Braised Duck With Spiced Lentils And Lime Onions Recipes

WINE-BRAISED DUCK WITH LENTILS AND WINTER VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Trim the duck legs, keeping the skin intact but removing any extraneous fat. Lay them in one layer on a baking sheet and season generously on both sides with salt and pepper.
• Heat a large skillet or Dutch oven on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Add duck legs, skin-side down, and cook until nicely browned, about 10 minutes. (The legs will render a fair amount of fat as they cook.) Flip and cook for about 5 minutes more, until lightly browned. Remove legs from pan and set aside.
• Pour off all but 3 tablespoons fat from the pan (reserve it for another use). Place pan back on the stove over medium heat. Add onion, carrot and celery, salt lightly, and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in bay leaf, thyme sprig, fennel seed and allspice. Continue to cook, stirring, until vegetable mixture is lightly browned, about 5 minutes more.
• Add tomato paste and flour to vegetable mixture and stir well to coat. Cook for a minute or so, then add chicken broth and wine and bring to a simmer. Return duck legs to pan in one layer, skin-side up. (The liquid will not completely cover the legs.)
• Cover pan and bake for about 45 minutes, until legs are tender when probed with the tip of a paring knife.
• Cook the lentils: Pick over lentils for rocks and debris, then rinse well. Place in a saucepan with a good pinch of salt. Using the cloves, pin the bay leaf to the onion. Add to the pot along with thyme sprig. Cover lentils with water by about 2 inches and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, covered with lid ajar, until tender, about 20 to 30 minutes. Taste often so that lentils are neither under nor over-cooked. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.
• When duck legs are cooked, remove from the oven and reduce the heat to 225 degrees. Transfer duck legs to an ovenproof serving dish, cover, and keep warm in the oven. Pour braising liquid into a saucepan. Spoon off any fat that rises to the surface and discard. Simmer braising liquid over medium heat until slightly thickened. Pour liquid over duck legs in the serving dish.
• Meanwhile, cook the vegetables: Bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add carrots, celery root and parsnips. Simmer until tender, about 8 to 10 minutes, then drain and toss gently with butter. Sprinkle with half the parsley and chives.
• To serve, place a duck leg, some lentils and a spoonful of vegetables on each plate. Spoon sauce over duck leg and finish with more parsley and chives. Alternatively, pass everything on platters, family-style.

SPICED DUCK WITH FIGS & RUBY SPICED RICE

Steps:

• Score the duck diagonally with a sharp knife. In a large bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the marinade. Add the duck breast to the marinade and toss to coat it completely. Cover and leave in the fridge to marinate for one to two hours.
• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C (400 degrees F/Gas Mark 6).
• Remove the duck breasts from the marinade, reserving the remaining liquid in a small sauce pan. Pat the duck breasts completely dry with kitchen paper. Sprinkle them all over generously with sea salt and five spice powder.
• Place the duck skin side down in a large heavy based pan with an oven proof handle. Cook the breasts over a low to medium heat for about 6 to 8 minutes or until the fat begins to render out and the skin has good colour.
• Spoon off any excess fat (this can be saved in a sealed jar in the fridge for roast potatoes). Turn the breasts and then add in the figs tossing to coat in the juices.
• Place the pan in the oven to cook for 10 minutes. Bring the reserved marinade to a steady simmer over a high heat and reduce until slightly thickened.
• Once cooked, rest the duck breasts for 5 minutes under tin foil on a chopping board. Slice thinly and transfer to warmed plates. Spoon over the reduced sauce and serve with the warm figs, salad leaves and toasted hazelnuts.