Spiced Chestnut and Cranberry Stuffing

Tags

affordable Christmas, Chestnut, Chestnut recipe, Christmas, christmas chestnut recipes, Christmas day, christmas dinner, Christmas food, christmas recipes, Christmas stuffing, festive food, festive recipes, Merchant Gourmet, Merchant Gourmet Chestnuts, Merchant Gourmet Christmas, Merchant Gourmet Polenta, stuffing, turkey stuffing

 

Preparation time – 10 mins

Cooking time – 30-40 mins

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 700g best quality sausage meat
• 2 medium onions, peeled and finely chopped
• 200g Merchant Gourmet Whole Chestnuts
• 100g, Merchant Gourmet One Minute Polenta or fine breadcrumbs
• 150g dried cranberries
• 5 large sprigs of rosemary, spikes only, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon mixed spice (or if you can find it Mauritius Masalle)
• 2 large egg yolks

Method

Prep ahead – You can make the stuffing at least a day ahead before cooking or stuffing your bird.

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180C/Gas Mark 4 upper middle shelf.
2. Mix the sausage meat together with the chopped onions, Merchant Gourmet Chestnuts and Polenta, dried cranberries, rosemary, mixed spice, egg yolks and a heaped teaspoon each of salt and black pepper.
3. If you are stuffing a turkey, lift the flap of skin at the top of the turkey breasts. Loosely push about 1/3 of the stuffing underneath. Fold the flap of skin back over so that it holds the stuffing in, but make sure that it is not too tightly packed or the skin will split as it roasts. Truss the turkey, making sure that you leave the skin slightly loose, but secure the neck flap well. If you don’t have a trussing needle, use a wooden skewer to do this.
4. Separate the remaining stuffing into 16 pieces, dust your hands with polenta if the stuffing is sticky and roll the 16 pieces into balls. Put them in the fridge until you need them.
5. Bake the stuffing balls for 20 minutes
6. Alternatively, spoon the leftover mixture into an ovenproof dish, brush with olive oil and place in the oven 180C /Gas 4 for 30-40 minutes, depending on how crispy you like it on top.

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Roast Kelly Bronze Turkey®, Onion & Chestnut Filo Parcels, and Sweet, Sour Roquito® Sauce

Tags

alternative christmas recipes, Chestnut, Chestnut recipe, Chestnut recipes, Chestnuts, Christmas, christmas chestnut recipes, Christmas food, Christmas indulgence, Christmas Menu, festival, festive food, filo, Kelly Bronze Turkey, Merchant Gourmet, Merchant Gourmet Chestnuts, Merchant Gourmet Christmas, merchant gourmet whole chestnuts, moroccan christmas, Moroccan Cuisine, Moroccan ingredients, Roquito, turkey

 

Preparation time –  35 mins

Cooking time – 1 hr

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 80g unsalted butter
• 1 tsp Raz-el-hanout
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil, plus a little to oil the tray for the parcels and chestnut slices
• 1 large Kelly Bronze turkey breast, approx. 1kg
• 3 red onions, peeled and quartered
• 200g Merchant Gourmet Whole Chestnuts, separated, finely sliced
• 120g good quality onion chutney
• 2 sheets filo pastry
• 1 egg yolk, beaten with 2 tsp milk
• 250ml orange juice
• 3 tbsp honey
• 1 clove garlic, peeled & finely chopped
• 1/2 tbsp grated ginger
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 80g dried apricots, diced 1cm
• 28 Roquito® Chilli Pepper Pearls
• Zest of 1 lemon & juice of half (2 tbsp max)
• 4 tbsp sliced mint
• Salt & caster sugar
• 8 tbsp yoghurt

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 190c /Gas 5/Position upper middle shelf

2. Mix the butter and 1/2 tsp raz-el-hanout together. Season with salt.

3. Season the turkey breast with salt and raz-el-hanout (use this as you would pepper) the butter all over the flesh side of the breast.

4. Next, heat the vegetable oil in an ovenproof frying pan. Fry the turkey breast, skin side down, and the quartered red onions, cut side down, over a medium to high heat for 1-2 minutes until both are golden. Turn the onion. Put the pan in the oven and roast, with the turkey still skin side down for 33-35 minutes (The breast should be around 65c which takes it to around 70c after a good rest, use a meat probe thermometer, for the best results)

5. Once the breast is cooked, remove it from the oven. Brush the breast and the onions all over with the melted butter in the pan. Put the breast onto a cooling rack skin side up, put the rack over the pan with the onions, cover very loosely with foil. Leave in a warm place to rest for 10 minutes or up to about 20. Turn the oven up to 230c/gas 8

6. While the breast roasts, make the parcels. Mix half of the sliced chestnuts together with the onion chutney. Unroll the filo pastry, peel off 2 sheets, lay them on your work surface. Brush one with eggwash and then put the second on top. Brush this with the eggwash. Cut the filo into 4 strips widthways. Spoon a quarter of the chestnut mixture onto the bottom of each leaving a 2cm border.

7. Take the right corner of the filo then fold diagonally to your left, enclosing the filling and forming a triangle. Press down to seal the edges. Turn the filo back over the opposite way. Fold again along the upper crease of the triangle. Keep folding in this way until you reach the end of the filo strip. Brush the outer surface with more egg. Put the parcels on one side of a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes in the pre-heated oven. Take the tray out of the oven, scatter the sliced chestnuts in a single layer over the other half of the baking sheet. Brush them with vegetable oil. Bake for 5 more minutes until the parcels are golden and the chestnut slices crisp.

8. To make the sauce, get a medium sized sauce pan. Add the orange juice, honey, garlic, ginger and 1/2 tsp raz-el-hanout. Put the pan on a high heat. Bring to the boil. Boil for 1 minute or until the mixture is just thick enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon. Take the pan off the heat. Add the extra virgin olive oil, dried apricots, Roquito® Chili Pepper Pearls®, lemon zest and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and sugar. Add the sliced mint at the last minute.

9. To serve, slice the turkey breast and put it onto a large platter with the onions. Spoon the turkey’s cooking juices and melted butter over the top. Spoon the sauce over and around the turkey. Put the parcels to one side. Scatter the sliced chestnuts over everything. Serve with the yoghurt.

Chestnut Frangipane Mince Pies

Tags

Chestnut, Chestnut recipes, Christmas, Christmas Menu, Christmas party, Christmas Recipe, Festive recipe, festive recipes, frangipane, holiday recipes, Merchant Gourmet Christmas, mince pies, mincemeat, traditional christmas, traditional christmas recipes, traditional festive recipes

This is a mince pie carnival by Alex Mackay, who has used brown sugar pastry with a sensual waft of vanilla to give this recipe a luxury twist. Check out his mincemeat recipe below to make fully authentic homemade mince pies.

 

Ingredients

The Pastry

• 350g plain flour
• 75g brown sugar
• 120g butter
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp water
• 24 tbsp (approx 480g), either homemade, or shop bought mincemeat

Chestnut Frangipane

• 1, 200g pack of Merchant Gourmet Whole Chestnuts
• 80g icing sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for dusting
• 80g soft unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp brandy or rum (optional)
• 1 large egg yolk

Method

Prep ahead You can make the pies up to the point of adding the chestnut frangipane and then freeze them uncooked, in their tins, a month or so in advance. You then defrost them overnight, top them with the chestnut frangipane then continue as below.

1. Preheat your oven to 200C/Gas Mark 6.

2. To make the pastry, put the flour and brown sugar into your food processor. Add the butter and pulse just enough for the mixture to become grainy. Add the egg yolk, vanilla essence and water. Pulse until the pastry is just combined. Tip it onto your work surface (get all of the pastry out, but there is no need to wash the bowl of your food processor before the next step) then knead the pastry briefly until it is smooth.

3. Put the pastry onto a large piece of floured cling film. Pat the pastry to flatten it into a 30cm square. Wrap and then refrigerate for 30 minutes; just enough to make the pastry firm rather than hard.

4. Next, make the chestnut frangipane. Remove the 6 biggest and prettiest whole chestnuts, cut them in quarters then set aside. Put the remaining chestnuts and the icing sugar into the bowl of the food processor that you used for your pastry. Blend for 1 minute. Add the butter and egg yolk then blend until combined. Set aside.

5. Dust the pastry with flour. Roll out to a 50x40cm rectangle between two layers of floured clingfilm. Lift off the top layer of clingfilm. Cut out 24 circles with the 7cm pastry cutter, lift off the trimmings then squash them together. Wrap the trimmings in clingfilm and store for another batch.

6. Gently push the pastry circles into the bottoms of the bun tins.

7. Spoon a heaped dessertspoon (roughly 1 tbsp) of mincemeat into each pie. Cover with 1 heaped teaspoon frangipane. Smooth over with a small palette knife. Push a chestnut quarter into the centre of each pie. Dust with icing sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden.

 

 

Christmas Chestnut Mincemeat

Tags

alternative christmas recipes, Chestnut, Chestnut recipe, Chestnut recipes, Christmas, Christmas Menu, Christmas party, Christmas Recipe, christmas recipes, Christmas time, holiday reecipes, Merchant Gourmet Christmas, merchant gourmet whole chestnuts, seasonal ingredients, seasonal recipe, xmas, xmas recipes

This mincemeat, created by Alex Mackay, is inspired by some of the ingredients from the famous 13 Christmas desserts of Provence, and made exotic by the addition of balsamic vinegar glaze in place of Brandy.

 

Ingredients

• 100g dried cranberries
• 200g cooked Merchant Gourmet Whole Chestnuts, chopped to the size of the cranberries
• 120g dried figs, tips trimmed then chopped to the size of the cranberries
• 100g dates, chopped to the size of the cranberries
• 100g prunes, chopped to the size of the cranberries
• 100g suet, or vegetable suet, depending on your preference/dietary requirements
• 100g candied peel
• 1 & 1/4 tsp mixed spice
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• Grated zest and juice of 3 large tangerines or oranges
• 150g dark brown sugar
• 1 large Bramley apple, unpeeled, coarsely grated
• 5 tablespoons Merchant Gourmet Vinegar Glaze or brandy or rum

Makes approximately 1.2kg, enough to fill about 80, 7cm mince pies

Method

Prep ahead – The cooked mincemeat will keep almost indefinitely, so feel free to double the recipe or just scale the recipe up to use all of the dried fruit from whichever your size your packets come in. The uncooked mincemeat will keep for at least a couple of weeks.

1. Preheat your oven to 120C/Fan 100C/Gas 1/2
2. Get an oven proof bowl or baking dish with raised sides. Add all of the mincemeat ingredients. Mix them together. (If you are doing the uncooked version, just mix and put in the fridge) Cover with foil. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 2 hours.
3. If you are putting the mincemeat in jars, do so while it is hot, you will then have a thin layer of suet that rises to the top, which will effectively seal the mincemeat inside the jars.
4. If you are using the mincemeat in the near future just leave it to cool in the baking dish, give it a good stir, then cover it with cling film and put in the fridge.

Pan fried Duck with Chorizo, Potatoes and Chestnuts

Tags

Chestnut, Chestnut recipes, Chorizo, decadent, dinner party, duck, hearty recipes, luxury recipes, Merchant Gourmet, merchant gourmet chestnut puree, merchant gourmet whole chestnuts, quick and easy recipe, rich meals, winter recipes, winter warmer

 

Preparation Time – 10 mins

Cooking Time – 25 mins

Serves – 4

Ingredients

• 4 duck breasts, well dried
• 400g (about 12) Charlotte, Maris Peer or other small firm potatoes, washed and halved lengthways
• 100g (1 small) chorizo sausage, sliced in 1/2cm rounds
• 200g Merchant Gourmet Whole Chestnuts, separated and cut in half
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 200ml chicken stock, reduced to 100ml
• 4 stalks of rosemary, spikes only, chopped
• 40g unsalted butter
• Salt & smoked paprika

Method

1. Pre-heat your oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6, middle shelf. Boil your kettle.
2. Start with the potatoes. Put a colander in your sink. Fill a medium saucepan with boiling water from your kettle. Add salt. Bring back to the boil. Add the potatoes. Bring back to the boil. Turn the heat to low. Simmer for 10 minutes or until tender, add the closed bag of chestnuts with a couple of minutes to go. Drain the potatoes in your colander. Open the pack of chestnuts and separate.
3. While the potatoes simmer, season the duck breasts with salt and smoked paprika. Get a large, oven proof frying pan. Put the duck breasts into the cold pan with their skin side facing down. Put the pan onto a medium heat and fry for 10 minutes. Put the pan in the oven and roast for 8 minutes, still skin side down for duck that is perfectly pink. Remove the pan from the oven. Turn the oven off.
4. Once the duck breasts are cooked, use a pair of tongs to transfer them, skin side up, onto a small cooling rack over an ovenproof plate. Put this in the oven (now switched of) to rest the duck for 8 minutes. Put 4 plates into the oven to warm. Leave the oven door slightly open so that it is warm rather than hot.
5. Put the pan onto a high heat. Add the potatoes, cut side down, in a single layer. Fry the potatoes without turning them, for 4-5 minutes over a medium heat, until they get a nice thick golden crust.
6. Add the chorizo and chestnuts to the pan. Toss for 1 minute, just enough to heat the chestnuts and chorizo through. Put this mixture onto warmed plates.
7. Add the red wine vinegar and garlic to the pan.  Add the reduced chicken stock to the pan. Bring to the boil. Stir in the butter and the chopped rosemary. Turn off the heat Season with salt and smoked paprika.
8. Slice the duck against the grain. Add any juices that escape to the sauce. Serve with the sauce and the chestnut mixture.

Porcini Mushroom and Chestnut Soup

Tags

Chestnut, chestnut puree, creamy, creamy soup, hearty soup, Merchant Gourmet, merchant gourmet chestnut puree, merchant gourmet porcini mushroom, Porcini Mushroom, quick and easy, quick and easy recipe, Simple recipe, Soup, warming meals, winter warmer

 

 

Preparation Time – 5 mins

Cooking Time – 20 mins

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
• 25g dried Merchant Gourmet Porcini Mushrooms
• 3 sprigs of thyme, leaves removed from stalks
• 30g butter
• 1 vegetable stock cube, made up with 1 litre of boiling water
• 150ml double cream, reserving a couple of tablespoons
• 2 tbsp parsley, chopped
• 415g Merchant Gourmet Chestnut Puree

Method

1. Fry the thyme, garlic and half of the parsley in the butter for a few minutes on a gentle heat, taking care not to brown the garlic
2. Add the vegetable stock and dried Porcini mushrooms and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally
3. Mix in the Chestnut Puree, and heat for a few more minutes before removing from the heat and liquidising.
   Return back to the heat and stir in the cream, bring the soup back up to boil.
4. Check the seasoning of the soup
5. Ladle into bowls, drizzling on the remaining cream, and sprinkling the remaining parsley on each.

Porcini and Chestnut Paperdelle

Tags

Chestnut, healthy eating, hearty recipe, Italian Food, Italian recipe, mushroom recipe, Paperdelle, pasta dish, porcini mushrooms, winter recipes

Cooking time: 25 mins
Preparation time: 30 mins
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 25g packet Dried Porcini Mushrooms
• 100g Whole Chestnut
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 20g shallots finely chopped
• 5g butter
• 100ml white wine
• 50ml single cream
• 500g pappardelle (or pasta of your choice)
• 2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

Method:

1. Rehydrate the Porcini Mushrooms as directed on the packet and set aside
2. Meanwhile, chop the shallots, garlic and chestnuts into fine slices
3. In a large frying pan, melt the butter and sweat the shallots and garlic until softened
4. Add the rehydrated mushrooms with the soaking liquid and chestnuts to the pan and pour in the wine
5. Let the liquid reduce down and add the cream. Leave to simmer whilst cooking the pasta
6. Place the pasta in boiling, salted water and cook as per instructions on the pack
7. Drain the pasta and stir in the porcini and chestnut sauce
8. Stir in the parsley just before serving