Making the most of your Christmas - UK charity fighting global … · 2017. 10. 31. · 150g Christmas pudding. Time: 30 minutes Serves: 6 Making the most of leftover Christmas pudding

Making the most of your Christmas...

Recipes to help save food, save money and save lives this Christmas

Christmas can be expensive, what with all the presents, decorations and fancy food to buy. But with clever planning, you can make your festive fare go further and transform your leftovers into something really tasty. Just turn to the recipes here for inspiration…

Cooking creatively like this not only helps you save money and keep the family well fed, it’s also a great way to reduce your food waste. So this Christmas, keep this helpful little booklet close at hand. It’s our way of saying thank you for saving lives with Christian Aid – and it could help you make big, big savings in your own life too.

Happy cooking and Merry Christmas!

‘Tis the season to save…

1. Check your cupboards

Before you embark on any shopping trip, do a quick stock check of what you currently have in your cupboards. This will stop you panic-buying things you don’t need and doubling up on things you already have.

2. Stick to your list

Supermarkets are full of tempting-looking food at this time of year and it’s often easy to get side-tracked. So the best thing to do is make a list and stick to it. Keep an eye on use-by dates too, so that everything gets eaten while it’s still good.

3. Plan your portions

Not sure how much food to buy? Then check out our handy portion planner below – all the weights are per person and given prior to preparation and cooking. (Please note, they’re just a guide – for smaller appetites you might want to adjust portion sizes accordingly!)

3 ways to save

FOOD TYPE WEIGHT (PER PORTION)

Turkey (on the bone) 500g-675g

Roast potatoes 225g-250g

Stuffing balls 30-45g (2–3 balls)

Brussels sprouts 75g

Carrots/Parsnips 75g

Gravy 120ml

Christmas is the time to put your freezer to work and preserve any leftovers or ingredients that are getting past their best. Don’t let perishable items go to waste at the back of the fridge – you can freeze packaged food right up until the use-by date, so transfer it to the freezer and use it up when you get the chance.

Here are a few things you might well end up freezing over Christmas…

• Leftover meat

Pick your turkey clean and place any leftover roast meat in the freezer in meal-sized portions. Make sure it’s thoroughly defrosted and reheated when you come to eat it up.

• Root veg (including potatoes)

Root veg can come in handy for soups and stews. Just blanch in boiling water for a few minutes, cool, and then freeze in bags or tubs.

• Cheese

If your cheeseboard is approaching its use-by date, don’t worry. Grate, crumble or slice all the cheeses before storing them in the freezer – then add them straight into soups, pasta, lasagne and gratins.

• Fresh herbs

Chop your herbs finely, pop into ice cube trays and top up with water. Alternatively, combine them with softened butter and divide them into small portions to use at a later date.

The big freeze

1 turkey carcass 2 medium celery stalks, roughly chopped 1 large carrot, coarsely chopped 1 medium onion, quartered 1 bay leaf 1 tsp whole black peppercorns 6 sprigs of fresh thyme.

Time: 3 hours

1. Place all the ingredients in a large saucepan, add enough cold water to cover and bring to the boil.

2. Reduce to low heat and simmer for 2-3 hours, skimming occassionaly.

3. Strain through a fine mesh strainer and place back on the heat to reduce by half.

4. Leave to cool and refrigerate or freeze until required.

If turkey will be on your Christmas menu this year, here’s a delicious stock using simple, economical ingredients.

Talking turkey

Did you know...In the UK, we throw away the equivalent of over 250,000 turkeys during the festive period.

This recipe is a great way to use up lots of Christmas leftovers, all in one go! Roasted carrots, parsnips and peas are ideal ingredients but any leftover veg can be used.

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat and add the leeks. Cover and cook the leeks for 10 minutes until soft.

2. Add the flour and cook for a few more minutes. Add the stock a ladle at a time, stopping when the sauce becomes smooth.

3. Add the mustard, turkey, vegetables and parsley and stir.

4. Add the double cream, season to taste and leave to cool completely.

5. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Transfer the cooled mixture into an ovenproof dish, top with the pastry and brush with beaten egg yolk.

50g butter 1 leek, finely chopped 3 tbsp plain flour 500ml turkey or chicken stock 1 tsp wholegrain mustard 600g leftover turkey 250g leftover vegetables 2 tbsp chopped parsley 50ml double cream 500g ready rolled puff pastry 1 beaten egg yolk.

Time: 75 minutes Serves: 4–6

Making the most of leftover turkey

Turkey & vegetable pie

6. Bake for 40–45 minutes. Serve with any leftover Christmas gravy.

Making mac ‘n’ cheese is an easy way to use up any cheese board leftovers. It’s also a great winter dish to warm you up when the weather’s cold – comfort food at its finest!

1. Melt the butter over a medium heat and add the flour, stirring all the time. Cook for a few minutes.

2. Whisk in the milk a ladle at a time until you get a smooth sauce. You may not need all the milk.

3. Cook the pasta for 10–12 minutes and then add it to the sauce.

4. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese, mustard and nutmeg (if using) and season. The mixture should be nice and loose, but add an extra splash of milk if needed – it will thicken up in the oven.

50g butter 3 heaped tbsp plain flour 1 litre milk 1 tbsp English mustard 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg (optional) 500g macaroni 300g grated cheese 3 tbsp fresh breadcrumbs.

Time: 1 hour Serves: 4-6

Making the most of leftover cheese

‘ Cheeseboard’ mac ‘n’ cheese

5. Transfer to an ovenproof dish, sprinkle the breadcrumbs and bake at 180°C for 30 minutes or until golden and bubbling.

Did you know...Five million Christmas puddings are thrown away in the UK, every single year.

If your family can’t face another bite, you’ll probably have some Christmas pudding going spare on Boxing Day. Try this easy recipe to make the most of your leftovers…

1. Preheat the oven to 150°C. Warm the cream in a saucepan over a medium heat. Split the vanilla pod, scrape out the seeds and add them to the cream along with the clementine zest.

2. Bring the cream to a boil, turn down the heat and leave to simmer for 5 minutes.

3. In another bowl, beat the sugar and egg yolks together until pale.

4. Pour the hot cream slowly over the egg mixture, stirring continuously.

5. Break up the Christmas pudding into bitesize pieces and divide between 6 ramekins. Pour the cream mixture on top.

500g double cream 1 vanilla pod 100g caster sugar (use Fairtrade if you have it) 6 egg yolks 1 clementine, zested 3 tbsp light brown sugar 150g Christmas pudding.

Time: 30 minutes Serves: 6

Making the most of leftover Christmas pudding

Christmas pudding crème brûlée

6. Place the ramekins into a large roasting tray and submerge halfway in hot water. Bake for 40–45 minutes until the custard is set, but still wobbly. Leave to cool.

7. Before serving, cover the custards with brown sugar and caramelise with a blowtorch or under a very hot grill.

*UK Government’s matched funding will go to projects in South Sudan. Donations made to the Christmas appeal between 6 November 2017 and 5 February 2018 will be matched up to £2.7 million.

UK registered charity no. 1105851 Company no. 5171525 Scot charity no. SC039150 Christian Aid Ireland: NI charity no. NIC101631 Company no. NI059154 and ROI charity no. 20014162 Company no. 426928. The Christian Aid name and logo are trademarks of Christian Aid. Christian Aid is a key member of ACT Alliance. Printed exclusively on material sourced from responsibly managed forests. © Christian Aid October 2017. Photograph: Christian Aid/Mike Goldwater

Any gift you give today will be doubled by the UK Government.* Please send what you can today.

You’re helping mothers like Salamata feed her childrenCutting down on food waste can save a household hundreds of pounds a year. What could you do with all that extra money?

Well, you could make a donation to Christian Aid this Christmas and help make sure there’s enough food for families like Salamata’s.

Salamata lives in Burkina Faso, and a gift from you today could help mothers like her feed their children healthy, nutritious meals.