Padella’s Christmas leftover ragu recipe

“There’s much debate about the best way to use Christmas leftovers but, let’s face it, nothing beats a festive turkey club sandwich washed down with a frosty beer (or maybe two). A close second in our household is the mighty Christmas ragu,” says Padella chef Tim Siadatan.

“Slightly dry, fridge-cold turkey meat and stuffing? Perfect. A couple of lonely pigs in blankets? Yes, please (and I’ll take the sludgy fat they’ve set in as well). The one sad sprout destined for the compost – that’ll be our green intake for the day. Oh, and the ‘roast’ potato that didn’t quite make it – stuck in no-man’s land, somewhere between boiled and crisp. And let’s not forget the dregs of gravy that have turned to jelly.

There’s no hard-and-fast rule about what to include (though I’d draw the line at bread or cranberry sauce). The key is to lean heavily on the meat, with just a little veg – a sensible ratio is 70% meat to 30% veg.”

Christmas leftover ragu

Ingredients
(Serves 4)

About 400g dried pasta (linguine or spaghetti if you have it, but go with what you’ve got)
Around 350g leftover cooked meat (turkey, duck, goose, sausage and chestnut stuffing, pigs in blankets, etc.)
Around 150g leftover cooked veg/pulses (Brussels sprouts, red cabbage, cavolo nero, pumpkin, carrots, roast potato, lentils, etc.)
1 heaped tbsp leftover fat (duck, goose, turkey or sausage fat) or a glug (about 40ml) of olive oil
50ml Marsala (or Vermouth or sherry)
About 150ml gravy (or milk will do if the gravy is finished)
75ml single or double cream (or crème fraîche or mascarpone)
50g unsalted butter, cubed
1tbsp finely chopped parsley (if you have it)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan (or a good mature Cheddar or Comté), finely grated, to finish

Method

1. For the pasta, in a large cooking pot, bring 4–5 litres water to the boil and add a fistful of salt. Finely chop your cooked meat. Chop the veg and pulses slightly coarser than the meat.

2. Heat the fat or olive oil in a saucepan or flameproof casserole large enough to easily fit all the ingredients, including the cooked pasta. Add the chopped meat and fry over a medium heat until just starting to brown. Add the chopped veg/pulses, stir and continue to fry for 2–3 minutes, stirring often.

3. Add the Marsala and stir for 30 seconds, then add the gravy (or milk). Turn the heat down to a low simmer and cook gently for 5 minutes. Take off the heat, stir in the cream and season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Drop the pasta into the boiling water and follow the packet directions for timing but take 2 minutes off the recommended cooking time.

5. Drain the pasta as soon as it’s ready, keeping two mugs of pasta water. Add the pasta to the ragu along with half a mug (about 120ml) of pasta water, the butter and chopped parsley, if using. Stir over a medium heat until the butter is melted, the sauce is smooth and creamy, and the pasta is al dente (firm to bite but easy to chew) and fully coated. If the sauce is too dry, add splashes of water to loosen it as you stir – you want the pasta to be loose and for the strands to slide freely over each other as you stir.

6. Serve on hot plates, finished with grated Parmesan (or other cheese). A peppery, herby green salad dressed in lemon oil sits well alongside.

Padella by Tim Siadatan is published in hardback by Bloomsbury Publishing, priced £25. Photography by Sam A Harris. Available now.