What the Heck - a Valentines Peck heart-shaped sausage ! (review)

You may remember, last year we reviewed some Heck sausages from the lovely Debbie & Andrew - click through to read my original review - so we were delighted to receive a delivery of some of their high class bangers to review.

You may have noticed that I'm going to give the Dukan 2 diet a try, which means eating lots of lean meat for protein. The Chicken Italia sausages are perfect as they contain less than 3% fat - that's 70% less fat than a standard pork sausage. They are made with juicy British chicken breast and thigh with basil, tomatoes and mozzarella and they are labelled as gluten-free and low fat.

You get no gristle, no chunks of fat, just pure lean meat with extra natural ingredients which blend to create a really delicious sausage. The Chicken Italia sausages got a resounding thumbs up at The Madhouse for taste, quality and healthiness, so I was delighted to see that they have extended the range with the addition of  'skinny' chicken balls and burgers based on the same award-winning recipe. (HECK Chicken Italia Balls (£3/340g/12 balls) have just gone on sale at Tesco this month and the Chicken Italia Burgers will follow later in the spring.)

They also have a lovely product that is perfect for Valentine's Day - Peck heart-shaped sausage patties. How about popping one of these on top of the heart-shaped crumpets from ASDA for the ultimate romantic breakfast in bed ?! They are  available to buy from Waitrose, Asda and Tesco and via mail order from www.heckfood.co.uk throughout February, £2.99 for four but don't hang about because they are limited edition.

Heck say that they are perfect  served between two slices of bread (heart-shaped too if possible) and with a generous squeeze of brown sauce or ketchup, but if you fancy something a bit more elaborate, they have a couple of recipes that will get your Valentine's celebrations off with a bang(er) !

PECK Eggs Benedict

Ensure you use fresh eggs for this recipe as it helps them retain their shape during cooking.

Serves 2

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

2 PECK Heart Sausages (available from Asda, Waitrose and Tesco throughout February)

2 slices rustic bread, toasted

1 medium tomato

Sprinkle of dried oregano or a few chopped fresh oregano leaves

1 tsp olive oil, for drizzling

2 tbsp Hollandaise sauce

2 medium eggs

To serve; fresh oregano or thyme leaves (optional) and cracked black pepper

Method

1. Cut the tomato in half, season and scatter with oregano. Drizzle the tomatoes with a little olive oil and place under a preheated medium grill for 18 - 20 minutes along with the PECK heart sausages, turn the sausages half way through the cooking time.

2. Either slice the bread or cut a heart shape from each bread slice and lightly toast.

3. Meanwhile, fill a large, shallow pan with water (about 3cm deep) and bring to a simmer. Place into the water two heart shaped moulds. Then break the eggs into separate small cups (again to help maintain their shape when they're placed in the pan). Gently tip the eggs into the moulds and poach for 2-3 minutes or cooked to your liking.

4. Warm the Hollandaise sauce in a bowl in the microwave or in a small pan

5. To serve, place one tomato half on each piece of toast. Top with the Peck heart sausages.

6. Once the eggs are poached, drain them with a draining spoon and place on top of the sausage. Spoon a tablespoon of Hollandaise sauce onto the eggs. Garnish with fresh oregano or thyme leaves and cracked black pepper.

Or how about this, for a gourmet dinner à deux? The champagne sauce can easily be subsituted with a good veg or chicken stock to make if a family-friendly 'loved up' supper too!

PECK heart sausage with Potato Rosti, Wilted Spinach and Mushroom Champagne Sauce

Serves 2

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

2 PECK Heart Sausages (available from Asda, Waitrose and Tesco throughout February)

275g New Potatoes, boiled for 5 minutes and grated

Sauce

1 tbsp olive oil

1 shallot or small onion halved and thinly diced

1 cloves garlic, crushed

110g baby chestnut mushrooms, sliced

150ml dry Champagne or Sparkling Wine (can be substituted with a good vegetable or chicken stock)

50ml vegetable stock

75ml crème Fraiche

85g Fresh Spinach

Seasoning

Sprinkling of chopped fresh parsley for serving

Method

1. Cook the PECK heart sausages under a medium grill for 18 – 20 minutes, turning occasionally.

2. Heat ½ the oil in a frying pan over a moderate heat, add the diced onions, garlic and mushrooms, fry 5 – 8 minutes until the onions and mushrooms are soft.

3. Season the grated potatoes, divide into 2, dust hands with flour and bring the potatoes together to make 2 potato cakes. In another fry pan, heat the remaining oil and fry the potatoes over a medium heat for 10 – 15 minutes, turning occasionally.

4. Pour the stock and the Champagne into the pan with the mushrooms; increase the heat until the liquid is reduced to a 1/3.

5. Combine the Crème Fraiche and seasoning in a small bowl and then add to the frying pan and stir until mixture has thickened.

6. Place the spinach in a pan with 1 tbsp of boiling water, cover and cook for 30 seconds to a minute to allow the spinach to wilt down.

7. Serve the potato rosti cake with the wilted spinach on top followed by the PECK heart sausage, spoon over the sauce and serve sprinkled with the chopped parsley and cracked black pepper.

for more information :  http://heckfood.co.uk

Disclosure : We received the products in order to write an honest review.