Chinese-style Braised Duck Legs

Ingredients

5 duck legs
2 tangerine peel
2 star anise
3 slices ginger
2 sprigs green onion

Marinade

1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine

Seasoning

2 cups chicken stock
1-1/2 tsp sugar

Method

1. Soak tangerine peels until soft and scrape out seeds. Wash duck legs, pat dry and marinate for 1/2 hour.
2. Heat 4 tbsp oil in a wok, pan fry duck until both sides are golden. Then saute ginger, green onion and star anise till fragrant.
3. Pour in seasoning and tangerine peel, bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer for about 40 minutes until duck meat is tender. Remove and cut duck into pieces. Spoon sauce over duck and serve.

Source: Cook It Easy

Peruvian-style Stewed Duck

Ingredients

1 x 4-1/2 lb duck, cut into 6 pieces
1 tablespoon ground cumin
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup beef or duck broth
1 cup white wine
4 tablespoons Yellow Chili Paste
fried yucca-root batons to serve (optional)
salt and pepper

Kumquat Syrup

10-1/2 oz kumquats
7 oz granulated sugar

Method

1. To make the kumquat syrup, thoroughly wash and dry the kumquats and cut them in half. Place in a pan with 1-1/2 cups water, bring to a boil, and cook until softened. Add the sugar and continue to cook, without stirring, until a syrup forms. Set aside.
2. For the stew, place the duck in a bowl, add the cumin and half the chopped garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Pour in the orange juice and marinate for 10 minutes, covered in plastic wrap and placed in the refrigerator.
3. Heat the oil in a skillet or frying pan over medium heat, add the duck pieces, reserving the marinade, and brown on all sides. Remove and drain on paper towels.
4. Place the duck in a pan and pour in the broth, white wine, and marinade. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 2 hours, until the duck is tender. Set aside.
5. In a separate pan, heat the remaining oil over low heat, add the chili paste and remaining chopped garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Cook gently, stirring, for 6 minutes until the paste has thickened and become fragrant.
6. Add the duck to the pan and pour in 1 cup of the duck cooking liquid. Bring to a simmer and cook for a few minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary.
7. Ladle the duck stew into large shallow bowls and serve with the kumquat syrup.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Peru

---

Appetizer with Turkey and Tomato

Ingredients

1 lb ground turkey meat
4 green onions, finely minced
1/4 cup each of minced mint leaves, cilantro and Italian parsley
finely grated zest from 1 lemon
1 garlic clove, very finely minced
1/4 tsp sea salt
freshly ground white pepper
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups baby arugula, washed and spun dry

Tomato Confit

1 can (28 oz) plum tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and very finely minced
juice from 1 lemon
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp finely chopped Italian parsley
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. To make the confit, drain tomatoes and squeeze out seeds. Finely dice and place in bowl along with garlic, jalapeno and lemon juice. Fold together. In small bowl, whisk oil, vinegar and parsley together. Drizzle over tomatoes and add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to marinate while preparing turkey meatballs.
2. Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Combine meatball ingredients except olive oil and arugula in medium-sized bowl. Work mixture together using hands until evenly mixed. Dampening hands with water, shape turkey mixture into 1-inch round balls and place in single layer on baking sheet. Lightly brush with olive oil. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through and inner temperature reads 170ºF (77ºC) when tested with meat thermometer.
4. To serve, place a few arugula leaves on each of 6 serving dishes. Top with a few turkey meatballs and spoon some Tomato Confit over top.

Makes 6 servings.

Source: Sage magazine

French-style Stewed Duck Legs

Ingredients

6 duck legs
sea salt and black pepper
1 small onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 small carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
1 celery stalk, trimmed and roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 thyme sprig
1 rosemary sprig
1 bay leaf
1-3/4 cups dry red wine
1-3/4 cups port
splash of Madeira
6 cups chicken stock
2 cups veal stock, or extra chicken stock

Method

1. Trim the fat and skins from the sides of the duck legs, then season with salt and pepper. Heat a wide skillet until hot. In two batches, pan-fry the duck legs for 4 to 5 minutes, turning until golden brown all over. (You don’t need to add oil to the skillet.) Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate and set aside. Reserve the fat.
2. Heat 2 tbsp of the rendered duck fat in a large heavy pan or a cast-iron casserole. Add the chopped onion, carrot, celery, and garlic and pan-fry over high heat for 4 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently, until golden brown. Throw in the herbs and deglaze the pan with the wine, port, and Madeira. Bring to a boil and let bubble vigorously until the liquid has reduced and is thick and syrupy. Drain off any fat from the duck legs, then add them to the pan and pour in the stocks. If necessary, add a little boiling water to cover them. Bring to a simmer and cook gently for 2 hours until the duck meat is very tender. Let the duck legs cool in the braising stock.
3. Once cooled, remove the duck legs from the pan and set aside. Strain the braising stock through a fine strainer into a clean pan and boil until reduced to a syrupy glaze. Skim off any fat or scum from the surface and check the seasoning.
4. When ready to serve, gently reheat the duck legs in the reduced sauce, spooning the sauce over them to glaze, and finish the potatoes and carrots. Serve each duck leg with a portion of garlic potatoes and cilantro carrots.

Makes 6 servings.

Source: Gordon Ramsay’s Maze

French-style Casserole with Duck Legs and Pork Belly

Ingredients

4 whole duck legs (about 3 lbs), preferably Moulard
Kosher salt
4 cups duck fat, melted
4 heads of garlic, cloves separated and peeled
2 tbsp whole black peppercorns
6 bay leaves
1 lb fresh garlic and pork sausages (about 4 links)
1 lb Morteau sausages (about 4 links)
1 (8-oz) piece pork belly, scored every 1/2-inch
2 medium yellow onions, cut into large dice
2 medium carrots, cut into large dice
4 sprigs thyme
2 sprigs rosemary
2 (28-oz) cans whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 (750-ml) bottle dry Riesling
3 cups dried tarbais beans
baguette, for serving

Method

1. On the first day: Heat the oven to 250°F. Rinse the duck legs and pat dry with paper towels. Arrange in a 4-qt Dutch oven and season generously with salt. Pour the duck fat over the legs along with 15 garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon peppercorns, and 3 bay leaves. Transfer the pot to the oven and bake until the duck is very tender, about 3 hours. Remove the pot from the oven and let the duck legs cool. Lift the legs from the fat and reserve 1/4 cup duck fat; save the rest of the fat for another use. Wrap the duck legs in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
2. On the second day: In an 8-qt Dutch oven, melt the 1/4 cup reserved duck fat over medium-high heat. Unwrap the duck legs and add to the pot, skin side down. Cook the legs until the skin is crisp and golden, about 7 minutes. Remove the duck legs from the pot and transfer to a bowl. Add the pork sausages to the pot, and cook, turning, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer the sausages to the bowl and return the pot to the heat.
3. Add the Morteau sausages to the pot and cook, turning, until golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the sausages from the pot and transfer to the bowl with the duck legs. Add the pork belly to the pot and cook, turning once, until golden brown on the outside, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the belly to the bowl and return the pot to medium heat.
4. Add the remaining garlic cloves and the onions to the pot and cook, stirring, until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the carrots and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes more. Tie the remaining 3 bay leaves, the thyme, and rosemary with kitchen twine and add to the pot along with the tomatoes. Return all the meats to the pot and pour in the wine. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pork belly is tender and the duck legs are falling off the bone, about 2 hours. Using tongs, transfer all of the meat to a bowl and discard the tied herbs. Using an immersion blender or working in batches with a stand blender, blend the vegetables and tomatoes to thicken the sauce and then return the meat to the pot.
5. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the beans until just tender, about 40 minutes. Drain the beans and then stir into the pot and simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let the cassoulet cool. Cover the pot and refrigerate overnight.
6. On the third day: Remove the cassoulet pot from the refrigerator and heat over low heat until the ingredients are warmed through. Remove the meats from the pot and cut the duck legs in half, the sausages into 1-inch pieces, and the pork belly into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Ladle the stew and beans into bowls, top with some of the meat, and serve with a baguette for soaking up the sauce.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Source: Dominique Ansel