Unlike Christmas Day, when many families still stick to traditional menus with more elaborate dishes, New Year lends itself more and more to take advantage of leftovers that we have accumulated from the holidays. New Year’s Eve usually leaves us with a lot of extra food and, no matter how long the party at home is, many kitchens open the year with leftovers that are undoubtedly worth taking advantage of.
The schedules are relaxed this first day; some will not forgive the churros with chocolate but others will get up late in the day with little desire to complicate themselves in the kitchen. Also being Saturday nothing better than set up a varied snack giving outlet to products and dishes that we have left over, from prawns to panettone. Less work, less expense and less waste.
Panettone, foie, pomegranate and grape canapes
Ingredients for people: 3 slices of fruit panettone, 150-180 g of foie mi-cuit, fresh pomegranate grains, seedless white grapes, flake salt and optional pepper.
Elaboration: Take the foie gras out of the fridge and out of its packaging, if it goes in a block, so that it is not so cold. Extract the grains from the pomegranate and wash and dry the grapes. Cut the panettone into slices about 5-6 mm thick, taking care not to fall apart. Cut out round or square portions with cookie cutters about 5-7 cm in diameter. Crush very lightly to compact them a bit or even out the thickness. Heat a good griddle over medium-high heat and brown the discs on both sides, until they are crisp. Cut the foie into not very thick portions and spread over the toasted panettone. Top with a few grains of pomegranate and grapes cut in half or quarters, lengthwise. Serve immediately, with a little salt flakes or a touch of pink pepper.
Complete recipe | Panettone, foie, pomegranate and grape canapés: recipe to make the most of a party appetizer ready in 15 minutes
Salad with marinated salmon and avocado
Ingredients. 3 potatoes, 100 g of smoked or marinated or cooked salmon, 1 avocado, 40 g of crème fraîche or Greek yogurt or heavy cream or whipped cheese, 40 g of mayonnaise, 20 ml of milk, 5 g of mustard, 1 lemon, black pepper, salt.
Elaboration. Cook the potatoes with their skin on in plenty of salted water for 20-30 minutes or the time necessary for them to be tender, but without falling apart. Remove and let cool before peeling. Prepare the sauce by mixing the crème fraîche, mayonnaise, mustard, milk and the zest of 1/4 lemon. Season to taste and mix well. Roughly chop the potato and add. Add the chopped marinated salmon and the crushed avocado. Mix all the ingredients well, stirring carefully so that the potato does not mash.
Complete recipe | Salad with marinated salmon and avocado
Hearts stuffed with salmon and avocado
Ingredients. 150 g of cleaned salmon, washed and dried leaves of 1 lettuce heart, 1 chopped spring onion, 2 large chopped gherkins, 1 avocado, 1 lime, 1 avocado, 45 ml of sherry vinegar, 100 ml of extra virgin olive oil, Salt.
Elaboration. We review the salmon removing possible remains of scales or spines. Cut into 1×1 cm cubes. Heat a little oil in a frying pan and sauté them for a couple of minutes. Cut the avocado in half lengthwise, remove the bone and skin. Cut it into cubes and place it in a bowl along with the chives and gherkins. Sprinkle with the juice of half a lime and stir. We make a vinaigrette with the oil, vinegar and salt. Place a tablespoon of the avocado mixture inside each leaf of the heart, drizzle with the vinaigrette, spread the salmon on top and serve immediately.
Complete recipe | Hearts stuffed with salmon and avocado, versatile, light and useful recipe
Roasted prawn cream
If you have gone too far buying prawns or prawns and you have leftovers, take the opportunity to prepare a heartwarming appetizer in the form of cream, which you can serve in more or less large glasses. The ideal is to start with the shellfish, but it would also be very tasty if you have them peeled.
Ingredients. 800 g of cooked king prawns, 40 g of butter, 25 ml of extra virgin olive oil, 2 finely chopped chives, 1 minced garlic clove, 15 ml of tomato paste, 140 ml of liquid cream, 100 ml of brandy, 1 l of fish broth or water, salt and pepper, optional roe to decorate.
Elaboration. In a nonstick casserole, heat the oil and butter. Sauté the spring onion and garlic for 15 minutes until they are soft and transparent. Add the unpeeled and head-on prawns, sauté for a minute. Add the concentrated tomato and brandy and let it evaporate for four minutes. Add the broth, season with salt and pepper and let it cook for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and blend everything, passing the mixture through a chinois, this step is very important so that a fine cream remains. We put everything back in the casserole and add the cream, mix well and check the salt point. Heat again and serve accompanied by some herring roe or seaweed.
Complete recipe | Roasted prawn cream. Recipe for use… or not
Roasted chicken (or other poultry) croquettes
Whether simply cooked in the oven, stuffed or with another more elaborate recipe, stuffed chicken is just as delicious freshly made as it is in homemade recipes. We love to use their leftovers in classic croquettes, with no more added than the homemade béchamel. Of course, we can use leftover pularda, capon, picantones…
Ingredients. 1 roasted polo breast or 2 thighs or equivalent leftovers, 50 g butter, 50 g flour, 550-600 ml milk, 1 tablespoon of roast sauce, nutmeg, beaten egg, breadcrumbs, virgin olive oil extra for frying
Elaboration. Chop the chicken well and lightly brown it in a large skillet with 50 g of butter. Add 50 g of flour and mix well, toasting lightly. Add the milk little by little, stirring constantly until you get a cream. We will need a little more than half a liter of milk. Add a bit of the roast chicken sauce and a pinch of nutmeg and let the dough rest for a few hours in the fridge, covering it with kitchen film. We form the croquettes, dip them in the egg and breadcrumbs and fry them in batches in very hot extra virgin olive oil.
Complete recipe | Chicken croquettes, the best recipe to enjoy a classic of our gastronomy
Chicken breast skewer with pesto and tomatoes
Ingredients. 2 boneless grilled chicken fillets or thighs, 6-8 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, toasted bread slices, pesto sauce.
Elaboration. The idea is to start with already cooked chicken, so we only have to cut the meat into pieces that fit the size of the slices or toasts of bread that we use. If we have leftover raw chicken, we will cook it with salt and pepper in the pan. We place on each bread a piece of chicken spread with a little pesto. Finish off with a drained sundried tomato, cut in half if it is very large, insert a toothpick and repeat the operation with the rest of the slices.
Complete recipe | Chicken breast skewer with pesto and dried tomatoes
Mashed potato and sesame bites
Mashed potatoes are one of the most classic, familiar and delicious garnishes that everyone tends to like, perfect to accompany roasts and other Christmas recipes. The problem is that it fills up a lot and is usually left over, so we can take advantage of it in a few simple bites.
Ingredients. 1 cup thick mashed potato, 1 egg, toasted sesame seeds.
Elaboration. We need the mashed potatoes to be cold and thick to be able to shape the bites. If it is not strong enough, we can thicken it by adding breadcrumbs or mashed potato flakes. Carefully we are shaping the mashed potato into balls. Then we pass them through the beaten egg and finally we coat them in the sesame. Bake in a preheated oven at 180º for about 10 minutes or until the sesame is golden.
Complete recipe | Mashed potato and sesame bites: recipe to use for a special appetizer
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More Christmas recipes
Direct to the Palate we love these parties and we have thousands of recipes for you to be sure of your Christmas meals.
Do not miss our special with the 215 best Christmas recipes and 16 special menus. and if you need ideas for specific dishesHere’s a good starting point:
Live to the Palate | 15 recipes to take advantage of leftover nougat this Christmas in desserts, biscuits, flans and cookies
Live to the Palate | How to use leftovers (or excesses) of marzipan and almond paste in the kitchen