Ingredients

1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin powder
½ teaspoon curry powder (optional)
½ cup milk
1 egg
1 cup grated zucchini (or courgette)
2 tablespoon cooking oil

Method

1. Sift flour, baking powder, salt and spices into a bowl.
2. Add the egg and milk and mix to combine
3. Stir in the grated zucchini and leave the batter for 15 – 30 minutes (if you have time). This allows the mixture to take in some air before cooking so the cooked fritters will be light and easy to eat
4. Heat the oil in a frying pan and when hot, drop tablespoonfuls of mixture on to the pan.
5. Cook until golden brown then turn and cook the flip side.
6. Drain on paper towels and serve hot with a green salad, and a tablespoon of tomato relish.

Zucchini (Italian) and courgettes (French) are the same vegetable.  they are the young version of a marrow.  If you see recipes that calls for zucchini, courgette or marrow, its all for the same vegetable.

Ingredients

1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup milk
1 egg
1 450 can creamed corn
2 tablespoon cooking oil

Method

1. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl
2. Add the egg and milk and mix to combine
3. Stir in the corn and leave the batter for 15 -30 minutes (if you have time). This allows the mixture to take in some air before cooking so the cooked fritters will be light and easy to eat
4. Heat the oil in a frying pan and when hot, drop tablespoonfuls of mixture on to the pan.
5. Cook until golden brown then turn and cook the flip side.Drain on paper towels and serve hot with plain yoghurt, or tomato salsa or your favourite chutney or relish.

Corn fritters are also a favourite brunch dish.

Of course you can always freeze it and bring it out at another time.  But having bought it all at this time, you may prefer to use it now.

So here are some ideas for using up the leftover Christmas meats – some for hot days, some that will work for cooler days.

Leftover beef, lamb or pork can be turned into a cottage pie.

For leftover ham, make it into a pasta dish.  Chop the ham into 1-2 cm cubes, cook your choice of pasta according to the instructions of the packet, make a cheese sauce and mix all together.  Serve with a green salad and fresh crusty bread.

Cold turkey or chicken can get the same treatment as ham.

A cold platter of meats and salad greens can be made to look most attractive if you add other bits and pieces from your fridge. Sliced tomatoes and cucumber are an obvious choice.

Olives, gherkins, sundried tomatoes, sprigs of basil cubes of fetta or camembert cheese can be scattered over the top of the platter to give it a festive air and your family or friends won’t even know they are eating ‘leftovers.’

The cold platter can be served as a light meal with bread rolls or crusty European bread or as a main meal with a bowl of hot cooked potatoes, such as baked rosemary potatoes, potato salad, served hot or cold,or simply boil a panful of small new potatoes in their skins and serve.

http://www.askmumnow.com/in-the-kitchen/recipes/dinner/cold-meat-platter

http://www.askmumnow.com/in-the-kitchen/recipes/extras/mayonnaise/

Ingredients

250gms macaroni
½ teaspoon salt
40 gms butter or margarine
40 gms plain flour
¼ teaspoon salt
600 mls milk
250 gms grated cheddar cheese

Method

1. Half fill a large saucepan with water and first measure of salt
2. Add the macaroni and bring water to the boil again
3. Cook the macaroni for 8-10 minutes; drain well and set aside.
4. Use this recipe to make the cheese sauce or follow the next 5 instructions
5. Melt the butter or margarine in a saucepan
6. Add the flour and salt and stir until it is bubbly
7. Add one-third of the milk and stir all the time until the sauce boils and thickens
8. Repeat this twice until all the milk is added and you have a thickened smooth sauce
9. Remove the sauce from the hob, add 175g of the cheese and stir until the cheese is well combined and melted
10. Add the macaroni to the sauce and mix well
11. You can serve it now with remaining cheese sprinkled over the top

Alternatively

1. Preheat the grill
2. Transfer the mixture to a deep suitably-sized ovenproof dish
3. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top. At this point you can also put sliced tomato, soft breadcrumbs on top of the macaroni mixture before you sprinkle cheese over
4. Place the dish under the hot grill cook until the cheese is browned and bubbling.

Serve immediately as it is or with a green salad.   Serves 4

Ingredients

1.5 kg.ripe tomatoes
1 slice bread, broken up
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
½  teaspoon fresh basil
½  tsp. fresh or dried oregano
2 cloves garlic
1 onion
2 tablespoons wine vinegar

Method

1. Put the tomatoes in a large microwave casserole, halving large ones
2. Add the bread and sprinkle with salt, sugar, basil and oregano
3. Add the chopped garlic and onion
4. Cover and cook until mushy
5. Cook on high 100% power for 10minutes, then lower to 50% and cook a further 10 minutes
6. Break up the mixture with a potato masher and serve as a chunky soup
7. If you want a smooth soup, stir and put through the food processor
8. Add 1 tablespoon wine vinegar and taste, adding more if necessary.
9. Serve immediately in a bowl with a spoonful of plain yoghurt on top and fresh crusty bread on the side

Notes

1. If you don’t have access to cheap fresh tomatoes, you can use whole canned tomatoes  instead and omit the sugar in this recipe.
2. You can make this soup in the late summer and autumn when fresh tomatoes are plentiful and cheap, then freeze for future use.

Ingredients

1 oxtail or shin of beef
2 carrots
1 swede
1 leek
3 sticks celery
1 onion
1 cup soup mix
1 litre vegetable or beef stock
2 tablespoon soya sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Grate the carrots and swede
2. Slice the other vegetables into small pieces no more than 1cm thick
3. Put the oxtail into the bottom of a large heavy saucepan
4. Add stock then vegetables
5. Spread the soup mix on top
6. Bring to the boil then simmer gently for 6-7 hours, stirring from time to time to stop the soup sticking to the bottom of the saucepan
7. Towards the end of the cooking time, stir in the soya sauce, salt and pepper
8. Serve hot in bowls with toast fingers or crusty bread for lunch or dinner.

Notes:

1. If you have a slow cooker, it is ideal for this soup. Follow the recipe and put the cooker on low and cook the soup for 8 hours.  The meat will simply fall off the bone.
2. For a vegetarian version, disregard the oxtail and use more soya sauce and spices such as cumin and cardamom (1-2 teaspoons of each) and sprinkle with grated cheese

.

Ingredients

1 large bought pizza base
4 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups grated cheese

1. Heat the oven to 220° C.
2. Lay pizza base on a lightly floured board
3. Place a saucer over the pizza base  so that you can cut two circles from the base
4. Spread each with 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
5. Scatter grated cheese over the top
6. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and lightly browned.

 Note

You can use this pizza to introduce your child to new or different toppings.  The child is more likely to try something new if it is on something they have made themselves. This can be a useful idea if you have a child who is not keen on trying something new or is a fussy eater.

Serves 2

 Ingredients

 3 eggs
1 tablespoon milk
salt and pepper to suit your taste
1 teaspoon butter or cooking oil
chopped parsley
toast

Method

1. Lightly beat the eggs with a whisk or a fork to mix the yolk and white together
2. Add milk and then salt and pepper
3. Melt the butter or pour the oil into a small frying pan and heat on the stovetop
4. Pour in the egg mixture and cook over a low heat. 
5. When almost set, use a wooden spoon to gently break the egg mixture up so it cooks evenly
6. Serve hot piled on top of toast and garnish with parsley

Serves 2

 Ingredients

1-2 eggs per person
boiling water

 Method

1.  Heat a saucepan of water on the stovetop till water boils
2. Put each egg on a spoon and lower one at a time into the boiling water
3. Adjust the heat to keep the water simmering (that is, boiling gently not bubbling fast)
4. Leave the eggs in the simmering water until cooked
   • For soft boiled eggs cook 3-4 minutes
   • For hard boiled eggs cook  7-8 minutes
5. Serve soft boiled eggs in egg cups with toast slices (or ’soldiers’) to dip into the yolk
6. When hard boiled eggs are cooked, put them into a dish of cold water so you don’t get a grey ring around the yolk.
7. Cut into quarters and serve with sliced bread and butter or fresh crusty bread with lettuce leaves and tomatoes
8. Or serve whole in a lunch box.