Meals In Minutes...

Harrisa couscous with golden chicken supremes & roast beetroot...

Cooking time: 10-15 min

Preparation time: 25-30 mins

Serves: 2

Vegetarian: No

Ingredients

2 tsp vegetable oil

2 chicken supremes

1, 250g packet of cooked beetroot, (the size varies, 3-4) each cut into 2cm wedges

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

3 tbsp olive or chilli oil

¼ mild fresh red chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped

2 tbsp sliced mint

1, 250g packet of ready to eat harissa couscous

Salt and caster sugar

Method

Pre-heat your oven to 200c/ 400f /Gas 6 upper middle shelf. Boil your kettle.

Start with the chicken supremes. Get a medium sized ovenproof pan. Put it on a medium heat. Add the vegetable oil and get it hot. Season the chicken supremes with salt. Add them to the pan and fry, skin side down, over a medium to high heat, for 5-7 minutes until the skin is golden. Put the beetroot wedges around the outside of the chicken supremes in the pan. Put the pan in your pre-heated oven and roast, with the chicken still skin side down, for 10-12 minutes. Take the pan out of your oven turn the chicken skin side up on top of the beetroot. Leave to rest for 5 minutes.

While the chicken roasts, make the dressing. Get a medium sized bowl. Add the balsamic vinegar, 3 tbsp olive or chilli oil, chilli and sliced mint. Season to taste with salt and caster sugar.

Heat the harissa couscous according to the instructions on the pack. Serve with the chicken, roast beetroot and dressing.

Tomato couscous with chicken legs & mangetout

Cooking time: 25-30 mins

Preparation time: 15-20 mins

Serves: 2

Vegetarian: No

Ingredients

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 corn fed chicken legs

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

3 tbsp extra virgin olive or sunblush oil

60g SunBlush Peppers

1 small pack (80-100g) mangetout or sugar snap peas

1 small orange

Half a bunch (supermarket size) chives, thinly sliced

1, 250g pouch of ready to eat tomato couscous

Salt, caster sugar and cayenne pepper

Method

Pre-heat your oven to 200c/ 400f /Gas 6 upper middle shelf. Boil your kettle.

Start with the chicken legs; get a medium sized ovenproof pan. Put it on a medium to high heat. Add the vegetable oil and get it hot. Season the chicken legs with salt and cayenne pepper. Fry the legs, skin side down for 4-6 minutes until they are golden brown. Put the pan in the oven and roast for 15 minutes. Take the pan out of the oven and drain the fat. Turn the chicken legs skin side up and leave to rest for 5 minutes.

While the chicken roasts, make the dressing. Get a medium sized bowl. Add the vinegar, 3 tbsp olive or SunBlush oil, SunBlush Peppers and sliced chives. Grate or zest the orange zest over the top. Peel the orange with a sharp knife. Cut the segments out of the white membranes and add these to the dressing. Season to taste with salt, cayenne pepper and caster sugar.

Put a colander in your sink. Fill a pan with boiling water from your kettle. Add salt. Bring back to the boil, add the mangetout, bring back to the boil, boil for 3 minutes or until tender. Drain the mangetout in your colander. Return them to the pan, sauté for 20 seconds to evaporate the last of the water. Season to taste.

Heat the tomato couscous according to the instructions on the pack. Serve with the chicken legs, mangetout and dressing.

Moroccan couscous with lamb cutlets & rocket salad

Cooking time: 15-20 mins


Preparation time: 15-20 mins

Serves: 2

Vegetarian: No

Ingredients

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

3 tbsp extra virgin olive, garlic or basil oil

4 dried apricots, diced 1/2cm

4 tbsp pomegranate seeds (about ½ a small pomegranate)

2 heaped tbsp sliced mint

1 tbsp vegetable oil

4 lamb cutlets

4 tbsp water

40g rocket (half a small pack)

125g (half a typical punnet) baby plum tomatoes, halved

1, 250g pouch of ready to eat Moroccan couscous

Salt, caster sugar and raz-el-hanout or cumin

Method

Pre-heat your oven to 200c/ 400f /Gas 6 upper middle shelf.

Start with the dressing. Get a medium bowl. Add the vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, diced apricots, pomegranate seeds and mint. Stir to combine the ingredients then season to taste with salt, sugar and raz-el-hanout. Put the dressing next to your cooker. Put a plate with a rack on top and a bowl to drain fat into next to your cooker.

Get a medium sized ovenproof pan. Put it on a high heat. Add the vegetable oil and get it hot. Season the lamb cutlets with salt and raz-el-hanout or cumin. Put them into the pan and fry them for 2 minutes each side. Put the pan into your pre-heated oven for 2 minutes to roast. Put the lamb cutlets onto the rack and drain the fat into the bowl. Add the water to your pan. Bring to the boil and turn off the heat. Scrape all of the meaty goodies off the base of the pan then add this meaty liquid to the dressing.

While the lamb fries and roasts, put the rocket and halved baby plum tomatoes onto your plates.

Heat the Moroccan couscous according to the instructions on the pack. Serve with the lamb cutlets, rocket salad, tomatoes and the dressing

Guest Post Credits- Merchant Gourmet