These recipes reimagine your Christmas leftovers; they are also a fresh way of working with what’s on offer at this time of year. The idea is to keep things easy and stress-free, so you use up what you have, though with as much veg as possible, as well as bursts of citrus flavour to liven everything up. Use these recipes as a baseline and adapt them to your liking.
Roast brussels sprouts with herby lemon yoghurt (pictured top)
This is a great way to put sprouts centre stage. This dish can be eaten solo with some bread, rice or potatoes, or as part of a larger meal. You could also try using savoy or hispi cabbage wedges instead of sprouts.
Prep 10 min
Cook 15 min
Serves 4 as a side or 2 as meal with some flatbread
4 tbsp olive oil, for roasting
500g brussels sprouts, outer leaves trimmed
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely grated
Zest of 1 lemon, plus the juice of ½ lemon
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Flaky salt
200g natural yoghurt
15g soft green herbs (dill, chives, parsley, coriander, etc) finely chopped, plus a few extra leaves to garnish
Heat the oven to 240C (220C fan)/475F/gas 9. Put the olive oil and sprouts in a roasting tray, toss to coat, then roast, shaking the tray every now and then, so they cook evenly, for about 12 minutes – you want them to cook quickly, take on colour on the outside, but without going overly soft in the middle (if they need a bit longer, keep them in the oven for a minute or two).
Meanwhile, either in a small blender or by hand, whisk the garlic, lemon juice, a tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil and a good pinch of salt with the yoghurt. Add the herbs, blend smooth (or mix well to combine), then adjust the seasoning to taste, adding more lemon or herbs, if you like.
Spoon the yoghurt mix on to a serving plate and spread it out. Top with the sprouts, sprinkle with a few herb leaves, top with the lemon zest and dress with a final drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil before serving.
Christmas couscous with pomegranates, clementines and leftovers
This is an adaptable dish and a tasty way to use up some of the veg you may have left over after the big day. Use these amounts only as a guide, and make any additions that you think might work well. You can use already cooked veg (just chop it roughly), or raw (in which case shred it and add for some freshness, which may well be needed after all the festivities).
Prep 20 min
Cook 40 min
Serves 6
5 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, red and/or brown, peeled and roughly sliced
Salt and black pepper
400g couscous
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
100g whole blanched almonds
150g pomegranate seeds (ie, from 1 fruit)
5 clementines, or 2 oranges, peeled and diced
1 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted and crushed
2-3 carrots, trimmed and grated
500g cooked or raw vegetables (leftover roast veg, say, or raw cabbage or greens – anything that you have to hand, though a mixture of the two is good)
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Warm three tablespoons of the oil in a large frying pan on a medium heat. Add the onions and a good pinch of salt, then cook gently, stirring every now and then, for 12-16 minutes, until soft and with just a bit of colour; the onions should still be fairly plump and juicy. Set aside.
Meanwhile, put the remaining oil and the couscous in a large bowl. Mix well with a fork to coat each grain with oil, then add the lemon juice and zest, a decent pinch of salt and 450ml just-boiled water, and stir to combine. Cover tightly and set aside for 10-15 minutes.
Toast the almonds in the hot oven for 10-12 minutes, until golden, then remove and, once they are cool enough to handle, chop roughly.
Fluff up the couscous, raking it through with a fork and turning it over, then mix in the almonds, pomegranate seeds, diced citrus, cumin and carrots. If you are using leftover cooked veg, add this now, as well as any hardier raw veg such as cabbage, which I like to shred and add now so they soften in the dressing. Mix well to incorporate, then adjust the seasoning to taste. If you are using softer raw veg, such as spinach, wilt it with the onions at the start or add to the salad just before serving, so it doesn’t go soggy.
This keeps well in the fridge, so use it to help support other meals, or to give a cheese-and-biscuit session some extra substance.
