After the Christmas dinner is over and the family have all gone home, what are you left with? Lots and lots of leftover turkey and probably some Christmas ham, so unless you want turkey or ham sandwiches every day for a month, finding some good left over turkey recipes to use it up in a lip smackingly delicious way is what you need. Here is my one of my favourite left over turkey recipes: Turkey and Ham Pie.
If you’re like me and you’re not a granny or a chef you’re probably not that great at making pastry so it’s fine to use the frozen sheets.
Ingredients:
Sheets of puff or short crust pastry
Whisked egg to glaze
Turkey
Ham or bacon if you haven’t got ham
For the sauce:
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 large onions finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic crushed, finely chopped
8 large mushrooms cut into small chunks
A small pot of double cream
1 cup of white wine (feel free to drink the rest)
1 cup of turkey or chicken stock
Black pepper and salt to taste
Mixed herbs
Tip: Make your own turkey stock by putting the bones in a large saucepan and covering with water. Place a lid on, bring to the boil and then simmer for at least 2 hours. The water will be milky and have changed colour. You can use this method on any type of stock and freeze ready to use whenever you need it.
Method:
Strip the turkey from the bone and cut ham into chunks place in bowl and put in the fridge.
For the sauce:
In a large saucepan over a medium heat put the olive oil. Add the garlic and onions and stir until translucent. Add the mushrooms and fry for a few minutes. Now pour in the wine and stock and stir. Add a generous sprinkling of mixed herbs and salt and pepper to season. Let simmer for about thirty minutes adding more stock if needed.
Take off heat, wait for the mixture to cool and then pour the contents of the pan into a blender and blitz. There’s your sauce.
Note: if it’s too thick you can add a little water or stock.
Now for the pie:
First things first, defrost enough pastry to line a deep oven dish top and bottom.
Preheat the oven on to about 200 degrees (390 Fahrenheit) . Take the oven dish, grease and line the bottom with sheets of pastry. Place dish in the oven for about 10 minutes this will stop the pastry at the bottom going soggy. Take out.
Put turkey and ham or bacon in your saucepan over a medium heat and stir together. Pour over your mushroom sauce mix and finally add cream making sure you don’t boil it because the cream will separate.
Pour the whole filling into the dish.
Brush a little whisked egg on the pastry edges so it sticks and cover the top of the pie with pastry sheets, pushing the edges down firmly with your fingers or a fork. Brush egg all over the top to glaze and make 2 slits in the middle to let steam escape.
Now oven cook at 200 degrees (390 Fahrenheit) for about 45mins or until golden.
Finally, get stuck into a festive treat served with mashed potato or any veg that you have.
Writing this has made me hungry, so I’m off to eat a pie. Next week, have some fun with my free Christmas crossword and word search for kids.
Barry S. Brunswick is an author. You can buy his books on Amazon:
Dreamland Part 1 – The Fabric of Dreams
Dreamland Part 2 – The Masters of Light
The War of The Turnips
Barry Brunswick’s Tall Tales – A Short Story Collection
Inner Outer – A Poetry Collection
