Leftovers revamped

Jody-Anne Lawrence, Gleaner Writer

The smell of ham permeates the house early Christmas morning, and when it's time for dinner, all your favourites are laid out. And you may think how am I going to eat all this? And what's first? It's a gastronomic feast that can happen over and over again. When the night is over and you are wondering what to do with your leftovers and how to store them, Food has you covered.

Stephen Hamilton of Eskay caterers provided us with a few tips on how you can store your leftovers so you keep enjoying them over and over again.

Ham

1. Wrap your ham properly in plastic wrap to avoid frostbite.

2. Place it in the freezer.

Rice and gungo peas

1. Place leftovers in an airtight plastic container.

2. Place in refrigerator. This will remain fresh for up to three weeks.

We understand that no one wants to be eating their traditional Christmas dinner for the next week. So Hamilton suggested a few recipes that can be made from you Christmas leftovers.

Sorrel Fried Rice

1/2 cup sorrel

1 cup cooked rice

1 sprig thyme

1 stalk scallion

1 teaspoon soy sauce

Salt and black pepper to taste

1/2 onion, diced

Method

1. Over medium heat, sauté scallion, thyme, onion with black pepper and salt.

2. Add cooked rice and stir for three minutes.

3. Add soy sauce mixed with sorrel juice.

4. Stir until juice has evaporated.

Curried Coconut Ham Chunks

1 cup of chopped ham

Curry (to taste and preference)

1 sashay coconut milk powder

1 stalk of scallion

1 sprig of thyme

1/2 onion diced

1/2 pepper chopped without the seeds

1/2 pound of string beans (blanched)

2 carrots (sliced)

1 sweet pepper (sliced)

Black pepper and salt to taste

Steps:

1. Mix black pepper, salt, coconut milk powder and curry in a small amount of water and set aside.

2. Over medium heat, sauté scallion, thyme, sweet pepper, pepper, onion with ham for three minutes.

3. Add curry mixture to pot and allow to cook for six minutes.

Jerk Chicken Croquette

1 pound Irish potato, boiled and mashed

1 cup milk

2 eggs

1 cup cornflakes

1 pack of jerk seasoning

Cooking oil

1 stalk of scallion

1 sprig of thyme

1/2 onion diced

Deboned and minced leftover cooked chicken

1 cup flour

Steps:

1. Over medium heat, sauté scallion, thyme, onion, with chicken and jerk seasoning.

2. Mould potato into a ball and make an incision.

3. Place chicken in incision, close and reshape.

4. Set up breading station by having three separate bowls - one with flour, one with beaten eggs and milk and one with cornflakes.

5. Dip balls in flour, then egg mixture followed by cornflakes.

8. Place coated balls into heated frying pan with oil and fry until golden crispy.