Ingredient Title Chef Category

Kitchen miracles

Leftovers are almost the best part of a holiday meal. For days we have wonderful foods to put together in imaginative ways and transform them into something that is sometimes even better than the original. When you aren't cooking for guests you can be imaginative working your own magic with the earthly remains of mighty meals past.

Pasties, which I associate with the wonderful Finlanders I grew up with in North Dakota, are a wonderful way to use beef, turkey or chicken, and probably roast pork as well. If you have any gravy to match the meat, or any vegetables, give them the last rites together inside the fold-over pastry. The recipe that follows includes the ingredients that you probably have on hand after a big feast.

FINLANDER PASTIES

Pasties are meat and vegetable turnovers that used to be carried into the fields or the mine shafts for lunch. You may use frozen or premixed piecrust to save time but this is a good recipe for either pie or pasties.

Crust:
2 1/2 all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter or margarine, cut into bits
1 large egg, lightly beaten (for brushing pastry)
Filling:3 tablespoons vegetable oil
12 oz. small mushrooms, sliced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 large baking potatoes
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 pounds beef, cubed or ground
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
l/2 teaspoon pepper

Crust: Blend together flour, salt and butter in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) until mixture resembles coarse meal (a few pieces will be larger). Beat together egg yolk and l/3 cup very cold water; drizzle over flour mixture while stirring with a fork (or pulse in food processor) until incorporated. Squeeze a handful of the dough. If it doesn't hold together, add more water, l/2 tablespoon at a time, stirring after each addition. Don't overwork the dough or it will become tough. Chill dough while making filling.

Filling: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in skillet, sauté mushrooms until browned, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons oil to skillet and cook onion and garlic, until softened about 5 minutes. Add to mushrooms. Peel potato and cut into l/2-inch cubes; add to mushroom mixture together with remaining ingredients, tossing well. Chill until fully cooled.

Assemble: Roll a piece of dough into a 9-inch round. Mound 1-cup filling on round, slightly off center. Brush l/2-inch border around the circle with water and fold dough over filling to make a half moon. Trim edges and crimp together to seal. Cut 3 small steam vents in top crust with sharp knife and place on buttered baking sheet. Loosely cover pasties and chill 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 F. Brush with egg and bake about 40 minutes. Good hot or cold but if gravy is used they are best eaten warm or hot. Makes 6.

HOT CHICKEN SALAD

This is an old recipe but it still tastes good to me.

2 1/2 cups cooked chicken or turkey, cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup diced celery
l/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts
l/2 teaspoon salt
l/2 cup chopped olives, any kind
1 tablespoon grated onion
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons diced pimiento or fresh red or green pepper
1 can chow mein noodles or crushed potato chips

Preheat oven to 350 F. Assemble all ingredients except the last one and pile lightly into greased baking dish. Top with noodles or chips and bake 30 minutes to heat through. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Bob Falconer of Hillsboro, OR, says that any kind of ham or beef will work and to realize that some of the shells will break while cooking and filling. The cooked broken pieces can be used in soup or other casserole dishes.

1 package (8 oz.) manicotti shells
2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese
15 ounces low-fat ricotta cheese
l/2 pound (l cup) ham finely chopped
l/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 large egg
l/4 cup dried, seasoned breadcrumbs
2 cups (l6 oz.) prepared spaghetti sauce
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 F.; grease 9- by 13-inch baking dish. Cook manicotti shells according to package directions, until just tender, about 12 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water. Combine half of the Parmesan cheese with ricotta, ham, bell pepper, egg and breadcrumbs. Fill 12 shells each with l/3 cup of cheese-ham mixture and place in baking dish. Cover stuffed manicotti with sauce, Mozzarella and remaining Parmesan. Bake until sauce is bubbling, about 45 minutes. Let cool about 10 minutes before serving. Makes 6 servings.

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