After the feast: Chef Orla McAndrew’s guide to Christmas leftovers

Photography: Melanie Mullan Styling: Marlene Wessels

Christmas is known for its excess, from plastic-coated paper wrapped around unwanted gifts to a fridge and larder heaving with too much food. But according to lifelong foodie and zero-waste chef Orla McAndrew, it doesn’t have to be that way.

Orla describes herself as a “feeder” who comes from a long line of them: “My grandmother was a cook in one of the old houses up in Castlerea and my mother put us all through school with her foodie business, Gurty’s Apple Tarts.” Although food was always a passion, her current career path only rose up to meet her after she had her three girls.

A series of culinary degrees and an uninspired period in a professional kitchen, it was a chance encounter with a woman in a park that set her in the right direction. “I met Ruth, and she was looking for a caterer for her wedding in six weeks. As soon as she said it, I immediately thought, ‘I could do that.’ And I did.” 

Not one to rest on her newfound laurels as a wedding caterer, Orla quickly decided to adopt a zero-waste approach. “That first wedding went brilliantly but there was so much leftover. And I thought, ‘If I’m going to do this, this, I can’t be creating waste like this’.” After tackling her own portion sizing, she began sourcing produce that would otherwise end up in landfill. 

Orla turned to her suppliers to see if they had surplus produce that wasn’t good enough to go to market that she could buy. Quoting Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi”, “I don’t care about spots on my apples, leave me the birds and the bees”, Orla explains how disassociated we have become from where our food comes from. “All of that food is perfectly good and I don’t buy it cheaply – it takes the same amount of effort to grow. Every supplier I approached said yes, and that’s because it benefits everyone.”

Tasked with taking her approach into the festive season, her first piece of advice is to plan accordingly. “I love a Christmas dinner and I’m old-school – I still have a prawn cocktail starter. The main thing I do differently now is that I meal plan to ensure we don’t overdo it and I have a few recipes on hand that will use up any extra ingredients in.” And always have pastry in the freezer. “You can make a completely new dish out of the same ingredients if you add pastry, it’s guaranteed to be delicious.”

Here, Orla shares some of her favourite recipes to help use up the Christmas leftovers, whether it’s a full main course, a salad or a few remaining light bites.

Cheese and Charcuterie Croquettes

I always have croquettes on every menu, they are delicious, simple and always taste like more than the sum of their parts.

For the bechamel

• 50g flour
• 50g butter
• 200ml milk
• 1 bayleaf
• 200g mixed cheese, I used Gubbeen, Hegartys, BoRua, StTola
• 200g Spanish charcuterie
• 1½ tsp spicy relish
• 150g flour
• 3 eggs beaten
• 200g breadcrumbs

Method

1. Make the bechamel by melting the butter and adding in the flour and cooking this out for approximately 3 to 4 minutes.
2. Gradually add in the milk and continue to stir on high heat ensuring a smooth sauce. Season with salt and white pepper and a bayleaf. Allow to cool completely.
3. Pop the cheese and charcuterie into a blender and pulse for 30 seconds or until fully blitzed. Tip the blitzed mixture into a bowl.
4. Once the bechamel has cooled, add it to the mixture and add in the spicy relish.
5. Form into golf ball-sized croquettes.
6. Once all croquettes have been formed, set up a pané station of flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs.
7. Roll each croquette in the flour, the egg, and the breadcrumb.
8. Deep fry for 3 to 4 mins at 180ºC to colour and cook through. Serve immediately with a side of spicy relish.

This article originally appeared in the winter 2023 issue of IMAGE Magazine. 

IMAGE Winter 2023

The Winter issue of IMAGE is here, and festive sparkles are on our mind, from our fashion shoot full of party-ready pieces to the home of jeweller Chupi Sweetman-Durney which is full of glinting gold. Plus, we learn how to make the most of festive leftovers, and are planning a winter break to remember. Plus: * Big knits * Cool corduroy * In studio with Pearl Reddington * Audrey Hepburn’s Irish connections * Confidence at work * A Kilimanjaro adventure * Beauty gifts to give yourself * Practical magic * A ski retreat with a difference * Weekend escapes * and so much more…

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