Christmas Leftover Pesto with Pasta

Introduction
This is one of those "no recipe recipes" because it's all about using up what you have left over from your Christmas blowout. We're firmly of the mindset that pesto can ultimately be made from pretty much any ingredient, providing you get the basic ratios right. We've given some loose pointers below, but ultimately it's over to you to fill in the blanks and work with whatever you've got.

Greens
Leftover Brussel sprouts make a remarkably fine pesto, although peas, cabbages and tenderstem broccoli are equally good substitutes. If you don't have any greens left, don't feel ashamed about using carrots or parsnips instead.

Fat
Some brave souls have experimented with using goose fat instead of the traditional extra-virgin olive oil but because it clocks in at over 30% saturated fat, we simply can't justify using it as the base of a sauce. We have been known to use some of the pan juices from our turkey though, which adds an extra meaty dimension and reduces the amount of expensive olive oil you need to use.

Cheese
Leftovers from your cheese board are the obvious substitute for Parmesan. We've had success with all kinds of cheeses, including cheddar, brie, and even stilton. If you are going to use blue cheese, though, it's best to use it sparingly, as it tends to bully the other flavours.

Nuts
You have several options when it comes to substituting pine nuts. Your net of mixed nuts with walnuts, hazelnuts, and Brazil nuts works well, but we think you can't beat chestnuts. In the ultimate display of ingenuity, one nut-free Christmas, we even crushed up some leftover crackers from our cheese board and were surprisingly pleased with the results.

Onto your pasta dish...
So, you've got your pesto nailed; now it's time to think about the pasta part of the dish. There are no rules about what you can throw on top of your spaghetti, although there are some obvious contenders.

Meat
Turkey meat, crispy skin and even the accompanying stuffing can all be added to your pasta dish with glorious effects. Duck, goose, chicken or beef are more than acceptable though. Vegetarians don't need go without as generous chunks of nut-roast butternut squash or cauliflower steaks work well too.

It would be highly irregular if you had any pigs in blankets left, but chopping up those sausages and bacon and throwing them into your pasta will elevate your dish to another level.

Potatoes
Bear with us. We know this sounds like carbohydrate overload but don't think those leftover roast potatoes aren't invited to the party. Serving pasta with potatoes is one of the truly original ways to serve pesto in a dish called Trenette al Pesto which was made famous by Disney-Pixar's smash hit Luca.

Extras
Cranberries, braised red cabbage, or whatever else you have lying around are fair game for this dish. Use whatever you like, apart from gravy, obviously; that's just gross.

Christmas pesto recipe (serves four)

Christmas pasta ingredients (serves four)