dish as well now.  If you’re using fresh chicken breasts brown them first in a little butter, season with a little salt and pepper and then add them to the dish.

Cover with foil and bake at 200^oC (400^oF/gas mark 6) for about an hour, until the rice is cooked and all the stock is absorbed.  If you like, you can uncover for the last 10 – 15 minutes to finish browning the chicken.

Golden Turkey and Country Vegetable Soup

The beauty of cooking a giant turkey for Christmas is all the lovely leftovers you can look forward to in the weeks ahead!

We’re enjoying a lovely cold wintery spell here at the moment, we even had a brief fall of snow this morning ...... blink-and-you-missed-it brief, but snow nonetheless!  Perfect conditions for a spot of kitchen pottering and soup making.

This is one of those quick to cook soups, not a long slow cooking stew, gratification comes quickly!

For three serves I used :

1 small leek

2 small potatoes

2 baby turnips

1 large carrot

2 corn cobs

Appx 1 cup leftover cooked turkey (or chicken)

1  pint of chicken stock

1sachet of Philadelphia creamy peppercorn cooking sauce

Peel and dice the vegetables and sweat gently with a big knob of butter for 10 minutes or so.

Favourite cheats!

Add the chicken stock, the chunks of turkey/chicken and season with salt and pepper – go easy on the pepper because there’s pepper in the Philly sauce.

Simmer gently for 20 minutes and then add the Philly cooking sauce.  Bring back to a simmer and cook for a further 5 minutes for thereabouts.

Best served with good crusty bread on the side, on a bitterly cold day!

Sausage and Chicken Pie with Sage and Onion Stuffing

This pie is pretty much Delia Smith’s recipe from the Complete Cookery Course.  I added some leftover sage and onion stuffing and adjusted the sausage layer slightly!

This is a lovely way to use up leftover cooked chicken and stuffing, and stretch the dregs of Sunday’s roast dinner one more day.  If you don’t have any leftover stuffing, you can make it fresh – the method I give below is the way my friend’s lovely late mother-in-law used to make it.

For the stuffing :

3 or 4 thick slices of bread, crusts cut off

½ small onion

2 generous handfuls of fresh sage (or 1 dsp of dry)

Salt and pepper to taste

Simply pop everything into a blender or food processor and blitz.  Heat a little goose fat, duck fat, chicken dripping (or olive oil!) in a frying pan and sautee the stuffing for a few minutes until it becomes slightly crispy.  Set aside to cool.

For the pie :

1 pack of shortcrust pastry

8 good meaty sausages

Appx 1 cup of leftover cooked chicken

Appx 1 cup of leftover stuffing

¼ tsp ground mace

½ tsp sage

Salt and pepper to taste

The dish I used is a 7” diameter quiche dish.

Skin the sausages and place into a large mixing bowl as you go.  Season with salt and pepper, add the sage and mace and then mix together with your hands.

Roll out your pastry and line the base of your dish, spread half the sausagemeat over the pastry, then add half the stuffing, all of the chicken and season with a little salt and pepper.  Add the rest of the stuffing and finally the remainder of the sausagemeat.  Roll out a pastry lid and top and finish your pie.

I cooked mine at 180^oC / 350^oF / gas mark 5 for an 45 to 50 minutes.  If the pie begins to brown too much pop a folded sheet of greaseproof paper on top.

Broccoli, Leek & Stilton Gratin

This is another dish to use up the leftover Christmas Stilton!  You could use any cheese you have to hand though. 

The cheese sauce is based on my Grandmother’s recipe (such as it was) and method – i.e. some milk, some flour, some butter and some cheese!  I’ve attempted to quantify it for you though!! 

The recipe for two as a side, or one as a main dish with some ham or bacon as a side is: 

1 head of broccoli

1 small leek

1oz butter 

½ pint of cold milk

1oz butter

1tb flour

1 or 2oz of cheese (to taste)

Salt and pepper to taste

Prepare the broccoli by cutting into florets and cook in boiling water, then leave to drain. 

While the broccoli is draining, slice the leek and sweat gently in the melted butter for appx 10 minutes.

 

When the leek is softened arrange on the base of a gratin dish (or shallow oven proof dish).  Arrange the broccoli on the top of the bed of leeks. 

Make the cheese sauce by adding the cold milk, butter and flour to the cooled pan.  Turn on the heat and cook, stirring continuously until the sauce thickens (I use a small hand held wire whisk for this).  Providing the milk was cold you won’t have any problems with lumps in the sauce.  Season to taste, take off the heat and then add the cheese. 

Pour the sauce over the broccoli.  You could add a little grated cheese at this point if you wish, and a sprinkling of cayenne pepper. 

Pop under the grill until the cheese sauce is bubbling.

Stilton Stuffed Chicken Breasts Wrapped in Pancetta

I came up with this to use up some of the Stilton that was leftover in the fridge from Christmas.  I love Stilton cheese and only ever have it at Christmas, but I went a little overboard this year!  This is a lovely way to use some of it up. 

For two people I used: 

2 chicken breasts

4 slices parma ham

Stilton cheese, to taste (I used appx 1tsp per breast)*

Freshly milled black pepper to taste 

To stuff the chicken, simply butterfly the chicken breasts, season with pepper and dot each with some stilton cheese.  Fold over the top flap of the breasts, wrap in the pancetta and place in a baking dish.  Drizzle them with a little olive oil and give another seasoning of ground black pepper.

Bake in a hot oven (190^oC / 375^oF / Gas Mark 5) for 30 minutes or so, until the chicken is cooked through.  If any juices accumulate in the dish you can baste the breasts as they cook. 

I served this with some small pasta shapes (orzo) and cooked broccoli.

*You could of course use any blue cheese of choice