2018 Christmas Leftovers Thread

Jopotton

Hello
I have such a lot of leftovers. I’ve made a turkey and ham pie and I’m going to do a soup today. I’ve thought about a curry, but would love some more unusual ideas? I have turkey and cheese and vegetables mainly.
Thank you everyone 😊

Frugalista

My sister cooked a large beef joint and sliced it thickly for a family buffet on Friday. Unfortunately it is as tough as old boots - so she has given it to me for the dogs. It seems such a shame not to do something with it as there is loads of it - so has anyone got any ideas?

I was thinking of cutting the slices into narrow strips and maybe putting it in a curry - but would that be enough to make it a little less chewy?

[Deleted User]

You could either mince it or blitz it in a food processor and use it for shepherds pie/meat pie/ meatloaf type recipes with some good gravy through it which ought to make it less chewy. If we have leftover cooked veg they either form the base of a soup or even better we chop them all up together and make bubble and squeak. I cook mine in a deep dish in the oven rather than frying it, I top the veg with chopped up cooking bacon pieces and some cubes of cheese (if you have some that has dried up and hardened round the edges that's fine to use) and if I have them any tomatoes that are softened and not usable fresh and when the veg are heated through and the bacon crispy I sometimes make a hollow in the top of the dish and crack in an egg each for us and them pop it back into the oven for a few more minutes to let the egg cook. Love it, a whole meal that uses up bits that otherwise might be thrown away!

Frugalista

Unfortunately I don't have a mincer or food processor - but thanks for the suggestion.

JIL

Frugalista wrote: »

Unfortunately I don't have a mincer or food processor - but thanks for the suggestion.

I would suggest it's tough as it hasn't been cooked long enough,
Have you got a slow cooker? I would cube it up and slow cook it in a chilli or curry sauce. I think you will find this will tenderise it.

Pollycat

JIL wrote: »

I would suggest it's tough as it hasn't been cooked long enough,
Have you got a slow cooker? I would cube it up and slow cook it in a chilli or curry sauce. I think you will find this will tenderise it.

Our 2.75kg of beef was cooked in 75 minutes with 15 minutes standing (with extra time for basting and adding potatoes, parsnips and leeks).
Sophie Grigson Meat Cookery book that we've had for years.
Never let us down with beef, pork or lamb.
The book has lots of annotations from over the years.
Our beef was perfectly rare.

Re the OP:
I think it was probably overcooked or an inferior joint.

tessie_bear

the beef joint could be chopped with a knife and a board to make the base for a sheps pie sort of dish....i would try and breath new life into it by not too much cooking...maybe make a base curry sauce and stir in cubes at the end hth

we had a dull ham that we ate some of then i made a pie with turkey and soup...also made bubble and squeak...used up some cream in gratin pots...mix equal cream/milk black pepper and half teaspoon chopped lazy garlic...pour over sliced pots in an oven proof dish cover in foil and bake gas 5 30 ish mins...i reheat next day with out the foil so it browns...lovely

JIL

Pollycat wrote: »

Our 2.75kg of beef was cooked in 75 minutes with 15 minutes standing (with extra time for basting and adding potatoes, parsnips and leeks).
Sophie Grigson Meat Cookery book that we've had for years.
Never let us down with beef, pork or lamb.
The book has lots of annotations from over the years.
Our beef was perfectly rare.

Re the OP:
I think it was probably overcooked or an inferior joint.

I think that's the difference, I would suggest and we dont know what cut of beef this was, that if you dont just cook it to be rare it can go over and toughen up.
A bit like liver, you cook it quick or you cook it slow. It needs to release the collagen as my old teacher would tell us.

I had the same problem as the op, I did a big piece of top side for a buffet, it was tough and inedible despite me following my normal cooking method.

I didnt want to chuck it so it went in the slow cooker with a load of gravy. It worked and was perfectly tender sliced in gravy.
If it's going to be eaten by the dog anyway, where is the loss in trying?

This link may help

https://www.ehow.com/info_12334201_can-recook-beef-sauce-make-tender.html

Pollycat

JIL wrote: »

I think that's the difference, I would suggest and we dont know what cut of beef this was, that if you dont just cook it to be rare it can go over and toughen up.
A bit like liver, you cook it quick or you cook it slow. It needs to release the collagen as my old teacher would tell us.

I had the same problem as the op, I did a big piece of top side for a buffet, it was tough and inedible despite me following my normal cooking method.

I didnt want to chuck it so it went in the slow cooker with a load of gravy. It worked and was perfectly tender sliced in gravy.
If it's going to be eaten by the dog anyway, where is the loss in trying?

This link may help

https://www.ehow.com/info_12334201_can-recook-beef-sauce-make-tender.html

I didn't say there wasn't any point in trying to salvage the beef for human consumption.
I was just disagreeing with your suggestion that the reason for toughness was 'not been cooked long enough'.

Another reason may be that the meat wasn't allowed to rest sufficiently.
A friend of ours insists on carving the beef joint as soon as it comes out of the oven as 'they like their food to be hot' but always say their meat is tough.

Pollycat wrote: »

Tomorrow will be a beef stew in the slow cooker to use up the left-over uncooked parsnips, carrots & leeks.

I put a few halved sprouts in the stew.
Surprisingly, they were the nicest thing in there!
Odd when everyone says 'don't overcook sprouts' and we definitely like ours al-dente.

wort

Another reason it's tough is because it's been sliced the wrong way ! It makes a huge difference.
I would definitely try to slice thinner and re cook as if it's a tougher joint, so like brisket cook slow.