Unlike on Christmas Day, when many families still maintain traditional menus with more elaborate dishes, New Year lends itself more and more to take advantage of the leftovers 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, many kitchens open the year with leftovers that are certainly worth taking advantage of.
The schedules are relaxed this first day; some will not forgive 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 way to products and dishes that we have left over. Less work, less expense and less waste.
Canapes of panettone, foie, pomegranate and grape
Remove the foie from the refrigerator and from its container, if it is going in a block, so that don’t be so cold. Extract the grains from the pomegranate and wash and dry the grapes.
Cut the panettone into slices about 5-6 mm thick, with care so that the crumb does not fall apart. Remove round or square portions with pasta cutters of about 5-7 cm in diameter (or smaller, to taste). Squash very lightly to compact them a bit or equalize the thickness, since it is not a dough that offers a very even surface.
Heat a good griddle or frying pan over medium-high heat and brown the discs on both sides, until they are crispy and toasted on the outside, taking care that do not burn.
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 flake salt or a touch of pink pepper, if desired.
Complete recipe | Canapes of panettone, foie, pomegranate and grape: use recipe for 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 at its point, 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 skins in plenty of salty water for 20-30 minutes or the time necessary for them to be tender, but without falling apart. Remove and let cool before peeling. We prepare the sauce by mixing the crème fraîche, the mayonnaise, the mustard, the milk and the zest of 1/4 of a lemon. Season to taste and mix well. We 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 become pure.
Complete recipe | Salad with marinated salmon and avocado
Buds stuffed with salmon and avocado
Ingredients. 150 g of clean salmon, washed and dried leaves of 1 lettuce head, 1 chopped chives, 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 thorns. We cut into 1×1 cm dice. 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. We dice it and place it in a bowl along with the chives and pickles. 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 bud leaf, sprinkle with the vinaigrette, spread the salmon on top and serve immediately.
Complete recipe | Buds stuffed with salmon and avocado, a versatile, light and easy-to-use recipe
Roasted prawn cream
If you have spent buying prawns or prawns and you have left over, take the opportunity to prepare a nourishing appetizer in cream form, which you can serve in more or less large glasses. The ideal is to start from the shellfish with its shell, but it would also be very tasty if you have them peeled.
Ingredients. 800 g of cooked prawns, 40 g of butter, 25 ml of extra virgin olive oil, 2 finely chopped chives, 1 clove of minced garlic, 15 ml of tomato concentrate, 140 ml of liquid cream, 100 ml of brandy, 1 l of fish stock or water, salt and pepper, optional roe for garnish.
Elaboration. In a non-stick saucepan, heat the oil and butter. Sauté the chives and garlic for 15 minutes until they are soft and transparent. Add the prawns without peeling and with their heads, sauté for a minute. Add the tomato paste and the brandy and let it evaporate for four minutes. Add the broth, salt and pepper and let it cook for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and crush everything, passing the mixture through a Chinese, this step is very important so that a fine cream remains. We put everything back in the pan and add the cream, mix well and check the salt. Heat again and serve with some herring roe or seaweed.
Complete recipe | Roasted prawn cream. Harvesting recipe … or not
Roast chicken (or other poultry) croquettes
Whether simply cooked in the oven, stuffed or with another more elaborate recipe, roast chicken is as exquisite freshly made as it is in traditional recipes. We love to take advantage of your leftovers in classic croquettes, with no other added than the homemade béchamel. Of course, we can take advantage of leftover pularda, capon, picantones …
Ingredients. 1 roasted polo breast or 2 drumsticks or equivalent leftovers, 50 g of butter, 50 g of flour, 550-600 ml of milk, 1 tablespoon of the roast sauce, nutmeg, beaten egg, breadcrumbs, virgin olive oil extra for frying.
Elaboration. Chop the chicken well and lightly brown it in a large frying pan with 50 g of butter. Add 50 g of flour and mix well, toasting lightly. We add the milk little by little without stopping to stir until obtaining a cream. We will need a little more than half a liter of milk. Add a little 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, we pass them through egg and breadcrumbs and we 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 drumsticks, 6-8 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, slices of toast, 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 dried tomato, cut in half if it is very large, place a toothpick and repeat the operation with the rest of the slices.
Complete recipe | Chicken breast skewer with pesto and dried tomatoes
Sesame Mashed Potato Bites
Mashed potatoes are one of the most classic, familiar and delicious side dishes that everyone usually likes, 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 snacks.
Ingredients. 1 cup thick mashed potato, 1 egg, toasted sesame seeds.
Elaboration. We need the mashed potato to be cold and thick in order to shape the bites. If it is not 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 batter them in sesame. Bake in a preheated oven at 180º for about 10 minutes or until the sesame is golden brown.
Complete recipe | Bites of mashed potato and sesame: use recipe for a special appetizer
More Christmas recipes
Directly to the Palate we love these parties and we have thousands of recipes for you to be sure to hit your Christmas meals.
Don’t miss our special with the 215 best Christmas recipes and 16 special menus. And if you need ideas for specific dishes, here is a good starting point:
Directly to the Paladar | 15 recipes to take advantage of the leftover nougat this Christmas in desserts, cakes, puddings and cookies
Directly to the Paladar | How to take advantage of leftovers (or excesses) of marzipan and almond paste in the kitchen