After the feast: Chef Orla McAndrew’s guide to Christmas leftovers
Waste not, want not this festive season with zero-waste chef Orla McAndrew’s guide to using up every last morsel of Christmas leftovers.
Photography: Melanie Mullan Styling: Marlene Wessels
Christmas is known for its excess, from plastic-coated paper wrapped around unwanted gifts to a fridge and larder heaving with too much food. But according to lifelong foodie and zero-waste chef Orla McAndrew, it doesn’t have to be that way.
Orla describes herself as a “feeder” who comes from a long line of them: “My grandmother was a cook in one of the old houses up in Castlerea and my mother put us all through school with her foodie business, Gurty’s Apple Tarts.” Although food was always a passion, her current career path only rose up to meet her after she had her three girls.
A series of culinary degrees and an uninspired period in a professional kitchen, it was a chance encounter with a woman in a park that set her in the right direction. “I met Ruth, and she was looking for a caterer for her wedding in six weeks. As soon as she said it, I immediately thought, ‘I could do that.’ And I did.”
Not one to rest on her newfound laurels as a wedding caterer, Orla quickly decided to adopt a zero-waste approach. “That first wedding went brilliantly but there was so much leftover. And I thought, ‘If I’m going to do this, this, I can’t be creating waste like this’.” After tackling her own portion sizing, she began sourcing produce that would otherwise end up in landfill.
Orla turned to her suppliers to see if they had surplus produce that wasn’t good enough to go to market that she could buy. Quoting Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi”, “I don’t care about spots on my apples, leave me the birds and the bees”, Orla explains how disassociated we have become from where our food comes from. “All of that food is perfectly good and I don’t buy it cheaply – it takes the same amount of effort to grow. Every supplier I approached said yes, and that’s because it benefits everyone.”
Tasked with taking her approach into the festive season, her first piece of advice is to plan accordingly. “I love a Christmas dinner and I’m old-school – I still have a prawn cocktail starter. The main thing I do differently now is that I meal plan to ensure we don’t overdo it and I have a few recipes on hand that will use up any extra ingredients in.” And always have pastry in the freezer. “You can make a completely new dish out of the same ingredients if you add pastry, it’s guaranteed to be delicious.”
Here, Orla shares some of her favourite recipes to help use up the Christmas leftovers, whether it’s a full main course, a salad or a few remaining light bites.
Christmas Dinner Galette
You can either use shop-bought shortcrust pastry or follow these instructions for the most delicious galette pastry.
For the galette:
- 190g plain flour
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 110g unsalted butter, cubed
- 5 to 7 tbsp ice water
- 1 tbsp milk or water
- 1 egg yolk (optional)
Method
- In a medium bowl, stir together the flour and salt.
- Using your fingers, cut in the cubes of butter until they are crumbly and pea-sized.
- Mix in the ice-cold water one tablespoon at a time, cutting through with a knife until a cohesive ball of dough forms. It is ready when the dough can hold together on its own but it will still have some crumbly pieces.
- Wrap the dough in parchment paper and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes. This allows the dough to hydrate and the butter to chill.
- Remove the dough from the fridge. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough until it is roughly 12×12 inches. It does not need to be a perfect circle.
- Transfer the dough to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
Any leftovers or festive ingredients work for this dish, there are no rules to this delicious galette. I once included turkey and stuffing and it was just as delicious!
For the filling:
- 2 medium white onions
- Generous knob of butter
- Salt and pepper
- Leftover sprouts, blanched and chopped
- Leftover ham, chopped
- Your favourite cheese (I used Gubbeen)
Method
- Thinly slice the onions and slowly caramelise them in butter over a low slow heat. Stirring occasionally to ensure they don’t burn or stick. This process takes 25- 30 minutes.
- Once the pastry is rolled out and the onions have cooled, spoon the onions into the centre of the pastry.
- Add in sprouts and cooked ham.
- Fold the pastry over the edges quite rustically and brush with egg wash before grating your favourite cheese over the top. I recommend Gubbeen or a really good vintage cheddar.
- Place in the centre of a preheated oven at 180ºC for 25-30 minutes until pastry is golden.
Pear, Blue Cheese and Walnut Puff Pastry Tarts
A staple winter salad, these ingredients can be used in a number of different ways. They can be made canapé size or filling an entire pastry sheet without cutting it up.
Ingredients
- Sheet of puff pastry, I use the Irish brand Roll-It
- 2 pears, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp butter
- 60g Cashel Blue cheese
- 40g chopped walnuts
Method
- Cut the puff pastry into rectangles and lightly score the edges all the way around with a knife, being careful not to cut through the pastry.
- Egg wash the edges and place the pastry on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 190ºC for 18-20 minutes or until fully puffed up and golden.
- While the pastry cooks, place the sliced pears on half a baking sheet and the walnuts on the opposite side. Drizzle with honey and melted butter and place in a low, preheated oven for 7-9 minutes. Watch that the walnuts don’t burn.
- Once everything is ready, assemble the tarts. Layer slices of pear with crumbly blue cheese and caramelised walnuts on the puffed pastry and serve with some tart cranberry sauce and whichever microgreens or leaves you enjoy. Simple and delicious!
Cheese and Charcuterie Croquettes
I always have croquettes on every menu, they are delicious, simple and always taste like more than the sum of their parts.
For the bechamel
- 50g flour
- 50g butter
- 200ml milk
- 1 bayleaf
- 200g mixed cheese, I used Gubbeen, Hegartys, BoRua, StTola
- 200g Spanish charcuterie
- 1½ tsp spicy relish
- 150g flour
- 3 eggs beaten
- 200g breadcrumbs
Method
- Make the bechamel by melting the butter and adding in the flour and cooking this out for approximately 3 to 4 minutes.
- Gradually add in the milk and continue to stir on high heat ensuring a smooth sauce. Season with salt and white pepper and a bayleaf. Allow to cool completely.
- Pop the cheese and charcuterie into a blender and pulse for 30 seconds or until fully blitzed. Tip the blitzed mixture into a bowl.
- Once the bechamel has cooled, add it to the mixture and add in the spicy relish.
- Form into golf ball-sized croquettes.
- Once all croquettes have been formed, set up a pané station of flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs.
- Roll each croquette in the flour, the egg, and the breadcrumb.
- Deep fry for 3 to 4 mins at 180ºC to colour and cook through. Serve immediately with a side of spicy relish.
This article originally appeared in the winter 2023 issue of IMAGE Magazine.
IMAGE Winter 2023
The Winter issue of IMAGE is here, and festive sparkles are on our mind, from our fashion shoot full of party-ready pieces to the home of jeweller Chupi Sweetman-Durney which is full of glinting gold. Plus, we learn how to make the most of festive leftovers, and are planning a winter break to remember. Plus: * Big knits * Cool corduroy * In studio with Pearl Reddington * Audrey Hepburn’s Irish connections * Confidence at work * A Kilimanjaro adventure * Beauty gifts to give yourself * Practical magic * A ski retreat with a difference * Weekend escapes * and so much more…
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