Quick and easy to make recipes to use up your festive odds and ends. By Teresa Bovey.
Turkey Flatbread Pizza
Ingredients for one flatbread
½ small red onion, very finely sliced
or diced
1 crushed garlic clove
5g butter
¼ fresh chilli, diced or a pinch of dried chilli flakes
100g shredded cooked turkey or chicken
80g grated mature cheddar cheese
To Serve
Coriander, mango chutney and raita
Method
Optional - Place the onion, garlic and butter into a small bowl, cover and microwave on full power for 40 secs. (This softens the onion slightly).
Spread the softened onion and garlic over the flat bread.
Top with the shredded cooked turkey or chicken and sprinkle over the grated cheese and chilli.
Place under a preheated grill for 2-3 minutes or into a hot oven 200ºC Fan/Gas 6 for 5-6 minutes.
Serve with mango chutney and raita.
Cook's Tip – For a speedy lunch or snack use ready made flatbreads or naans which are available from most supermarkets. If you want to make your own flatbreads – mix together 300g self raising flour and 1 tsp salt. Add 1 tbsp garlic infused rapeseed oil and 150g Greek yoghurt and knead well for 5 minutes. Divide into 3 or 4 pieces and pan fry for a couple of minutes on each side.
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Cheese & Sun-dried Tomato Pâté
Ingredients
125g soft goats cheese
80g soft cream cheese
25g leftover grated mature cheese eg. Cheddar, Stilton
1 tbsp yoghurt or milk
3 sundried tomatoes in oil, cut into small dice
Bread sticks for dipping -
2 part baked bread roll (I used Sainsburys White Pave ones)
50g butter
3 garlic cloves, crushed
Chopped fresh or dried parsley
Method
Mix together the left-over cheese selections, add the yoghurt or milk and the sundried tomatoes and refrigerate until needed.
Cut the bread rolls in half and then each half into 3.
Place the butter and garlic into a small bowl, cover and microwave on full power for 45-60 seconds.
Place the bread sticks onto a baking tray and brush with the garlic butter. Sprinkle over the parsley.
Grill for a couple of minutes or oven bake for 6 minutes until golden.
Arrange on a plate and serve with the cheese and sundried tomato pâté and some fresh tomatoes.
Serves 2-3
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Orange & Almond Torte
Ingredients
1 medium orange, thinner skinned variety
3 large eggs
200g golden caster sugar
200g ground almonds
For Decoration
Flaked almonds and icing sugar for dusting
Method
Preheat the oven to 160ºC Fan/Gas 4.
Line the base of a 20 cm/8 inch square cake tin.
Prick the orange with a fork a couple of times.
Place the orange in a small pan, cover with water and simmer gently for 1 hour.
Remove the orange from the water and leave to cool slightly.
Cut the orange in half and remove any pips.
Place into a food processor and blend for 1 minute.
Add the eggs and blend for a further 2 minutes.
Add the sugar and continue to blend for 2 minutes until smooth and pale in colour.
Finally add the ground almonds and blend for a further minute and pour the mixture into the prepared tin.
Bake for 30-35 minutes.
Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes
Peel off the greaseproof paper, cut into 12 squares and place onto a serving plate.
Dust with icing sugar before serving.
Serves 6
Microwave Tip – To save time halve the orange and place the halves into a bowl with 250mls water and microwave on full power for 10 minutes. Place drained orange into a food processor and continue as No.7.
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Mixed Fruit & Nut Banana Breakfast Loaf
Ingredients
100g butter
100g sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
200g mixed left over dried fruits – sultanas, cranberries, apricots
1 large banana, mashed
100g assorted mixed nuts, chopped – walnuts, almonds. brazil
200g self-raising flour
½ tsp mixed spice
Method
Preheat the oven to 160ºC Fan/Gas 5.
Grease and line a 22 cm/1.3 capacity loaf tin with baking paper.
Cream the butter and sugar together, beat in the eggs and vanilla extract and the mashed banana.
Fold in mixed fruit, nuts, flour and spice.
Bake for 50 minutes.
Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a cooling tray.
Makes 10-12 slices.
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Mixed Fruit & Ricotta Pudding
Ingredients
60g mixed dried fruits
Zest and juice from 1 orange
2 tbsp rum or brandy
2 large eggs, separated
60g caster sugar
250g Ricotta cheese
20g plain flour
Method
Place the dried fruit and orange juice into a bowl, cover and microwave on full power for 2- 2½ minutes. Remove from the microwave and stir in the rum or brandy.
Preheat the oven to 160ºC Fan/Gas 4.
Whisk together the egg whites and then whisk in half of the sugar to form a meringue like mixture.
In another bowl, whisk together the egg yolk, remaining sugar and Ricotta. Add the flour and then fold in all the cooled fruits and the meringue mix to form a light batter like mixture.
Pour into a 20 cm/8 inch flan dish.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until pale golden brown.
Serves 4
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