If there was just one gadget that would improve the quality of my kitchen life, it would not be a raspberry pink KitchenAid, nor dry ice or a sous vide – all of which are things I would like but don't actually need. The thing I need most of all is a cloak of invisibility. This is not because I have had another baking disaster and want to slink away unmolested to have a gentle snivel. It is not because I foresee the potential for high jinks and hilarity, or world domination or super-stealth powers. No, the simple reason I want a cloak of invisibility is that I am pretty sure it is the only way to hide Sunday's roast lunch leftovers from marauding fridge foragers.
Often by Monday morning, all of my well-made plans for using up the leftovers are gone, as I discover that the roast's carcass or bones have been completely stripped bare. While this removes my dilemma of what to do with the leftovers, it means that plans for a second or third meal are gone forever.
So if there are any scientists reading this who are working on the invisibility cloak project, please get a move on. Then I'll just have to worry about my own tendency to go fridge-raiding.
The way I approach using up leftover meat is to do very little with it. What I mean by that is that the cooked meat usually works best for me in simple sandwiches or salads. However, I do add ready-roasted meat at the end of cooking, when I make some curries, stews and soups (particularly noodle soups), so that the meat doesn't dry out. I find what works best is to make sure that you have made a highly-flavoured vegetable stew, adding the meat at the end but not relying on the meat to add flavour from its cooking juices.
1. Roast beef sandwich
Last Sunday I bought a much bigger joint of beef than I actually needed, so we could have the leftovers for lunch in a sandwich with bitter-sweet parsley, hazelnut and blue cheese pesto, as well as in a sweet and sour spicy Thai-style salad for supper.
Serves 1 to 2
Ingredients:
1 small baton of French bread, halved lengthways
parsley, hazelnut and blue cheese pesto (adapted from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall)
roasted peppers (roast your own or use roast peppers in a jar)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
slices of blue cheese (or a little of whatever you fancy)
Lightly spread each cut side of bread with a little pesto
Add a layer of roast peppers, slices of beef and cheese
Serve immediately.
Tip: This also works really well as a toasted sandwich, with slightly stale bread.
2. Moroccan-style stew for roasted meat
One of my favourite ways to use up roast meat is to make a version of a Moroccan harira-style stew. This recipe was adapted from what was my cooking bible back in my student days. Sarah Brown's Vegetarian Kitchen, published in the 1980s, now looks horribly dated but the recipes themselves have lasted really well. This book taught me so many of the basics and I still dip in now and then for inspiration. Brown's soup recipe is a beautifully fragrant adaptation of a Claudia Roden Moroccan soup recipe; thickened to a stew it is perfect way to provide a sauce for meat that has already been cooked.
You can use all of the various types of beans below or a mixture of the ones you like. I tend to prefer just chickpeas, but I have also use borlotti beans (which were a bit mushy) and cannellini and butter beans as well, which soak up all the flavours beautifully.
Don't be put off by what seems like a very long list of ingredients – most of them are store-cupboard standbys. I really think that once you have made this recipe it will become one of your favourites.
Serves 8
Ingredients:
olive oil
15g butter
2 onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tin of chickpeas (400g), drained and rinsed
1 tin of tomatoes (400g), chopped
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
juice of 1 lemon (or lime)
450ml vegetable or chicken stock (plus more if needed)
1tsp salt (or to taste)
1 large bunch of fresh coriander or parsley, finely chopped (or a mixture of both - reserve some for serving)
2 tsp mint, dried or a couple of sprigs of fresh mint
1 tsp paprika
¼-½ tsp cayenne pepper
leftover roast lamb (or chicken or beef)
Heat the butter and oil mixture in a large saucepan. Add the onion and gently fry for at least 10 minutes until beginning to soften and take on some colour. Add the garlic and give it a good stir.
Add the drained chickpeas and chopped tomatoes. Stir.
Add the pepper, turmeric, ginger, cinnamon and the lemon juice (but not the salt).
Add the stock and a ½ teaspoon of salt. Bring to the boil and then simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes, until the liquid has reduced but not dried out completely. Top up with more liquid if necessary.
About 10 minutes before the end, add the chopped coriander and parsley, 1 teaspoon of dried mint, paprika and cayenne.
About 5 minutes before the end, add the leftover roast lamb
Check the seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if necessary.
Sprinkle over with chopped herbs.
Tip: Add additional vegetables such as red peppers or cooked potatoes.
3. Vietnamese-style braised meat
Adapted from The Vietnamese Market Cookbook by Van Tran and Anh Vu
There is a really fabulous Vietnamese cooking technique, where first you blanch your meat (such as pork belly) in boiling water, then chop it up and immerse in quick marinade (vinegar, soy, fish sauce). Once you have created a light sweet caramel sauce, to which you add stock and coconut milk, you then add the meat and cook it through. Of course, this works perfectly well with meat that has already been roasted, although you will have to be careful to ensure that it doesn't over-cook - it only needs warming up and not long, slow cooking.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
300g leftover roasted pork, cut into thick chunks
200ml coconut milk
marinade:
1 tbsp gia vi (I made this by combining 2 tsp palm sugar, 1 tsp sea salt, 1 tsp ground black pepper and 1 tsp of very finely chopped fresh garlic)
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 small shallot, very finely chopped
caramel sauce:
4 tsp sugar
200ml boiling water
Combine the marinade ingredients.
Add the thick chunks of roast pork to the marinade and combine well. Set aside for a few minutes while you make the caramel sauce.
Make the caramel by adding the sugar to a heavy-based saucepan. Heat over a medium heat. Leave, without stirring for 2 to 3 minutes. Then reduce the heat, stirring constantly until the sugar begins to melt and become a golden brown colour. Make sure that the caramel doesn't become too brown.
Add boiling water to the sugar and bring to the boil. If the sugar hardens at first, it will melt again after boiling for a few minutes.
Add pork and ensure that it is well-coated in the caramel sauce.
Add the coconut milk and warm through.
Check the seasoning. You may need to add more fish sauce if it is too sweet; or more sugar if it is too salty!
Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the liquid has reduced and thickened.
Serve with rice or noodles. While it is lovely as a topping in a noodle soup, it also works beautifully with a simple chopped salad.
Tip: This works well with lamb and beef too. I haven't tried it with chicken, but have no reason to suspect that that wouldn't work either.
I have made this to go with a simple noodle soup. The base of the soup was a rehydrated mushroom stock cube that had been simmered with a star anise and a cinnamon stick for 10 minutes. I added leftover cooked cabbage and some vermicelli rice noodles. This was food that was fit for a queen on a pauper's budget.
4. Couscous salad for leftover roast meat
This has to be one of my favourite lunchbox salads – it is pretty forgiving and will last well for a couple of days in the fridge. It works with just about every roast meat, but on this occasion I used roast chicken.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
220g instant couscous
about 350ml hot vegetable (or chicken) stock
zest and juice of 1 fresh lemon
salad
1 can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
100g baby plum or cherry tomatoes, quartered
½ red pepper, chopped
10cm piece of cucumber, deseeded and chopped
3 spring onions, finely chopped
25g dried fruit, such as apricots and dried cherries, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh mint, finely chopped
olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
200g roast chicken, torn into strips
Prepare the couscous by putting the dry couscous in a medium-sized bowl and adding the hot stock, lemon zest and lemon juice. Stir well. Cover with a clean tea towel and set aside, to allow the couscous to absorb the stock. This will take about 15 to 20 minutes.
Add the drained chickpeas, chopped tomatoes, red pepper, cucumber, spring onions, dried fruit and chopped herbs. Stir well to combine.
Add a little olive oil if the couscous seems too dry.
Check the seasoning (you probably won't need much salt if the stock has been salted).
Top with the strips of roast lamb and a generous dollop of hummus.
Sprinkle a little of the smoked paprika over the hummus and serve.
Tips: Sprinkle over a little diced feta or Wensleydale cheese, instead of the roast chicken.
Any leftover roast meat will work very well, especially chicken or beef.
Smoked fish is also good with couscous, especially smoked mackerel.
Delicious with a dollop of houmous and a sprinkling of smoked paprika.
5. My favourite smothered sauce (chorizo, mushrooms and cream)
This is what I cook when I don't know what I want but know that this will make me very happy. It is a simple sauce made with onions, mushrooms and a little tomato and chorizo to flavour. It works beautifully with leftover roast meat as well as pasta or baked potatoes.
Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1-2 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
100g chorizo, skinned and cut into bite-sized chunks
100g chestnut mushrooms sliced
1-2 tsp smoked paprika (depending on how spicy your chorizo is)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried oregano
8-10 baby plum tomatoes, chopped
200ml chicken or vegetable stock
100ml red wine
cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Gently fry the onion in a little olive oil until softened. This will take about 10 minutes.
Add the garlic and mushrooms, together with a pinch of salt. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, so that the mushrooms begin to soften, before adding the chorizo. Cook the chorizo over low to medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, to allow the pork fat and spices to begin to infuse the vegetable mixture.
Add the smoked paprika and stir to ensure that it is mixed in, before adding the chopped tomatoes. Cook for a few more minutes before adding the stock and herbs. Simmer gently for about 15 to 20 minutes, before adding the red wine. Cook until the stew has reduced down a little.
Stir in a generous splash of cream and ensure well mixed.
Check the seasoning and serve with leftover roasted meat and pasta or a baked potato.
6. Thai-style roast beef salad
An aromatic salad that just seems to sparkle with sunshine and south east Asian vibrancy. It also makes me feel a little virtuous as it is relatively healthy too.
Serves roughly 3 to 4
Ingredients:
leftover roast beef, cut into thin slices
marinade:
2 tbsp Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
dressing:
2 tbsp Thai fish sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 small garlic clove, very finely chopped
a couple of shakes of Tabasco or 1 tsp hot chilli sauce
1-2 tsp caster or demerera sugar (to taste)
1-2 tsp lime juice
salad:
2 tbsp fresh mint, roughly chopped
2 tbsp fresh basil, shredded
carrots, scraped into ribbons with a potato peeler
1 red pepper, de-seeded and finely sliced into thin shreds
1 red onion, halved and very thinly sliced
spring onions, sliced
cucumber, deseeded and cut into thin batons
mangetout, lightly steamed
cherry tomatoes, quartered
peanuts, crushed
lime wedges, to serve
Combine the marinade ingredients. Since the beef is already cooked, it will not need to be left too long to marinade – 15 minutes or so.
Whisk together all the dressing ingredients, then refrigerate. (This dressing will last well for about 2 days.)
When you're ready to cook the steaks, remove from the marinade and pat dry.
Heat a ridged griddle pan (or heavy-bottomed frying pan) until smoking hot, then add the beef and cook until warmed through. Transfer the beef to a plate and set aside to make the rest of the salad.
To serve, pile up the vegetables in a mound.
Roughly chop the basil and mint and scatter over the vegetables.
Top with slices of beef.
Scatter over the peanuts.
Serve with a wedge of fresh lime.
More leftover roast meat ideas:
7. Whenever I have a roast chicken carcass, I try to make stock. Even a simple stock with just a few bones and vegetables can be very tasty – although I will admit to buying extra chicken wings and lobbing them in too, for extra flavour.
8. Leftover chicken or turkey, combined with a little chorizo, is perfect in jambalaya (a spicy rice dish from the southern US).
9. Nigel Slater's chicken pho soup is perfect for spring noodles and chard – just add leftover roast meat to top it.
10. How about Camilla at Fab Food 4 All's slow cooked beef and vegetable casserole? This is the perfect way to eke out some leftover meat by adding some filling butternut squash, swede and pearled spelt. Healthy and delicious!
11. Vanesther at Bangers & Mash has a lovely way of using up Sunday's leftover roast chicken for Monday's (packed) lunch – her lemon-roasted chicken is served up with a fragrant bulgur wheat salad, roasted vegetables and pomegranate seeds
12. My favourite leftover chicken salad sandwich has a tangy and light mayonnaise dressing with lemon and smoked paprika.
13. Janice at Farmersgirl Kitchen has a gorgeous creamy turkey, bacon and brie tart, which is the perfect way to use up leftovers (and not just at Christmas).
14. Camilla at Fab Food 4 All also has a traditional British Monday Pie recipe, bulked out with a family favourite, baked beans.
15. I adore pie and Stacy Rushton of Food Lust People Love has a turkey potpie that is delicious. (Seriously, with peas and puff pastry as well, what's not to like?).
16. A hot, yet creamy, curry is a great way to use leftover roast meat. This is my quick, cheat's version of a fragrant Malaysian curry.
17. Janice at Farmersgirl Kitchen has the perfect chicken and leek pasta bake, perfect right now – it goes with the spring sunshine!
18. Food Lust People Love's Stacy Rushton has a creamy lemon-rosemary stroganoff, which is simply genius and another family favourite.
19. A Balinese-style curry with leftover roast duck is fragrant with southern Asian spices and creamy with coconut to calm the chilli heat.
20. If you have never experienced Peruvian cookery, (currently one of the hottest of food trends) then I can thoroughly recommend this gentle, creamy but spicy introduction to South American cooking, aji de gallina, from London-based chef Martin Morales.
Rachel Kelly is the Guardian home cook of the year 2013. Read more on her website or follow her on Twitter @MarmadukeS.
Interested in finding out more about how you can live better? Take a look at this month's Live Better Challenge here.
The Live Better Challenge is funded by Unilever; its focus is sustainable living. All content is editorially independent except for pieces labelled advertisem*nt feature. Find out more here.
