When every penny counts, making use of your leftovers makes perfect sense. Whether it’s leftover chicken recipes or something to transform that leftover ham or leftover mashed potato, we’ve got some ideas to make kitchen waste a thing of the past.
Leftover chicken recipe: Still got some meat left after your Sunday roast chicken? That leftover chicken can be turned into a delicious soup. Put the carcass and the meat into a pan, add some herbs and cover with water, then simmer it for about an hour. You can then freeze the broth and use it as a stock for a risotto or gravy, or add noodles for a tasty snack.
Leftover ham recipe: If you’ve cooked a ham but have scraps leftover, why not use it to make pea and ham soup? Fry some onions until soft, then add some peas, the ham, a few bay leaves and some stock to cover, and simmer for about 45 minutes. Or you could use the scraps as a filling for an omelette.
Leftover mashed potato recipe: One of the tastiest things to do with leftover mashed potato is to make croquettes. Take spoonfuls of mash and mould each one into a cylindrical or patty shape. Then beat an egg in a bowl, and put some breadcrumbs (easy to make if you blend a slice of bread) in another. Take each piece of shaped mash, dip it briefly in the egg and then roll it in the breadcrumbs so that it is completely coated, then shallow fry them until golden.
Leftover vegetables idea: If you have enough vegetables left over the easiest way to give them a new lease of life is to make them into a soup. Fry some onions in some oil, then add some stock and the vegetables. Add some lentils if you have them to make the soup thicker. Simmer for 20 minutes, then blend the soup until smooth.
Leftover dried fruit and nuts: Chop up the fruit and nuts if they are large. Then, melt 4oz butter and 4 tablespoons of golden syrup in a pan and add 25g (1oz) cocoa. Take off the heat and add some biscuits which you have crushed with a rolling pin (into crumbs or small pieces), plus the dried fruit and nuts. Press lightly into a tin and put into the fridge to set for a few hours to make a delicious chocolate fridge cake.
Leftover rice recipe: Why not cook Sweet Jewelled Rice or take a look at Six ways with rice for more recipe ideas.