Leftovers!

What could be simpler?

January - I love cooking, but I get to here… the beginning of the year & I want to do something easy, because I have done so much cooking over the festive period, I want a simple easy break. We have so many different meats over Christmas & the New Year so I squirrel away into the freezer, bits of the joints that have not been eaten. I make the usual turkey & ham pie, beef & chicken stew, fish pie with the left over salmon & a bag of prawns etc … But I have found a new favourite. It is based on a recipe idea in Ravinder Bhogal’s cook book Jikoni - A fabulous book with a twist on the usual. Her recipe is refined - mine is just easy!!

• Leftover meat - whatever it is… cut up into bite size pieces

• Red onions, chopped

• carrots, chopped

• celery sticks, chopped

• tin of tomatoes

• tomato puree

• squeeze of ketchup

• 5/6 garlic cloves chopped

• chopped chilli’s or chilli powder

• Thumb of ginger, I use lazy ginger - because I am lazy this meal is all about ease!

• a splash or 2 of wine - red or white

• Some big handfuls of frozen peas

• Garam Masala - tablespoon - or to taste

• Your favourite curry powder - tablespoon - or to taste

• salt & pepper

For the lid!

• potatoes boiled until breaking down - leave in a colander to steam off the moisture

• olive oil

• salt & pepper

• cheddar cheese

Sweat off the onions, carrots & celery in some oil, if it gets to dry add a splash of water. Add the garlic & cook in to the mixture. Add the meat & cook through. Now add the dry ingredients & cook into your mixture. Add the rest of the ingredients & bring to the boil. Add the peas. Switch off the hob, put a lid on the saucepan & leave on the hob cooking.

Put the hot potatoes back into their saucepan and mash up with the olive oil - basically put a little oil in with the potatoes & mash then add a bit more & mash. Then don’t forget to add salt & pepper. Keep mashing & adding the oil until you get the consistency of mash potato. Don’t overwork the mixture otherwise it will go gloopy…

Put the meat mixture into a oven proof container & allow to cool a little. Then add the mash potato to the top making a lid, sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

Now you can either let it cool & put it in the fridge for later or tomorrow. Or you can heat it in the over 180 degrees for about 25 - 35 minutes depending on your oven … When the top is beautifully brown turn off the over and leave it in the oven to cook down a little or if your oven is super efficient then take it out the oven & cover loosely with foil and let it cool for ten minutes. AND SERVE WHAT COULD BE NICER!!!