Merry Christmas everyone. We just finished dinner, watched a movie and here I am. This year I made something different. My husband first suggested that we cook the duck I bought the other day. He just wanted the regular duck we usually have with couscous and veggies. But I had other plans. My friend Batta was coming from Minneapolis with her daughter, and they were spending the day with us. Duck sounded good, and I already wanted to make something different. I was reminded the other day by an article in the NY Times of a duck recipe my mammina used to make. But as I remember, it was rather complicated. This is probably why I never tried it before. But Christmas seemed a good occasion to try something new, especially that my husband has asked for duck, and I happened to have two at home. As usual I had no intention to follow the recipe mainly because it was complicated: it called for roasting the duck pieces in the oven, then cook them in the sauce, then put them back in the oven to finish cooking. I was definitely not going to do all that. Also it kept the skin on the duck pieces, something I had decided long ago I would never do. Too much fat. The obvious solution was to tweak the recipe as much as I could in order to have duck, but my way. It came out perfect, light, tender and delicious. Most of all it was easy to make.
ITALIAN DUCK WITH OLIVE GREMOLATA
The basic idea of this dish is not difficult, but the original recipe is. You should roast the duck pieces in a hot oven in order to allow them to render the fat, then after you cook them in the sauce, you cook them again in the oven, and during all this process, you keep skimming the fat...that's too much work for me. Since I decided to prepare dinner the day before, my tweaking idea was just the right idea for this dish. I decided to cook it until the very last step, then finish cooking it on Christmas day. That made things easier for me: I will not be working in the kitchen while my friend sits outside with my husband and mom. I had two ducks of about 5.40 lb each. The recipe calls for duck legs, but I'll use the 4 legs and two breasts. Will it make a difference? we'll see. So, I prepared everything the night before, and left only the veggies and the gremolata for today. They will be done in minutes. You'll need:
6 duck pieces (it should be 6 legs, I used 4 legs and 2 breasts)
1/2 onion, plus 4 garlic cloves
1 and 1/2 carrot very finely chopped
1 heart of celery finely chopped plus a few sprigs of thyme
Peel of 1 small orange, no white part
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp toasted, coarsely ground fennel seeds
2 bay leaves
3 oz tomato paste, plus 1(14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with liquid
1 cup red wine, optional
2 cups stock
1 tbsp oil
Salt and pepper
Remove the skin from the ducks with a sharp knife. For best results try to do that while the bird is still firm, not completely defrosted. With sharp kitchen scissors, cut the legs and the breasts. Keep 2 breasts to use later. Make sure that you remove all the visible fat from the pieces. Use the neck, wings and carcass to make stock while you prepare the other ingredients. Rub the duck pieces with the spices and salt and pepper, and let stand for about 30 minutes while you chop the vegetables. In the small chop chop, process the onion and garlic to a fine mix. Remove to a small bowl, then chop the carrots and orange peel. Also finely chop the celery and the thyme. In a large non stick deep skillet heat 1/2 tbsp oil and brown the duck pieces on all sides. Remove the pieces to a platter. Add the remaining oil to the skillet, add the onion and garlic and stir for about 4 minutes until fragrant. Add the carrots, celery, thyme and orange peel and cook until tender, about 4 minutes more. Add the tomato paste and stir to combine. Add the diced tomatoes and the wine if using it. If not, substitute with a cup of stock. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes until the sauce if formed. Add the duck pieces with any juices accumulated in the plate, stir then add 1 cup of stock. Adjust seasoning. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and keep cooking covered for about 45 minutes. Check every now and then in case it needs some more stock. When the duck is tender when poked with a fork, turn the heat off and keep it for the next day. When you are ready, transfer the duck pieces to a low baking dish that would hold them all in one layer. Ladle the sauce over the pieces and bake uncovered in a 375 degree oven until the sauce is bubbling and the duck pieces lightly browned on top, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with olive gremolata and serve with yellow rice and a side of sauteed asparagus.
The duck breast turned out as delicious as the leg!
OLIVE GREMOLATA
It's very easy to make. Just make sure that you prepare it not more than one hour ahead. Just mix together :
1 cup of fresh flat leaf parsley
1 can (6 oz) black olives, pitted and finely chopped
1 small jar (2.5 oz) of green olives, pitted and finely chopped
2 tbsp capers, chopped
1/2 tsp each orange zest and lemon zest
1 garlic clove very finely chopped
This may be a bit more than what you'll need to top the duck dish, but I didn't mind, I had something in mind for it. I'll use the leftover tomorrow.
TIP: If you have leftover sauce, the next day , zap it in the blender until smooth, thin it a little bit with some stock, add some angel hair pasta and cook until the pasta is done. You'll have a delicious vegetable/duck soup for lunch. I served it with a toasted slice of bread.
For the leftover gremolata: cook some green lentils in water until tender, let cool, add the gremolata, a drop of oil, lemon juice, cumin and salt to taste. Serve with a mixed salad, and you'll have another delicious lunch.
For the leftover gremolata: cook some green lentils in water until tender, let cool, add the gremolata, a drop of oil, lemon juice, cumin and salt to taste. Serve with a mixed salad, and you'll have another delicious lunch.
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