The festive season is the ideal time for food leftovers to come to life, believes Cape Town chef Amanda Manyatshe. Let’s face it: those majestic tables of roasted meats and crunchy and caramelized veggies cannot be finished in one go.
Manyatshe is on a mission to share Mzansi’s food flavours with the world through her business, For The Foodie in Me. Hers is a business firmly rooted in her identity as an African and an ode to her journey of discovery.
Food will always be central to our family gatherings at the end of the year. The table groans with hearty dishes likeMma’Seleke’s juicy leg of lamb and Mma’Mthembu’s sweet, syrupy malva pudding, just to name a few. One thing is for sure, though, there will plenty of leftovers.
Surely, no one is in the mood to cook for the next couple of days, but reheating the same meal can kill the leftovers enthusiasm very quickly.
To save you from eating the exact same dish for the next week here are some irresistible ideas on how you can make a whole new dish with your festive season leftovers.
Veggie egg muffins for leftover stuffin’
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. So, why not start off the day after with a veggie packed egg muffin? Why a veggie filled egg muffin, you ask? Well, veggies tend to be the one thing that everyone swerves past when dishing up. So, to deal with the excess you can chop them up and add them to scrambled eggs and bake in a muffin pan. Hidden veggies, no waste and a delicious quick treat that extends itself past breakfast time.
Ingredients:
8 eggs
3 tablespoons milk
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup of leftover vegetables, chop to bite size
½ cup of cheese, grated
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180℃.
2. Grease a standard 12 cup non-stick muffin tray (or you could use cooking spray) and then set it aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, add the milk, and add salt and pepper to taste. Whisk until combined.
4. Add your chopped leftover vegetables and grated cheese and then mix through the whisked egg.
5. Pour the egg and veggie mixture into the greased muffin pan and then bake in the oven for 15 – 20 minutes or until the tops are firm to the touch and the eggs are completely cooked through.
6. Allow the muffins to cool slightly and then you may serve them immediately. Enjoy!
Top tips:
1. If the oven is too hot, the muffins will puff up too much and then deflate when removed from the oven so make sure to keep the temperature at 180℃.
2. You can also add shredded meat, chicken, or bacon to add extra protein to your egg muffin
Leftover lamb pie
Now, who doesn’t love a good ol’ meaty pie? Other than making sandwiches, pies are a good way to use leftover meat. It’s also a great way to use any leftover gravy and finish up any meat that might be left over.
Ingredients:
600g leftover lamb (or roast beef), finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 tablespoon rosemary, finely chopped
300ml leftover gravy
Salt and pepper to taste
Puff Pastry, thawed
1 egg, for egg wash
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200℃. Prepare a deep casserole dish by spraying it with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Place the finely chopped lamb in a medium bowl. Add the onion, carrot and rosemary.
3. Pour in the gravy and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Set aside.
4. Place the puff pastry on a clean and dry surface (dust it with a little flour) and roll it out. Place it over the lamb mixture in the casserole dish. Cut away over hanging pastry and tuck the remaining pastry neatly into the dish.
5. Cut a slit in the middle of the pie and then brush the pastry with the egg wash.
6. Bake the pie in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
Top tips:
1. Use an ice tray to save gravy – you can add it to stews later.
2. Use a damp cloth to cover your pastry so that it does not dry out.
