How to make a sumptuous pie or stew from leftover meat, poultry or veg

A step-by-step guide from my book, Second Helpings: Delicious dishes to transform your leftovers

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Image: Facundo Bustamante, Styling: Pip Spence, from Second Helpings: Delicious Dishes to Transform Your Leftovers by Sue Quinn (Quadrille)

I’m away on annual leave just now, so this week I’m offering you an excerpt from my most recent book, Second Helpings. The book is loaded with ideas, tips and recipes to use up all sorts of leftovers, and would come in particularly useful at this time of year. You can buy a copy here.

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Leftovers simmered in a rich and comforting sauce – aka stew – is a meal everyone warms to. And it’s flexible. Serve on toast or crumpets for something casual or with mash or polenta when everyone’s ravenous. Alternatively, tuck the stew inside a pastry blanket or cover with mash for pie.

Whatever direction you’re headed, leftover meat, poultry and vegetables can all go in. If using leftover beef or lamb the rarest bits work best, as they’re less likely to toughen with further cooking. Choose the vibe you fancy with the herbs, spices and other flavourings – I’ve offered ideas, but this is a template and great for experimenting.

A word on pastry: the best pies, in my opinion, have a shortcrust base and a puff pastry top. Shortcrust top and bottom is heavy going and puff on the bottom can go soggy. By all means, leave out the pastry bottom altogether and just use puff or shortcrust on top.

If you do go for double crust, reduce the sauce right down until there’s barely any left. Another option is to lift the stew out of the pan with a slotted spoon to drain off almost all of the sauce before transferring it to the pie dish. You can always serve the extra sauce on the side.

Absolutely delicious stew or pie made with leftovers

Image: Facundo Bustamante, Styling: Pip Spence, from Second Helpings: Delicious Dishes to Transform your Leftovers, by Sue Quinn (Quadrille)

Serves 4 as stew, or makes a 20cm (8in) pie

Preparation: up to 45 minutes

Cooking: 25 minutes for pies with pastry top

1. Make the base

Ingredients

• 1 rasher of bacon or a handful

• of lardons (optional)

• 2 Tbsp olive oil

• 1 medium onion or leek, finely

• chopped or sliced

• 1 carrot, finely chopped

• 1 celery stick, finely chopped

• A good pinch of salt

Heat a large frying pan (skillet) and fry the bacon (if using) until crisp at the edges. Scoop out and transfer to a plate. Add the oil and gently fry the onion or leek, carrot and celery until very soft, 10–15 minutes.

Now, follow these steps.

2. Add flavour

Add the ingredients below to the cooked base and fry gently for a few minutes, stirring, to release the flavour.

• 2 Tbsp tomato purée (paste) or tomato ketchup (red meat only)

• 1 fat garlic clove, finely chopped

• 1 bay leaf

3. Boost the favour

Add one of the bulleted ingredients below and fry, stirring for a minute or two, until fragrant.

For red meat

• 1 tsp each ground cinnamon, allspice and dried mint

• 1½ Tbsp baharat (see overleaf) or ras el hanout

• 2 tsp dried oregano and 1 tsp smoked paprika

• 2–3 Tbsp red curry paste or powder

• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary or thyme

For poultry or vegetables

• 1½ Tbsp baharat (see overleaf) or ras el hanout

• 1 Tbsp dried thyme or tarragon

• 1 Tbsp each chopped fresh tarragon and parsley

• 2–3 Tbsp curry paste or powder

4. Thicken

Stir 1 heaped Tbsp of plain (all-purpose) flour into the mixture and cook, stirring, until amalgamated.

5. Make the sauce

For red meat

Add 300ml (1¼ cups plus 1 Tbsp) red wine plus 300ml (1¼ cups plus 1 Tbsp) beef, chicken or vegetable stock. Stir and gently simmer until reduced by one-third.

For poultry or vegetables

Add 80ml (1/3 cup) white wine and simmer, stirring, until almost evaporated. Add 300ml (1¼ cups plus 1 Tbsp) chicken or vegetable stock plus 300ml (1¼ cups plus 1 Tbsp) double (heavy) cream or crème fraîche. Simmer gently until reduced by
one-third.

6. Add your main filling ingredients

Gently stir in your leftovers: 300–400g (10½–14oz) diced cooked meat, poultry or vegetables.

7. Bulk it out

Add one or two of the ingredients below, depending on how much of the main filling ingredients you have. Any uncooked leafy greens you use will release some water during cooking, so be sure to reduce the sauce right down.

• A generous handful of sliced leafy greens such as kale, spinach or chard

• A generous handful of frozen peas

• A generous handful of chopped roast veg

• 1 mug of drained canned cannellini or butter (lima) beans, or cooked green or Puy lentils (great with ras el hanout spicing)

• A handful of chopped walnuts or pistachios if you’re using meat, or pine nuts or almonds for poultry

8. Brighten

Take the pan off the heat and stir in one of the ingredients below to brighten the flavour.

For red meat

• Finely grated zest of ½ lemon

• A small handful of dried cherries, cranberries or barberries

• 4 pickled walnuts or 2 Tbsp capers, chopped

• A splash of balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar or pomegranate molasses

For chicken or veg

Finely grated zest of ½ lemon

• 1–2 tsp Dijon mustard

• 1 Tbsp capers, chopped

9. Serve

For stew: Serve hot with mashed potatoes, rice, polenta or on toast or crumpets.

For pie

• 1 sheet ready-rolled shortcrust pastry (optional, for the base)

• 1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry or mashed potato (for the top)

• 1 lightly beaten egg

• 2 Tbsp butter (for mash top)

Set the stew aside to cool a little and preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/Gas mark 6. If you want pastry top and bottom, slide a baking sheet into the oven to heat up. Line a 20cm (8in) pie dish with ready-rolled shortcrust. Trim the edges and brush with lightly beaten egg. If you’re not having a pastrybase, just brush the edge of the pie dish with some ofthe egg.

Once the oven is hot, spoon the stew into the dish. For a pastry top, top with the sheet of puff pastry, press the edges onto the pastry base or pie dish and trim off the excess. Brush with the remaining beaten egg and make a couple of slits in the top with a knife. Slide onto the hot baking sheet and bake according to the packet instructions, or until golden.

For a mashed potato top, cover generously with mashed potato and dot with the butter. Bake until hot and bubbling.