If you're a fan of wanting to eat a second Christmas dinner to make the best of your leftovers, then this is the pie for you. The sauce takes a little bit of time to make, but the end result is so worth it that there might even be a discussion about which was the best dinner! Serve with some stuffing on the side if you’re lucky enough to have any left and a bowl of mashed potatoes.

SERVES 6–8

  • 75g (3oz) butter
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 2 celery sticks, diced
  • 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
  • 50g (2oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 350ml (12fl oz) chicken or turkey stock or use up any leftover gravy
  • 120ml (4fl oz) dry white wine
  • 2 small leeks, trimmed and thinly sliced
  • 100g (4oz) button mushrooms, halved
  • 150ml (¼ pint) cream
  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 450g (1lb) leftover cooked turkey, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 275g (10oz) leftover cooked ham, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 500g (18oz) all-butter puff pastry, thawed if frozen
  • egg wash, to glaze (1 egg or yolk beaten with a splash of milk)
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 Heat 25g (1oz) of the butter in a large sauté pan set over a medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery and thyme and sauté for 6–8 minutes, until tender but not coloured. Add the rest of the butter and allow to melt, then stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the stock and/or gravy and the wine until the sauce is thickened and smooth.

2 Bring to a simmer, then add the leeks and mushrooms and cook for 3–4 minutes, until tender. Stir in the cream and mustard and cook for another minute or two, stirring. Season to taste, then remove from the heat and fold in the turkey and ham. Transfer to a 25cm (10in) pie dish (or use a large ovenproof dish if you don’t have one). Leave to cool.

3 Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/gas mark 4).

4 Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured board until it’s the thickness of a €1 coin and large enough to easily cover the pie dish. Brush the edge of the pie dish with egg wash, then cover with the pastry. Use a sharp knife to trim down as necessary and use a fork to lightly press around the edge to crimp it. Stamp or cut out leaves from the pastry leftovers and use to decorate the pie if liked. Brush with more egg wash and make a small hole in the middle to allow the steam to escape.

5 Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes, until the pastry is cooked through and golden brown. Serve straight to the table.

Turkey Quesadillas with Mango Salsa

There are so many ways of using up the turkey and/or ham leftovers, but none as simple as quesadillas. They should be ready to eat in just 5 minutes and are always a hit with children, who might prefer them with cherry tomatoes instead of the mango salsa. If you are making a large number of them they can also be baked in the oven with good success.

MAKES 2

  • ¼ red onion, thinly sliced
  • 4 soft flour tortillas
  • 1 mild fresh red chilli, cut into rings
  • (optional)
  • 225g (8oz) leftover cooked turkey,
  • sliced (or use ham or a mixture of
  • both)
  • 2 handfuls of grated red Cheddar
  • and mozzarella
  • For the mango salsa:
  • 1 firm, ripe mango, peeled, finely
  • diced and stone discarded
  • 1 small roasted red pepper, peeled,
  • deseeded and diced
  • finely grated rind and juice of 1 lime
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
  • 2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
  • 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • sea salt and freshly ground black
  • pepper

1 First make the mango salsa. Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine, then season to taste. Cover with cling film and set aside at room temperature to allow the flavours

to develop.

2 Scatter the red onion on two of the tortillas and sprinkle over the chilli (if using). Arrange the slices of turkey or ham (or a mixture of both) on top, then cover with the cheese and remaining tortillas.

3 Heat a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the quesadillas one at a time and cook for about 2 minutes on each side, until lightly toasted. Cut into wedges and serve with mango salsa on the side.

VARIATION

Christmas Quesadillas with Brie & Cranberry

The obvious time for this one is after Christmas, when there is plenty of turkey about. If you have leftover stuffing, substitute some slices of stuffing for some of the turkey and/or ham.

Scatter slices of Brie or Camembert over the turkey and/or ham, add small dollops of cranberry sauce and sprinkle over some toasted pine nuts. Season generously and scatter over a little

watercress. Cook as described above.