‘Huevos Racheros’ Roquito® Spiced Eggs, Poached in Tomato, Beluga® Lentils & Fire Roasted Pepper Sauce

Tags

Alternative Breakfast Recipe, avocado, Beluga Lentils, Breakfast recipe, Ethnic breakfast, fire roasted peppers, Fit and Healthy, health, health food, health food trends, health foods, healthy, healthy breakfast, Healthy breakfast recipe, healthy brunch, healthy eating, healthy ingredients, healthy recipes, hearty breakfast, Huevos Rancheros, Merchant Gourmet, merchant gourmet beluga lentils, merchant gourmet lentils, merchant Gourmet puy lentils, mexican breakfast, puy, Spicy Breakfast

Serves 2

Preparation Time – 10 mins

Cooking Time – 20 mins

Ingredients 

• 1 small onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 100g Fire roasted Peppers, chopped
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 tbsp water
• 1, 400g tin of best quality chopped tomatoes
• 125g Merchant Gourmet Ready to Eat Beluga® or Puy lentils
• 2 large eggs
• Half a ripe avocado, peeled
• 2 tbsp sliced chives
• 2 tbsp Roquito Chilli Pepper Pearls®
• Salt, chilli powder and caster sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 200c/Position Upper Middle Shelf
2. Get a shallow, oven proof pan. Add the onion, yellow pepper, 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and the water. Cover the pan. Sweat over a high heat, stirring occasionally for 8 minutes until soft. Add the tinned tomatoes, bring to the boil, then lower the heat. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add the lentils, bring back to the boil. Season to taste with salt, sugar to balance the acidity of the tomatoes and as much chilli powder as you like.
3. Break the eggs into the sauce, then pop the pan into the oven for 6-7 minutes for eggs that are just set.
4. Cut the avocado into chunks. Put the chunks into a shallow bowl, gently mix them with a pinch of salt, the chives, Roquito Pearls® and 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil.
5. Once the eggs are cooked, scatter the avocado mixture over the top. Serve straight from the pan.

Basil Pistou & Spring Vegetable Giant Couscousotto

Tags

basil, Fit and Healthy, Giant Couscous, health, health food, health food trends, healthy eating, Healthy recipe, healthy recipes, Healthy Salad, lighter eating, Merchant Gourmet, Merchant Gourmet Giant Couscous, Nutritional, nutritious, pesto, pistou, quick and easy, quick and easy recipe, spring recipes, spring vegetables, super food, vegetable recipes, wholewheat giant couscous

Serves 2

Preparation Time – 5 mins

Cooking Time – 20 mins

Ingredients 

• 1, 20-25g (average supermarket size) bunch of basil, thick stalks finely sliced
• 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 250ml water
• 500ml vegetable stock
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 200g Merchant Gourmet Giant Couscous
• 250g of any mixed green vegetables you like (I used asparagus, broad beans, sugar snaps, peas and spring onions)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Start with the pistou. Boil your kettle. Fill a large pot 3/4 full with boiling water. Put a bowl of cold water next to your cooker. Boil the basil for 30 seconds. Transfer it to the bowl of cold water with a sieve; keep the cooking water for the vegetables. As soon as the basil is cold, drain it. Put the basil in a small liquidiser and add 4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and the parmesan. Blend to a smooth puree. Put the puree next to your cooker.
2. Next, start the couscousotto. Get a medium (16-18cm) saucepan. Add the vegetable stock, garlic and 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil. Bring to the boil and add the giant couscous. Bring back to the boil again. Turn the heat to low, cover, and simmer gently, stirring occasionally for 6 minutes or until tender. Take off the lid. Simmer for 1 minute more. By now the giant couscous should have absorbed most of the liquid, be very creamy and just cooked through but firm. Cover, and leave to sit for 2 minutes. By this stage your vegetables should be ready too. Don’t panic if they are not, the giant couscous is fine to sit for a few minutes longer.
3. While the giant couscousotto simmers, bring the basil water to the boil. Add the green vegetables boil for 3-4 minutes or until just tender. Put a colander in your sink. Drain the vegetables. Return them to the pan. Sauté for 10-20 seconds, and then turn off the heat.
4. Add 6 tablespoons of pistou to the giant couscous. Gently fold it in. If you like the consistency to be a bit saucier, add hot water, 1 tbsp at a time until you are happy. Toss the vegetables with the remaining pistou (approximately 1 tbsp). Season to taste. Serve the vegetables on top of the giant couscous.

Freekeh and Roast Squash Salad, with Chilli, Black Garlic, Pomegranate & Raz-el-hanout

Tags

ancient grains, Black Garlic, Butternut Squash, delicious freekeh, easy freekeh recipes, Fit and Healthy, freekeh, freekeh and roast squash, freekeh recipe, Freekeh recipes, health, healthy, healthy eating, Healthy Food, healthy ingredients, Healthy recipe, healthy recipes, Healthy Salad, how to cook freekeh, lighter eating, low calories, low in fat, lowering cholesterol, Merchant Gourmet, Merchant Gourmet Freekeh, Merchant Gourmet Ready to Eat Freekeh, Moroccan Cuisine, Moroccan ingredients, moroccan salad, nutritious, pomegranate, Raz el Hanout, SunBlush tomatoes, SunBlush® Tomato, super food, tasty ways to use freekeh, things to do with freekeh, Vegetables, Vegetarian, ways to use freekeh

Serves 2

Preparation time – 5 mins

Cooking time – 25 mins

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp roast pumpkin seed oil or vegetable oil
• 500g butternut squash, (half an average squash) de-seeded, peeled, cut into 3cm chunks
• 250g Merchant Gourmet Ready to Eat Freekeh
• Zest (removed with a zester) of half an orange and 3 tbsp juice
• Zest of half a lemon and 2 tbsp juice
• 1 tbsp grated ginger
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 125g baby plum tomatoes, halved
• 8 dried apricots, chopped 1/2cm
• 10 SunBlush® tomatoes
• 1/2 a small mild red chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped
• 6 Black Garlic cloves, finely sliced
• 40g rocket (3/4 sliced, 1/4 left in pretty leaves to garnish)
• 2 tbsp toasted pumpkin seeds
• 4 tbsp pomegranate seeds (half a small pomegranate)
• Salt, sugar and raz-el-hanout

Method

1. Pre-heat your oven to 240c. Position upper middle shelf.

2. First, roast the squash. Get a medium sized oven tray with low sides. Spread the squash into it an even layer. Toss with the oil, salt and raz-el-hanout (use as you would black pepper) until the squash is well coated. Roast for 20-25 minutes until the squash is lightly caramelised and tender.

3. Heat the freekeh according to the instructions on the packet. Tip it into a medium sized bowl. Mix in the citrus zest, citrus juice, ginger, and extra virgin olive oil. Season to taste with salt, sugar to balance the acidity and raz-el-hanout to the level of spice you prefer.

4. In a shallow bowl, mix the baby plum tomatoes, dried apricots, SunBlush® tomatoes, chilli, black garlic and pumpkin seeds together. Add the hot roasted squash, fold it in gently. Season to taste.

5. Mix two thirds of this mixture and the sliced rocket with the freekeh. Serve the remainder on top with the whole rocket leaves. Scatter the toasted pumpkin seeds, pomegranate seeds (if you’re using them) and remaining rocket over the top. Serve at any temperature except fridge cold.

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.

Pan Fried Salmon with a Dill and Caper Butter

Tags

butter, capers, dill, fish dish, fresh recipe, Lemon, Merchant Gourmet, pan fried, quick and easy, quick and easy recipe, salmon, Salmon recipe, Seafood Dish, taste of the sea, white wine

Serves 4

Preparation time – 5 minutes

Cooking time -10 minutes

Ingredients

• 50g butter, diced
• 4 salmon fillets
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tbsp capers, drained and rinsed
• 140ml white wine
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 4 tsp chopped dill

Method

1. Heat a frying pan on a medium to high heat and add a couple of knobs of butter, very quickly followed by the salmon – skin side side down.
2. Fry for three to four minutes or until golden brown underneath, then turn over, season with salt and pepper and fry for another couple of minutes or until the fish is just cooked through.
3. Add the white wine to de-glaze the pan, and then add the capers, along with the remaining butter. Reduce for one minute on a high heat.
4. Season to taste, adding more lemon juice if necessary. Transfer the salmon onto warmed plates, stir the chopped dill into the sauce and pour over the fish. Serve with a seasonal salad.

Slow Braised Ox Cheek with Pancetta & Star Anise

Tags

beef recipe, Braised Beef Recipe, hearty stew, low and slow, meat, ox cheek, Pancetta, rich recipes, rich stew, slow braising, star anise, Stew, winter recipes, winter warmer

Serves 6

Preparation time – 15 mins

Cooking Time – 5 hr 30 mins

Ingredients

• 50g butter
• 3 ox cheeks, trimmed of gristle and halved
• 2 tbsp plain flour, seasoned with 1 tsp sea salt flakes
• 150g pancetta, cut into Lardons
• 2 onions, roughly chopped
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 star anise
• 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 4 tbsp tomato purée
• 400 ml good red wine
• 100 ml Port
• 400 ml beef stock

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 150°C/fan 130°C/gas 2. In a flameproof casserole that will fit the wine and ox cheeks snugly, melt the butter over a medium heat.
2. Roll the ox cheeks in the seasoned flour, then pat off any excess. When the butter sizzles, add the meat. Cook, turning until well browned all over (you may need to do this in batches). Remove the meat and set aside.
3. Add the lardons and fry until lightly coloured. Add the onions and the bay leaves and cook for 6-8 minutes until the onions are just soft. Stir in the garlic, then the tomato purée. Stir occasionally until the purée starts to catch the bottom of the pan, then cook for 3 minutes more.
4. Add the wine, port and beef stock, then return the meat to the casserole. Bring the stew to barely a simmer, then cover and put to the oven. Cook for 5 hours or until the cheeks are tender when prodded with a cutlery knife. Turn the cheeks occasionally during the cooking time.
5. Season to taste, then serve with mash or dauphinoise and seasonal veg.

 

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.

Aromatic Spiced Chicken and Apricots with Giant Couscous

Tags

apricot, aromatic, Chicken, Chilli, cinnamon, cumin, Giant Couscous, healthy, hearty, Merchant Gourmet, Middle Eastern, One pot recipe, Paprika, spices, Spicy, warming meals

Serves 4

Preparation time – 30 mins

Cooking time – 35 mins

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 2 onions, sliced
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp mild paprika
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 500g chicken breast, cubed weight
• 1300ml warm chicken stock
• 200ml boiling water
• 250g pack dried apricots, halved
• 300g Merchant Gourmet giant couscous
• 200g fine green beans
• 1 bunch of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
• 1 lemon, zested and half juiced

Method:

1. Coat the chicken in all the spices, and leave to marinade for 20 minutes.
2. Heat the oil in a medium pan and cook the onion for 3-4 minutes on a gentle heat until softened.
3. Add the chicken and fry for a further 3 minutes.
4. Pour in half of the stock, bring to the boil then cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Add the apricots, giant couscous and remaining stock and simmer for a further 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure the couscous doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
6. Add the beans and boiling water and cook with the lid on for a further 5 minutes until the beans are cooked to an al dente texture.
7. Season with salt and pepper, lemon juice, and then sprinkle the chopped coriander and lemon zest on top.

Roquito® and Fire-roasted Red Pepper Ratatouille

Tags

Aubergine, balsamic vinegar, fire roasted red peppers, French Cuisine, French peasant recipe, Healthy recipe, hearty recipe, Merchant Gourmet, Ratatouille, Roquito, Roquito peppers, tomatoes, traditional French, Vegetable dish, Vegetable recipe, vegetarian recipe, winter recipe

 

Serves 4

Preparation time – 20 mins

Cooking time – 3 hrs

Ingredients:

• 4 tomatoes, diced
• 100g Roquito® Peppers, Diced
• 400g Merchant Gourmet Chefs fire-roasted red peppers
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, cut into small dice
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 sprigs of thyme, plus the leaves of 1 sprig
• 2 teaspoons Merchant Gourmet balsamic vinegar 
• 3 courgettes, sliced
• 1 aubergine, sliced
• 4 plum tomatoes, sliced
• 200g cherry tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon Merchant Gourmet extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Method:

1. Heat the olive oil over a low heat, add the onion and cook until very soft, but not browned (about 8 minutes), adding 3 cloves of minced garlic 5 minutes in. Stir in the diced Roquito®, tomatoes and juices, as well as the sprigs of thyme, and simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated (10 mins).
2. Remove the thyme, season to taste, and stir in the balsamic vinegar.
3. Spread the sauce on the bottom of an oven dish, then arrange the sliced courgette, aubergine and tomato on top.
4. Mix the cherry tomatoes and remaining clove of garlic with the olive oil and thyme leaves, season and sprinkle over the top. Cover tightly with foil, and put in the oven for 2 hours at 140°C until the vegetables are tender.
5. Remove the foil, and cook for 30 minutes more – if the top starts to brown, cover loosely with the foil again.
6. Serve with crusty bread and olive oil.