You know what one of the best things about living in Brasilia is? Churrasco!

Well…. if you are a committed carnivore and foodie that is! :)

My Peruvian and I went over to our friends place on Saturday (yes, we have friends now in Brazil!) and they have a churrascarria on their balcony! What a feast we had! While the women folk sat on the balcony and drank copious amounts of wine, the men folk tended to the churrascarria and produced some of the tastiest grilled meat that I have ever eaten! Move over Fogo de Chão..

It also meant we had lots of wonderful leftover meat which we took home with us, and do you know what is the best thing to do with leftover meat is? Make a pyttipanna!

A pyttipanna is a very Swedish dish which literally translated (pytt i panna) means small pieces in a pan! Traditionally it is how households would use up the week’s leftover meat and potatoes, by cutting them all up into small pieces and pan frying them all together in butter. This really is a staple in Sweden, and you can even buy ready made frozen pyttipanna at any supermarket across the country – that is how much it is loved!

As many of you know by now, I have become a firm believer in a Low Carb High Fat (LCHF) lifestyle – which although I don’t adhere to strictly, I do believe in the benefits! So how to make pyttipanna LCHF friendly? Well inspiration struck me yesterday when I came across the blog Keep Calm and Fanny On . The blogger uses squash instead of potatoes. GENIOUS!

As luck would have it, I had a quarter kabocha pumpkin in my fridge that needed to be used up, coupled with the leftover grilled beef – it was meant to be! The result was fantastic, I did not miss the potatoes at all, and to be honest – I think I may even prefer it with the kabocha!

So if you would like a new take on pyttipanna or even need some inspiration on what to do with your leftovers – this is what I did.

What you will need

• Olive oil
• kabocha pumpkin, diced (or any other pumpkin or squash)
• bacon, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• leftover grilled meat, diced
• garlic, diced
• Butter
• Salt & Pepper
• egg

What to do:

Saute the diced pumpkin in some olive oil, until tender, then set aside.

In the same pan, fry the bacon until some of the fat has rendered. Add the onion and fry until softened. Add butter as needed.

Place the kabocha back into the pan and stir, then add the garlic.

Once garlic is fragrant, add the meat. Fry until heated through. Add butter if needed. (I like to let the meat and vegetables almost burn so they get slightly crust on each side)

Season generously with salt and pepper

Serve immediately.

This can be served with a fried egg on top, but also just the raw egg yolk. I tried this for the first time yesterday and it was great. You mix in the yolk with the piping hot meat and vegetables and it creates this wonderful sauce!

If you are interested in finding out more about LCHF or need some inspiration – check out my other blog LCHF…What?