Happy scrumptious holidays

We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to all the ‘leftover chefs’ for their creative recipes! Before going off on our Christmas break until 7 January, we’ll leave you with a selection of recipes that were sent in. We wish all our readers a great festive season and a happy New Year.

Christmas cookies
(Photo: dan / freedigitalphotos)

The recipes submitted ranged from quick and easy ideas to elaborate three-course meals. Congratulations to the two winners of our raffle. Here is a small selection of the recipes we received, separated into starters, main dishes and desserts. Bon appetit!

 

Starters

 

Leftover soup 1 (from all kinds of leftovers)

Sent in by S. Ronken

You can throw together a tasty soup using just about any kind of leftovers, whether it's pasta, potatoes, meat, vegetables or anything else.

Put the leftovers in a large saucepan, add as much stock as you like (for a vegetable soup use vegetable stock, if you're adding chicken then chicken stock is best, and so on) and simmer lightly.

 

Leftover Soup 2 (leftover meat and veg)

Sent in by B. Häfeli

Beef and chicken
1 Carrot
1 Celery
3 Onions
1 Tomato
1 Leek
1 Root parsley
1 Parsnip
1 Kohlrabi
20 Black peppercorns
2 Bay leaves
5 Juniper berries
5 Allspice berries
Salt, ginger, garlic

Cube or slice all the leftover vegetables. Halve the unpeeled onions and fry them without butter or oil in a large stockpot until blackened. Add the rest of the vegetables. Place the herbs in a tea filter. Chop the meat into small cubes and add to the pot once the vegetables have been sautéed.

Sauté everything together, add enough water to cover and hang the bag of herbs into the pot. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and allow to stew for 4 to 5 hours. Add salt only once cooked.

Cold platter (leftover meat)

Sent in by C. Krawczyk

Slice the leftover meat (beef/pork/chicken) into thin slices, sprinkle some balsamic dressing over the top and garnish with basil leaves.

 

Main dishes

 

Pasta bake (leftover vegetables and pasta)

Sent in by A. Stadelmann

Enlarged view: Nudelauflauf
(Photo: Anja Stadelmann)

Serves 3

Pasta, cooked
1 tin sweetcorn
150g mushrooms
100g cheese

For the sauce:
1 onion
250 ml cream
Salt and pepper, nutmeg, herbs

Mix together the pasta, sweetcorn and sliced mushrooms and place into an oven dish. Chop the onion and sauté in oil, add the cream and seasoning. Pour the sauce over the pasta mixture, sprinkle the cheese on top and bake in the oven at 220°C until the cheese is melted.

(This recipe also works well will vegan ingredients (vegan cream & Cheezly cheese), see image.)

 

Macaroni frittata (leftover macaroni or other leftover pasta):

Sent in by M. Oberli

Serves 4

4 eggs
250 ml milk
100 ml cream
4 tbsp. parmesan cheese, grated
½ tsp. salt
Pepper
400 g macaroni, cooked (leftover)
2 tbsp. each of chopped marjoram and finely chopped chives
200 g frozen peas, defrosted
1 carrot, washed and sliced into very fine strips
Butter for frying
Chives and marjoram to garnish

1. Mix together the eggs, milk, cream and parmesan. Season.

2. Stir in the macaroni, marjoram, chives, peas and carrot. Fry in butter, partly covered, over a low heat until it resembles a tortilla.

3. Slide the tortilla on to a plate, allow to sit briefly and then cut into slices. Garnish.

 

Puff pastry strudel (leftover vegetables):

Sent in by C. Krawczyk

1 packet puff pastry
Leftover vegetables (approx. 500 g)
125 g sour cream
Cubes of ham (optional)
2 eggs
150 g grated cheese
Salt and pepper, nutmeg, caraway

- Place the puff pastry in a springform tin

- Mix together the cream, eggs, cheese, herbs and spices and the ham cubes (if you are using them)

- Finely chop the vegetables, mix together with the cream mixture and spread everything onto the pastry

- Bake at 180°C (fan-assisted ovens) for approx. 30 mins

 

Desserts

 

Apple Rösti (stale bread, e.g. bread cubes left over from fondue)

Sent in by A. Stadelmann

Enlarged view: Apple Rösti
(Photo: Anja Stadelmann)

Hardened bread – slice thinly
Apples - peel, core and cut into small pieces
100 ml apple cider per apple
Cinnamon, sultanas

Brown the bread in hot oil until it is golden, remove from the pan.

Sweat the apple and deglaze with the cider and add the bread, sultanas, cinnamon and sugar to taste, and steam for a further 10 minutes, turning every now and then. Mix together with the bread slices and serve while warm.

(This can also be served as a main course by adjusting the amount.)

 

Rum truffles (leftover cake and biscuits)

Sent in by F. Mäder

Ingredients:

500 g leftover cake and biscuits
4 tbsp. rum
125 ml water
125 g hardened coconut oil
65 g icing sugar
20 g cocoa powder
1 packet vanilla sugar
1 egg
1 bottle rum flavouring
1 packet chocolate sprinkles

Preparation time: approx. 15 mins
Standing time: 2 hrs

Place the leftover cake and biscuits in a mixing bowl and crumble. Sprinkle over the water, rum and rum flavouring and allow to soak in. Heat up the coconut oil until melted, allow it to cool. Add the cooled oil and the other ingredients to the cake mixture. Mix everything together well and shape about 20 balls out of the mixture. Roll these in the sprinkles and place in the fridge to set.

 

One more idea

Sent in by C. Stucki

I don't like eating the same thing twice in a row so I take what I have leftover and share it with homeless people on the street. Seeing the delight on their faces makes me happy too. Especially when I’m distributing sweets or biscuits.

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