Create delicious meals with leftover holiday food
With the holiday season comes a variety of food which can be used as ingredients to create gourmet left-over meals once combined.
ONE of the many joys of the festive season and almost everyone’s favourite past-time, is the variety of flavours and food that we wait all year to buy, cook and consume in one sitting.
Coming from a large family that always expects visitors for the holidays, Nkazimulo Hlophe from Morningside said, “Food and more food is always a key ingredient to celebrating the holidays, and more importantly, Christmas Day.”
She said a plate consisting of a variety of meat, salads and a bit of starch to balance the food groups is what the day is all about.
“During the Christmas, there’s normally around 20 of us for lunch. We normally buy gammon and turkey which for some reason we only eat once a year, for the rest of the year it doesn’t exist,” said Hlophe.
Getting swept up in the festivities always comes with excess and abundance of leftover food. A situation that many homes and families have to deal with once reality settles in is that all this delicious food can’t be enjoyed in one day. A question that has long been debated remains: what to do with leftover food? Refrigerate to eat the next day or share the fresh food with neighbours and those in need.
Also Read: Durban chef shares a hearty meal recipe for Christmas
Dumisani, who lives on the streets of Durban and collects recyclable materials in the CBD, said people are generous with food and drinks during this time of the year. He said, “The festive is my favourite season; people willingly give and offer you food because they have too much. We get a mini Christmas ourselves that way.”
Dr Roland Perrier, the spokesperson for the Denis Hurley Centre, recommended reaching out to shelters first before donating food. If you are contemplating dishing out and distributing the food yourself, Dr Perrier said handing out food on the streets has many unfortunate consequences, such as drawing large crowds and the littering of disposable containers.
He said, “If people want to donate food to a shelter, they should contact the shelter in advance and find out what time they want the food and how much. It does not help a shelter to deliver food for 20 people if they have 50 residents – there will be 30 angry people; it does not help to deliver at 8pm if they are not serving food till the following day and have nowhere to keep it chilled.”
Before you can get creative with your leftover recipes, the SPAR Group has some good advice on their website (www.spar.co.za) on how to store and cool down left-overs. They suggest removing left-over food from the hot pot, pan or baking tray and placing them in a shallow container to cool down at room temperature, for no more than two hours.
“Allow food to cool down sufficiently before putting it into the fridge to avoid a hot meal from increasing the fridge temperature. Alternatively you can freeze your left-overs. The same storage and cooling process will apply before placing it in the freezer. Make sure that left-overs are used within two days if it has been kept in the fridge.”
On social media, discussions are already under way with people planning for the holidays and what to do with their left-overs. On Reddit, one user recommended, “Turkey à la King! Cook some pasta and throw in left-over turkey, peas, carrots, mushrooms, whatever and make a basic cream sauce, a little gravy whatever!”
Another said, “Left-overs are the best part of holiday cooking. Casseroles and casserole type sides are always better. Second day lasagna is awesome. Turkey croquets and turkey hash are awesome. The list is virtually endless.”
A number of websites, including Spar, Unilever and FoodforMzansi, offer delicious ideas from gourmet sandwiches, curries to mash hashbrowns and frozen drinks and ice cubes.
Some websites to draw inspiration from:
https://foodloversmarket.co.za/your-guide-for-christmas-leftovers-2/
https://whatsfordinner.com/kitchen-tips/holiday-leftover-recipes/
https://www.foodformzansi.co.za/recipe-dont-waste-leftovers-make-a-new-meal-with-it/
https://www.tupperware.co.za/blogs/post/5-creative-ways-to-use-your-christmas-leftovers
https://www.unilever.co.za/brands/health/articles/tis-the-season-to-get-creative-with-leftovers/
https://www.spar.co.za/Assets/Tips/View/Food-Tips/Using-Leftovers-in-the-Kitchen
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