Festive Season "USE UP"  Recipes

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Vegetable & cheddar croquettes (makes 6)
These are very versatile, so feel free to add any left over chicken, salmon, or other cooked proteins to the ingredients below - just adjust the ratio of veg slightly or increase the potato

  • 2 med potatoes 
  • 1/2 onion
  • 1 med carrot
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 350g raw mixed vegetables - e.g.  pepper, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, mushroom, peas - any mix you like and have bits of in the fridge
  • 75g cheese (mature is best for flavour but any will do)
  • 1 Tbsp veg or olive oil (not extra virgin)
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 20g soft fresh herbs (coriander/parsley/chives/tarragon etc) - optional only if you have  
  • 50g flour
  • 1 egg
  • 75g breadcrumbs (fresh from stale bread or frozen, made previously from left over bread)
  • Garlic salt
  • Paprika 
  • Dried herbs - mixed, oregano, any you like and have in the cupboard
 
  1. Peel, and cut the potatoes evenly into a dice - put in a med pan with water to cover and a pinch of salt
  2. Boil until soft then drain, mash well, adding salt, pepper and garlic salt (if you have it, otherwise omit). Don't add butter or milk because we want the mash to be firm not soft
  3. Allow to cool and refrigerate until cold (you can spread out onto a tray as this will help it cool quicker
  4. Peel and finely chop the onion and carrot, and place in a bowl
  5. Peel and finely chop (or press) the garlic - keep separate in a corner of your chopping board or in a small ramekin 
  6. Wash, peel and finely chop all the other vegetables and place in a separate bowl
  7. Finely chop any fresh herbs using, and reserve in a small bowl 
  8. Grate the cheese - reserve
  9. Place a pan on the heat and add a splash of oil
  10. Sauté the onions and carrots until translucent, then add the garlic and sauté for an additional minute or so (don't burn)
  11. Now add all the other vegetables, salt and pepper and cook out until soft 
  12. Finally stir through any fresh herbs
  13. Remove the cooked veg to a tray/large plate and allow to cool (can pop in the fridge for a bit)
  14. When cool, place the vegetables in a mixing bowl with the cold mashed potato, cheese, herbs (if using) and more salt/pepper if it needs 
  15. Mix all together very well
  16. Divide the mix into 6 even potions and shape each into a flat round patty - reserve on a tray and if still warm, put in the fridge to firm up 
  17. Put flour into a bowl (large enough to fit one of the patties). You can add any spices/dried herbs you like to the flour if you want e.g. paprika, garlic salt, cumin, oregano etc
  18. Put the breadcrumbs into another bowl - if your breadcrumbs are frozen, you can spread out put on a tray, and break up any clumps with your fingers
  19. Break and egg into a third (same sized) bowl and whisk
  20. Now, working with one patty at a time, coat the patty in the flour on all sides and shake off excess,
  21. Then dip into the egg, turn to coat and allow excess to drip off back into the bowl
  22. Then coat in the breadcrumbs and finally place on a tray (lined with clingfilm)
  23. Repeat for all and put tray into the fridge to firm up for about 20 minutes
  24. Now make your pesto and salad - see recipes below
  25. When ready to cook the croquettes, place a pan on the heat and add vegetable oil (I prefer to fry in vegetable/rapeseed oil as it has a higher burn point to olive oil)
  26. When the oil is nicely hot, fry the croquettes on one side until golden, flip over and fry on the other side until golden all over. 
  27. Remove to a tray lined with kitchen paper, or a rack
  28. Serve hot or warm with pesto and salad.  ​

Utensils:
  • Chopping board
  • Cook's knife
  • ​Vegetable peeler
  • Garlic press (if you prefer to use than a knife)
  • Med pan (with lid)
  • Potato masher
  • Colander/sieve
  • 2 x med bowl
  • 3 small bowls (large enough to fit a veg croquette/patty)
  • Med/large frying pan
  • Heatproof spatula/mixing spoon for frying pan
  • Grater
  • 2 x small tray/large plate
  • Small egg whisk/fork
  • Egg lift/fish slice/guzunder ("goes under")
  • Kitchen roll​ 
Pesto:
You can use a variety of herbs and leaves for this as well as nuts or seeds. You can omit the Parmesan if you prefer. 
 
  • 30g herbs/leaves - basil, coriander, spinach, rocket
  • 15g parmesan
  • 25g nuts/seeds (pine nuts, hazelnuts, cashew, walnuts, almonds, macadamia, peanut) or seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, sesame etc)
  • 50ml - 75ml olive oil (light)
  • 1 squeeze lemon juice (1/4 lemon)
  • Salt
  • Black pepper
 
  1. Destalk the herbs/leaves if required and put in blender
  2. Grate the parmesan and add to the blender
  3. Add the nuts/seeds, salt, pepper, a squeeze of lemon juice and the olive oil – blitz and add more oil as you need to adjust the consistency
  4. Check seasoning and add as needed​

Utensils:
  • ​Small food processor (500ml capacity) or pestle and mortar
  • Multifunction Scale
Chopped salad:
You can use any left over bits of salad ingredients and vegetables that would eat well raw. The idea is simply that you chop them all up nicely and evenly sized, add a little herbs, seasoning and dressing and enjoy. I add dressing ingredients directly to the salad but you can make up a separate dressing if you prefer (adding mustard and sugar/honey)

  • Any of - 1/2 cucumber, 1 tomato, 1 pepper, 1/2 red onion, 50g leaves (lettuce/spinach), 1 carrot, 1 stick celery, 3 spring onions, 4 radish etc
  • Fresh Herbs - any of mint, parsley, coriander
  • Already opened tin/jar options - olives,sweetcorn, pickled cucumbers 
  • Salt 
  • Pepper
  • Lemon - for juice
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Dried herbs (optional but I like e.g. oregano)
 
  1. Wash all the vegetables
  2. Quarter the cucumber, de-seed (run a knife down the length), and then cut across into a dice - place in a med bowl
  3. Slice the tomato into thick slices, then across into strips and then across those, into a dice, then add to bowl
  4. ​​​Slice the “cheeks” off the red pepper (remove all pith and seeds) and then cut into strips and across into a small dice – add to the bowl
  5. Peel and finely dice the red onion – place in a bowl
  6. Peel carrots if using, cut into thin strips and across into a fine dice, add to bowl (or use a julienne peeler if you have one)
  7. If using celery, you can peel a little to remove any stringy bits, then cut length-ways into strips and across into a dice, add to bowl
  8. If using tinned sweetcorn, drain and add to bowl
  9. Cut the olives in half and add to the bowl
  10. Slice into pickled cucumbers into strips and then across into a dice and add to the bowl
  11. Destalk and chop any herbs – add to the bowl
  12. Add a little olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper, dried herbs (and you can add a pinch of sugar  if you want)– mix well
  13. Transfer to a serving bowl

Utensils:
  • ​Med bowl
  • Chopping board
  • Serrated utility knife
  • Mixing spoon
  • Small colander/sieve
  • Serving bowl
White chocolate and cranberry bread & butter pudding: ​
  • 8 slices day-old bread 
  • 75g soft unsalted butter 
  • 1.5 cups (375ml) milk
  • 1/2 cup (125ml) double cream
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 3 Tbsp caster sugar
  • 1 Tbsp demerara sugar
  • 1 orange
  • 50g white chocolate chips/buttons
  • 50g dried cranberries
  • To serve with - vanilla ice cream or ready-made custard or both! 
 
  1. If using a block of butter, take it out of the fridge a few hours before using and cut into smaller pieces so it softens (you can even grate it). Take spreadable butter out the fridge at least 30 minutes prior so it softens  - butter must be really soft (but not melted) so it can spread evenly 
  2. If your dried cranberries are very shriveled, just put in a small bowl and cover with warm water to plump them up a bit - leave while you get on with the rest of the recipe
  3. If your chocolate is not in buttons, break up 
  4. Grease an oven dish with butter
  5. Generously butter the slices of bread (right up to the edges)
  6. Leave the crusts on, and cut in half diagonally to create triangles
  7. Break the eggs into a bowl, add 3 Tbsp caster sugar and mix well with a whisk
  8. Zest an orange and add the zest to the mixture
  9. Add the milk, cream, vanilla and cinnamon - mix again
  10. Place half the bread slices into the baking dish, in an overlapping layer
  11. Scatter over half the cranberries and chocolate, and pour over half the egg mixture
  12. Add another layer of bread slices, cranberries, chocolate and egg/milk mixture
  13. Press down gently and scatter demerara sugar on top, and dot on any left over butter over the top (especially on any exposed crusts
  14. Leave for 30 minutes while you pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celcius 
  15. Bake for approx 30 - 40 minutes until the top is golden and crunchy 
​
Utensils:
  • ​1 oven dish - approx 1.5 litre capacity 
  • Plate or small tray - to spread out any butter that needs to soften
  • Butter knife
  • 2 x small bowls
  • 1 med mixing bowl
  • Whisk
  • Citrus zester
  • 1 cup (250ml) or 1/2 cup (125ml) measure/measuring jug/scale
  • 1 Tbsp measure​