Merrett’s master recipes

Michelin-star chef Paul Merrett is a popular face in the kitchen and on the TV. He regularly graces our screens to appear in food programmes, with frequent cooking slots on the BBC’s mouth-watering Saturday Kitchen.

Merrett trained as an apprentice chef at none other than London’s Ritz, but these days he can now be found cooking up a storm at his pub The Victoria in south west London.

The man himself has shared five delicious and healthy recipes with The Biggest Loser Club so you can enjoy some of Merrett's award-winning food, DIY style.

Chicken in barley and vegetable broth

Chicken breast, lean, raw, 4 small breasts, diced into chunks
Carrot, 2 carrots, peeled and cut into short, chunky lengths
Onions, 1 large, diced
Garlic, 2 cloves, chopped
Leeks, 1 medium, cut into chunky lengths
Parsnip, 1 large portion, cut into large chunks
Swede, 500g, cut into large chunks
Savoy cabbage, 250g, cut into large chunks
Rosemary, 5g
Thyme, 5g
Barley, pearl, 140g, uncooked
Chicken stock, salt reduced, prepared as directed, 1000ml
Olive oil, 1 teaspoon

Cooking instructions

Lightly fry the onion and garlic for 1 minute or until golden. Pour in the stock and pearl barley and simmer for 5 minutes, then add the carrots, parsnip and swede and cook for a further 5 minutes. Bring the broth back to a gentle simmer and add the herbs.

Meanwhile dice the chicken breast into good size chunks and add to the broth. Leave to gently simmer for 5 minutes, add the leeks and cabbage and cook for a further 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked.

The finished dish should be a thin stock-like liquid. Season with some remaining herbs before serving into bowls.

Recipe stats
Prep time	15 minutes
Coooking time	35 minutes
Calories per serving	360 calories
Serves	4 people

Spicy split yellow pea soup

Onions, 1 medium, chopped
Garlic, 3 cloves, chopped
Ginger, fresh, 2 slices
Tomato, 1 large, chopped
Celery, 2 sticks, chopped
Carrot, 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
Yellow split peas, 800g, dry - do not pre-soak
Ground cumin, 1.5 teaspoons
Chilli powder, 0.5 teaspoon, or chilli flakes
Dried garam masala, 1 teaspoon
Coriander, 1 sprig, chopped, or 1 teaspoon ground coriander
Dried fennel seeds, 0.5 teaspoon
Dried cardamon, ground, 1 teaspoon, or 1 pod, crushed
Vegetable stock cube, 1 x 6g cube
Sour cream, light (18% fat), 1 tablespoon, to serve, or low-fat yoghurt

Cooking instructions

Heat a dash of olive oil in the pan and add the onion, garlic and ginger. Cook for 1 minute, then add the tomato, celery and carrots and continue to cook for a further 2 minutes.

Add the dry yellow split peas, followed by the cumin, chilli, garam masala, coriander, fennel seeds and cardamom. Immediately cover with twice as much hot water and stir in the vegetable stock cube. Cook for about 25 minutes, until the yellow split peas are soft.

Roughly blend with a stick blender, then add the coriander.

Serve topped with a spoonful of low-fat sour cream or yoghurt.

Recipe stats
Prep time	10 minutes
Coooking time	30 minutes
Calories per serving	352 calories
Serves	8 people

Smoky lean beef and green vegetble stir-fry

Soy sauce, salt reduced, 10ml
Sweet chilli sauce, 50ml
Fresh lime juice, 0.5 portion (juice of 1 lime per portion)
Ginger, fresh, 1 slice, grated with the juice squeezed out
Garlic, 2 cloves, finely chopped
Beef, sirloin steak, lean, 100g
Green broccoli, 2 florets, or purple sprouting broccoli, chopped
Bok choy, 1 serve (75g per serve), cut into wedges
Sugar-snap peas, 50g, cut in half at an angle
Garlic, 1 clove, chopped
Ginger, fresh, 1 slice, chopped
Olive oil, 1 teaspoon, or sesame oil

Cooking instructions

Mix together the soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce, lime juice, ginger and garlic. Soak the steak in the marinade for 5 minutes, making sure it is coated well.

Meanwhile, heat a non-stick griddle pan until it is very hot. Cook the steak for 4 minutes on each side, brushing with any leftover marinade. Set aside to rest.

Add a little olive oil or sesame oil to a hot wok and stir-fry all the vegetables until tender, then add the garlic and ginger for 1 minute.

Slice the steak into strips and serve with the stir-fried veg.

Recipe stats
Prep time	10 minutes
Coooking time	15 minutes
Calories per serving	294 calories
Serves	1 people

Rare-roasted salmon on chickpea puree with warm vinaigrette

Salmon, 4 small fillets, boneless, with skin
Chickpeas, canned, drained, 1 x 400g can (drained)
Garlic, 2 cloves, chopped
Dried fennel seeds, 0.5 teaspoon
Dried paprika, 0.5 teaspoon
Chilli powder, 1 pinch, or chilli flakes
Lemon juice, fresh, 1 portion (juice of 1 lemon per portion)
Tahini paste, 1 heaped teaspoon
Olive oil, 25ml
Balsamic vinegar, 0.5 tablespoon
Shallots, 4 shallots, cut into fine rings
Chickpeas, canned, drained, 1/4 x 400g can (drained)
Cherry tomatoes, 12 medium, cut into quarters
Mint, 2 sprigs, chopped
Parsley, 1 large sprig, shredded

Cooking instructions

For the puree, drain the chickpeas and blend in a food processor with the garlic, fennel seeds, paprika and chilli. Put the mixture into a bowl and stir in the lemon juice and tahini paste, followed by a seasoning of salt and pepper. If the puree is too thick, add some hot water. Set aside and reheat in the microwave before serving.

Add a dash of olive oil to a non-stick pan and cook the salmon until coloured on all sides, but pink in the middle. Set aside.

For the vinaigrette, fry the shallot rings for 1 minute, then add ¼ can of chickpeas and tomato and cook for a further minute. Pour in the olive oil and balsamic and finally add the mint and parsley.

To serve, spoon some puree in the centre of each plate and top with a small pile of rocket leaves. Place the salmon on top and spoon over the vinaigrette.

Recipe stats
Prep time	20 minutes
Coooking time	25 minutes
Calories per serving	395 calories
Serves	4 people

Chargrilled chicken on sweet potato chips with aubergine salsa

Chicken breast, lean, raw, 4 small breasts
Ground cumin, 1 teaspoon
Coriander, 1 sprig, chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried coriander
Olive oil, 1 teaspoon
Sweet potato, 2 medium, peeled and cut into wedges
Aubergine, 2 medium, diced into 1cm cubes
Tomato, 1 large, finely diced
Garlic, 2 cloves, finely chopped
Coriander, 4 sprigs, finely shredded
Olive oil, 1 teaspoon

Cooking instructions

Mix together the coriander, cumin and olive oil and use to marinade the chicken. Cook in a griddle pan until cooked through.

In a wok, stir-fry the aubergine for approximately 5 minutes until golden brown and then allow to cool while still in the oil. Add the tomato, garlic and coriander and cook for several minutes.

Meanwhile, blanch the sweet potato wedges in boiling water for 3 minutes until tender and allow them to cool. Heat a drizzle of oil in a pan and add the wedges and fry until golden and crisp.

Plate up the wedges and chicken and spoon over the aubergine salsa.

Recipe stats
Prep time	20 minutes
Coooking time	30 minutes
Calories per serving	219 calories
Serves	4 people