Leftover Turkey Pie

Is it too early for the Christmas leftovers recipes? It's never too early! Turkey is a great, under utilised meat that really should be used a lot more. It has a reputation for being bland but, like any meat, this has more to do with the lives of the animals than anything else. Factory farmed, quickly reared animals will never develop the depth of flavour of their free range/organic cousins. A nice free range/organic bronze turkey is as flavourful and juicy as any cut of beef. Sure, it's more expensive but if you get the most out of it then it's worth the extra cash.

This is a great recipe to use up one of the leftover legs. The legs are often overlooked because of their stronger flavour but this is all the more appealing in this dish, the stronger the better. This dish can be made with almost any leftover meat, just use a corresponding stock. Give it a try on a lazy St. Stephen's Day, smothered in leftover Christmas gravy or on any Monday when the Sunday leftovers are sitting in the fridge begging to be brought back to life.

I had a version of this recipe in Paris last year but it was made with Duck and had a light gravy served with it. Simple and delicious.

Serves 4

1 Kg Potatoes (peeled, boiled and mashed with a little butter, milk and seasoning)
50g Butter
1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Onion (finely chopped)
1 Leg of Cooked Turkey (Meat pulled from the bone giving 300-400g)
300 ml Turkey/Chicken/Vegetable Stock
1/2 tsp Dried Marjoram
1 Bay Leaf
2 tbsp Grated Pecorino/Parmesan Cheese
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

1. Add the butter and oil to a pan over a medium heat and, when hot, add the onion. Season well and cook for 5-7 minutes until softened but not coloured. Add the torn turkey meat, season well and cook for 7-10 minutes until it begins to brown on the outside. Add the stock, marjoram and bay leaf and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes until the stock reduces and thickens slightly.

2. Remove the bay leaf and add the turkey to a baking dish. Put the mashed potato on top and spread out evenly with a fork. Sprinkle the cheese on top and finish with a grating of pepper. Put the dish into a pre-heated 180 degree C. oven for 15-20 minutes. Serve on its own or with leftover Sunday/Christmas Gravy.

Ragu Pie

Leftover Ragu Pie

A good ragu is a beautiful thing; different meats stewed for hours with a little tomato to create a rich and delicious sauce. In Ireland this isn't usually the case. Here we tend to put in a bit of beef mince, a jar or two of (insert your favourite brand here) bolognese sauce and give it a half hour on the stove. We then add it to overcooked spaghetti and because spaghetti can't hold a thick sauce, we're left with a giant puddle of something that tastes like a very sweet tomato sauce with a little mince going through it. Try this instead:

Heat a good glug of extra-virgin olive oil over a medium heat and add a finely chopped onion. Cook for 2 minutes before adding a finely chopped carrot, a finely chopped chilli and a finely chopped stick of celery. Season well and cook for 5-7 minutes until soft but not coloured. Add 400 g of beef mince, 200 g of lamb mince, 200 g of pork mince and 2 finely chopped lamb kidneys. Season and brown all over before adding a glass of good red wine. Cook for 5 minutes and add 500 g of tomato passata and a teaspoon of dried oregano. Cover, reduce the heat and cook for 2-3 hours.

This will give you a delicious and deep flavoured ragu. Serve with tagliatelle or some penne pasta that will hold the sauce. Italians reckon 100g of pasta is enough per person but they generally have a couple of courses so I think for safety, if its the only course, I'd allow 120g per person.

Invariably, no matter how many have to be fed, I'm always left with plenty of leftover ragu. It's so filling that you don't need to serve massive portions; enough to coat the pasta is perfect. I've been thinking of ways to use up leftover ragu and a somewhat obvious Shepherd's Pie came to mind. It's not the same as the lamb filling but I thought it might be a nice change and it would create another substantial dish to feed many. If you only have a little ragu left don't worry; even a thin layer will be sufficient.



Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Peel as many sweet potatoes as you need and boil in lightly salted water until tender. Drain, season well and mash adding about half a glass of milk (or cream if you prefer) as you do so. Check for seasoning and add extra salt/pepper if required. Lightly oil a baking dish (one that you'd use for a Lasagna or a Shepherd's Pie will be perfect) and spread the ragu evenly over the base. Add a layer of Parma ham/prosciutto on top of the ragu and spread the sweet potato mash over the prosciutto. Flatten with a fork, creating little peaks as you go. Sprinkle plenty of pepper over the top and place in the oven to cook for 30-40 mins. Serve with good crusty bread.

This pie can be adapted to your own taste. Feel free to add a layer of Parmesan cheese after the prosciutto or swap the sweet potatoes for normal potatoes if you prefer. I didn't give exact quantities here as it depends how much ragu you have left. A thick layer is great but as I said above, a thin layer of ragu is fine, the rest can be made up with the sweet potato; its probably healthier!

Shepard's Pie

Extra Nutritious Shepard's Pie

So as the rain continues to pelt down and the howling wind continues to bellow, its time for another great winter recipe to warm the entire family for the long winters evening. The simple Shepard's Pie has always been one of my favourite dinners, its warming and filling and is the perfect all in one dish. For this version I have added extra vegetables to make it extra nutritious and I've also gone with a Sweet Potato topping to increase the goodness while also adding a great flavour.


Serves 6


*4tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
*1 Large Onion (finely chopped)
*1/2 Courgette (peeled and finely chopped)
*1 Red Pepper (finely chopped)
*2 Celery Sticks (finely chopped)
*1 Large Carrot (peeled and grated)
*500g Lamb Mince
*100ml White Wine
*1 Can of Chopped Tomatoes
*300ml of Strong Lamb Stock
*1tsp Dried Oregano 
*2 Bay Leaves
*2tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
*800g Sweet Potatoes (peeled and chopped)
*150ml Cream
*25g Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
*Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper


1. Saute the Onion, Corgette, Red Pepper, Celery and Carrot in the Oil over a medium heat for 7-10 minutes until soft. Season well with Salt and Pepper as soon as added to the Oil.

2. Add the Lamb Mince, season and brown all over. Add the Wine and cook for a few minutes to burn off the alcohol. Add the Can of Tomatoes, Stock, Oregano and Bay Leaves and bring to the boil. Put on the lid and simmer over a low heat for 1 hour.

3. Remove the Bay Leaves, turn up the heat and reduce, stirring constantly until it becomes thick.

4. Meanwhile, cook the Sweet Potatoes in well seasoned boiling water until tender all the way through. Drain and season well. Add the cream and mash well until smooth.

5. Put the mince mixture into a baking dish and top with the Sweet Potato mash. Even it out with a fork and sprinkle over the Parmesan. Top with a good grinding of Pepper and bake in a pre-heated 180 degree (C) oven for 30 minutes. 

Variations:

This is another great base recipe to which you can add almost anything. Extra veg are the obvious choice but also some streaky bacon added before the mince will really add a great depth. Although Shepard's Pie is traditionally Lamb, the meat could be swapped out for almost any minced meat and a mixture of two or three would work brilliantly. Obviously standard mashed Potatoes could be used on top if anyone dislikes Sweet Potatoes and Cheddar could replace Parmesan if preferred.