Mouth watering, well-dressed festive season leftovers

Here’s some great ideas to not only turn yesterday’s centerpieces into luxurious feasts but to also perk up those tasty trimmings with a saucy twist. From mint and cranberry jellies to mustards and our famous chilli and garlic pastes, we’ve got them all and some pretty delicious and super easy-to-make recipes too!

So don’t waste time, or food, just get creative and you’ll be back on the beach in no time having wowed family and friends with a miracle meal of leftovers!

1.Festive Leftovers Picnic Loaf

Serves 6-8

Preparation time: 25 minutes

Resting time: 2 hours to overnight

Difficulty: Easy  

Ingredients:
1 crusty round or oval white loaf (needs to be quite a deep loaf)

4-6tbsp Staffords Mint Sauce, Staffords Old Style Mustard or Staffords Cranberry Jelly

leftover cooked beef, lamb, pork or turkey, thinly sliced

leftover cooked chipolata sausages, thinly sliced lengthways (optional)

leftover cooked stuffing, thinly sliced (optional)

fresh lettuce or baby spinach leaves

tomatoes, thinly sliced

roasted red peppers from a jar

Provolone, thinly sliced

Method:

1 Carefully slice the top off the loaf and pull out most of the bread, leaving just a thin layer attached to the crust (be careful not to break the crust).
2 Depending on which leftover meat you are using, spread the Staffords sauce of your choice inside the loaf. Fill with layers of meat, sausage, cold stuffing, lettuce or spinach, tomatoes, peppers and Provolone, seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper as you build the filling.
3 When full, replace the top of the bread and wrap tightly in foil. Place in the fridge with a weight on top and leave for a few hours or overnight.
4 Cut into thick slices and serve with extra Staffords sauce.

2.Mango and Gammon Skewers

Serves 4

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Difficulty: Easy 

Ingredients:

3tbsp olive oil

1tbsp Staffords Balsamic Vinegar

5ml staffords chilli paste

5ml Staffords cranberry jelly

2ml Staffords, ginger paste

2 large ripe mangoes, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes

2 cups leftover cooked gammon, cut into 2cm cubes

4-8 wooden skewers (depending on length), soaked in water for at least 30 minutes

Method:

1 Mix together the olive oil, Staffords Balsamic Vinegar, chilli paste, cranberry jelly and ginger paste.

2 Assemble skewers with alternate cubes of mango and gammon.

3 Brush with Staffords sauces blend and braai for 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until char-lines appear and gammon is heated through. Baste with the glaze as needed.

3.Rainbow Salad

Serves 4

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Difficulty: Easy 

Ingredients:

1 cup leftover cooked lamb, fat removed and meat shredded

10ml Staffords Apple jelly

20ml balsamic vinegar

1 pack soba noodles or baby marrow noodles, cooked until just done and shocked in ice water to stop cooking, drained

4-6 raw Brussels sprouts, finely shredded

4-6 Button mushrooms, thinly sliced

½ yellow pepper, thinly sliced

1 large carrot, peeled and grated

1 large avocado, diced

2 cooked beetroot, diced

3 spring onions, thinly sliced

2tbsp pumpkin or sunflower seeds

2tbsp leftover festive nuts, roughly chopped

2tbsp dried cranberries

2tbsp pomegranate seeds

big handful fresh herbs (parsley, basil, mint, chives etc), roughly chopped

Dressing:

¾ cup extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

2ml Staffords garlic paste

Method:

1 Whisk together all the dressing ingredients.

2 Heat lamb in a frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil. Add the apple jelly and balsamic vinegar, allow to caramelize

3 Combine remaining ingredients on a platter, top with the lamb and dressing and serve immediately.

4. Sticky, Spicy Turkey with Avocado

Serves 4-6

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Difficulty: Worth the effort

Ingredients:

2 large avocados

squeeze of fresh lemon juice

1tbsp olive oil

1tsp Staffords Chilli Paste, or to taste

2tsp Staffords Ginger Paste, or to taste

2tbsp Staffords Cranberry Jelly

1 cup leftover cooked turkey, chicken or duck, shredded

2 spring onions, thinly sliced

½ cup fresh peas, blanched and shocked in ice water, drained

handful herb sprouts

Staffords Cranberry jelly to serve

Method:

1 Peel and remove the pips from the avocados. Whizz in a blender with a splash of water if you want a smooth purée, or simply mash if you prefer more texture. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and add a squeeze of lemon juice to prevent discolouring.

2 Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the Staffords Chilli Paste, Staffords Ginger Paste and Staffords Cranberry Jelly and cook, stirring, for a few seconds. Add the shredded turkey and cook, stirring, until turkey is heated through, coated in the sticky, spicy glaze and some bits are crispy.

3 Place the avocado in a shallow dish or into individual cups. Top with spring onion, peas, turkey, sprouts and Cranberry jelly

To serve:

* Dollop over poached eggs on toast for breakfast.

* Serve in individual cups as part of a buffet lunch.

* Smear onto toasted pitas or flatbreads for an instant pizza.

* Scoop up with nacho chips.

5. Turkey Quesadillas

Serves 2-4

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Difficulty: Worth the effort  

Ingredients:

1 red onion, thinly sliced

1tbsp olive oil

1 cup leftover cooked turkey, shredded

½ cup leftover cooked stuffing, crumbled (optional)

4 flour tortillas

3ml Staffords chilli paste

3ml Staffords ginger paste

1 cup melty, stringy cheese like Mozzarella, Cheddar or even a combination of leftovers from the festive cheese platter, grated

Method:

1 Gently fry the onion in the olive oil until it becomes translucent. Add the turkey and heat through. Add the stuffing, if using, and fry for 1 minute more. Add the chilli and ginger paste.

2 Meanwhile, heat and lightly grease a large frying pan (or spray with low-kilojoule spray).  Top with ¼ cup cheese and half the turkey. Add another ¼ cup cheese and another tortilla. Toast in the pan, carefully flipping once, until golden brown and cheese has melted. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

3 Cut each quesadilla into 8 wedges and serve.

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