Christmas 2021: Mumbai chefs share delicious recipes you can whip up with leftovers

From sweets and plum cake to roast chicken and gravy, an extended week of festive cooking is likely to clutter your fridge with leftovers. Two chefs share handy tips to make the best of the surplus

Kitchen Superstar: Recipes of the week from Mumbai’s hottest chefs

Turkey sandwich

RememberRoss Geller’s obsession with the ‘moist-maker’ sandwich that his sister Monica created after Thanksgiving? Amol Phute, chef de cuisine, Bastian Hospitality Pvt Ltd, channelised some of that delicious inspiration for a turkey sandwich, which one can rustle up for lunch or a mid-day snack with scraps of roast turkey, a holiday favourite during Christmas and new year celebrations. “Although a delicious feast, a whole turkey dinner is sure to have leftovers that you could rehash into a scrumptious lunch sandwich. Alternatively, one can also use slices of roast chicken,” he suggests. 

Leftover roast turkey 

Ingredients
. 2 slices of bread
. Butter to layer bread
. Slices of roast turkey as per your choice
. Some turkey stuffing
. One layer of mozzarella cheese
. Cheddar to sprinkle
. Leftover cranberry sauce for topping
. 3 tbsp grainy mustard sauce
. Leftover gravy for dip

Amol Phute 

Method
Toast two slices of buttered bread. Top one with the slices of roast turkey you like. Add a thin layer of turkey stuffing, topped with a little more butter. Now, add a layer of melted mozzarella cheese and cheddar. Drizzle grainy mustard sauce and top it with a little cranberry sauce. Serve with turkey gravy as a dip. 

Leftover love

. Leftover ham can be turned into a ham and turkey quiche, or pie.
. Use leftover turkey slices in ramen or with stir-fried noodles.
. Use roast pork pieces to make a sandwich such as a Cubano with Swiss cheese, American mustard and pickles. 
. Turn any protein into fried rice, or it can be used in soups such as minestrone.
. Leftover cranberry can be added to cheesecakes or as a glaze.
. Make duck fried rice with leftover duck and rice. Top it with a fried egg and it makes an excellent lunch.
. If you have any gravy left, you can just freeze it in your refrigerator for future use.    

Chef Amol Phute

Plum cake truffles 

Plum cake truffles made with leftover plum cake

Christmas means losing count of the number of plum cakes that enter the pantry. While there’s a slim chance that you’ll get tired of bingeing on this Christmas staple, Vidit Aren, executive chef at Soufflé S’il Vous Plaît, tells us how to transform extra loaves into truffles. 

Ingredients
. 500 gm leftover plum cake 
. 200 gm 70 per cent dark chocolate compound (powdered)
. 100 gm cream 
. 50 gm butter 
. 100 gm cocoa powder 

Vidit Aren

Method
Crumble the leftover plum cake by hand. Meanwhile, add cream and butter to a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Gradually whisk in the cream along with the chocolate in a bowl. Once smooth and emulsified, add the crumbled plum cake to the chocolate ganache. Mix thoroughly. Make balls out of this mixture with your hand, and roll them in cocoa powder. Place them in the fridge for one hour.

. Among other Christmas sweet treats such as stollen slice into half-cm thick pieces and lay them on a baking tray. Brush with brown butter and bake at 120 degrees Celsius for 25 to 30 minutes. Let it rest in the oven till it cools down, and you have stollen bread biscotti. 

Chef Vidit Aren

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