How to reuse panettone (and pandoro)
Every year we tell ourselves, don't buy panettone because during holidays there’s always too many of them, but we are invariably tempted anyway and as always Christmas ends but the panettone remains. The same goes for the pandoro. A great way to recycle them without having to eat it for breakfast until Easter are to make panettone muffins. Excellent because they are not only delicious but can be prepared in just a few minutes. In addition, you can safely store them for a few days in the pantry. For 7 oz of panettone (or pandoro) you need to mix in a bowl 1 egg, 1 cup of milk (also vegetable), ⅓ cup of seed oil; add 9 oz of flour, the leftover crumbled panettone, ½ oz of yeast for desserts and finally, after mixing and amalgamating everything, 3 oz of chocolate chips or, if you prefer, dehydrated fruit. Bake in muffin stencils for about 20 minutes at 180 degrees and the panettone (or pandoro) is done!
How to reuse the meat to prepare a broth
At Christmas everyone prepares a pot of meat broth for the traditional capon or for ravioli in broth on the evening of the 25th. Perfect for when our stomachs are full, and we need warm comfort food. How many times have we arrived at the main course and are too full to appreciate or even to eat it? This meat, carefully selected and delicious, is perfect used in a variation of the traditional Neapolitan Christmas salad, ‘insalata di rinforzo’, ideal enjoyed cold the days following Christmas for a quick light lunch or dinner. Insalata di rinforzo is a salad born exactly with this idea in mind. It’s prepared on Christmas Eve and then reinforced until New Year's Eve by integrating it with the leftovers from each day. Ample space for imagination and personal taste, but traditionally the base includes blanched cauliflower florets, capers, pitted green and black olives, pickled gherkins cut into very thin strips; all seasoned with oil, a pinch of salt and plenty of vinegar. To this base add the previously boiled meat and serve at room temperature. It can be safely stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for a few days.
How to reuse smoked salmon (or cold cuts)
Very Christmas, very Nordic, even if its flavors are now perfectly integrated into our tradition too when on Christmas Eve tables are often filled with abundant trays of smoked salmon. Natural or on toasted black bread accompanied by salted butter. Salmon is also part of, and muchly appreciated in traditional gastronomic baskets or by our gourmet friends who always recognize foods brilliance. After slicing it, or after opening the package, the salmon must be eaten quickly otherwise we risk the slices getting in contact with the air and drying out before consumption. A great way to give new goodness to Christmas Eve leftover salmon is a special little savory cake: super Christmassy, even its shape. It starts with two sheets of round puff pastry, each covered with spreadable fresh cheese, slices of smoked salmon, organic lemon peel, black pepper, nutmeg, and dill leaves. When the filling is finished, cut each circle in half along its diameter until practically at the end, intertwine the two edges to form a semicircle and join the two semicircles to get the form of a crown, bake at 180 degrees until the surface is golden.