Duck Legs With Cabbage And Tomatoes Recipes

Steps:

• Lightly score the skin of the duck breasts, then generously season with the peppercorns and a sprinkling of salt. Lay the duck breasts, skin-side down, in a non-stick sauté pan, then place over a low heat. Leave the duck for 15 mins to brown and release its fat, then flip over onto the flesh side for 5 mins.
• Remove the duck from the pan, then turn up the heat. Add the potatoes to the pan, fry until brown and crisp, then scatter over the parsley and garlic. Scoop out with a slotted spoon onto a plate, then season with salt.
• Keep the pan on the heat. Fry the bacon until crisp, then add the cabbage. Cook for 1 min, add a splash of water, then fry for 2 mins, just until the cabbage is wilted. While the cabbage is cooking, whisk any juices from the duck with the vinegar and olive oil. To serve, carve the duck breast into slices. Fan out on large dinner plates, spoon a neat bundle of cabbage on one side, then pile a serving of potatoes on the other. Drizzle over the dressing and serve.

Steps:

• Trim the fat from under the skin around the duck legs. Combine the salt, pepper and rosemary. Sprinkle the mixture on the legs and let them marinate at room temperature for two hours.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a cast iron casserole and place the duck legs skin side down. Cook slowly for 20 minutes, until the legs are evenly browned. Pour the excess fat off as you cook.
• Remove the legs from the pan and leave in one tablespoon duck fat. Add the onion and cook until soft. Add the cabbage, balsamic vinegar, pepper to taste and cook until the cabbage is wilted. Place the cabbage in a baking dish and put the duck legs on top. Spread the tomatoes over the top, cover and bake for one-and-a-half hours or until the duck legs are tender.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• On the stove, heat a small roasting pan (I use one like a slightly oversized tarte tatin pan) and sear the duck legs, skin-side down over medium heat until the skin turns golden and gives out some oil.
• Turn the legs over, and take the pan off the heat while you cut the potatoes into 1-inch slices across, then cut each slice into 4. Arrange these potato pieces around the duck legs, then let a few sprigs of thyme fall over the duck and potatoes, and season with salt and pepper, before putting into the preheated oven.
• Cook for two hours, occasionally turning the potatoes, for optimal outcome, which is tender duck legs and crispy potatoes, though both will be ready to eat after 1 1/2 hours.
• Making leftovers right: If you have even a small amount of meat left, you could bag and mark it up and store it in the freezer for up to two months for future use. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. and season duck legs with salt and pepper.
• In a heavy kettle just large enough to hold legs in one layer, cook legs, skin sides down, over moderately high heat 10 to 15 minutes, or until skin in scrip and mahogany colored, removing fat from kettle as it is rendered with a metal bulb baster (or very carefully tilting the kettle and spooning off). Turn legs over and cook until browned on the other side, about 2 minutes, transferring to a plate.
• Pour off fat from kettle and deglaze with wine, scraping up brown bits. Boil wine until reduced to a syrup and add garlic, thyme and 1/2 cup dried fruit. Return duck legs, skin sides up, to kettle and add broth. Bring mixture to a simmer and braise, uncovered, in oven 2 hours, or until legs are very tender. Transfer legs to a platter and keep warm.
• Pour braising mixture into a 1-quart measuring cup and let stand until fat rises to the top. Skim off fat and pour liquid through a sieve into a saucepan, pressing hard on solids. Boil liquid until reduced by about one third and slightly thickened and add remaining 1/2 cup dried fruit. Simmer sauce until fruit is softened, about 5 minutes, and season with salt and pepper.
• Serve duck legs with sauce and noodles or roasted and mashed potatoes.

Steps:

• Heat a small saucepan (one with a lid) on a medium heat. Season the breast, lay it skin side down in the pan and reduce the heat to the lowest it will go. Leave to sizzle for about 15 minutes, uncovered, until the skin is golden and crisp and has rendered most of its fat. Don't shake the pan or move the duck.
• Remove the duck (the meat side will be raw). Pour out just over half the fat (save it for frying vegetables another time) and turn up the heat slightly. Add the bacon and fry for 2-3 minutes until starting to crisp. Add the potato, cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potato looks sticky and has just started to brown at the edges.
• Tip in the cabbage and stir until glossy, then pour in the stock. Nestle the duck, skin side up, among the cabbage and potato and cover the pan. Simmer gently for 10 minutes until the veg is tender and the duck cooked. Remove the duck from the pan and stir in the parsley and garlic. To serve, spoon the veg, bacon and juice on to a plate and sit the duck on top. Pour a glass of wine and enjoy the flavours of autumn.

Steps:

• Disjoint the duck. Remove each leg with the full thigh attached. Remove the wings, then carve off each breast in one boneless piece. Set aside the breast and leg pieces and a two-inch square of easily removed fat. The remainder of the duck is not needed.
• Combine the pepper, thyme and bay leaf and rub the mixture into the flesh side of each duck piece. Set the pieces skin side down on a plate, cover tightly with plastic wrap and set aside in a cool place for six to eight hours.
• At least two, not more than six, hours before serving, prepare the pickle. Select eight dark green, medium-sized leaves of Savoy and set aside. Core both kinds of the cabbage, then finely shred four cups worth of the Savoy and three cups of the green cabbage, loosely packed.
• Put the eight tablespoons of salt in a large, nonreactive bowl and add two cups of hot water. Stir until the salt dissolves, then add the rice vinegar and four cups of cold water. Dip the Savoy leaves in one by one and remove. Add the shredded cabbages and daikon, stir well, then hold the vegetables aside and put the Savoy leaves in the bottom of the bowl. Marinate one-and-a-half to two hours, or until the vegetables are translucent and limp but still firm to the bite.
• Scoop out the cut vegetables, leaving the leaves to marinate. Press the vegetables in a colander to remove all liquid, then refrigerate.
• Cook the duck legs at least one-and-a-half hours before serving. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Dice the reserved fat, place in a small, heavy skillet and cook over medium heat until the pan is well filmed with fat. Discard solids, wipe spices from duck legs and lay them flesh side down in the pan. Prick the fat in several places, cover the pan and bake for 45 minutes or until the meat is completely cooked.
• Drain and reserve the fat. Cool the duck legs to lukewarm, then remove the skin and bones, shred the meat and set aside, covered.
• About 10 minutes before serving, preheat the broiler. Drain the Savoy cabbage leaves, pat dry and use them with the red lettuce to line four large plates. Set aside.
• Combine the pickled mixture with the wood ears (if using), chives, tarragon and half of the radishes and carrot strips. Combine the shallots in a small bowl with the salt and vinegar. Add the walnut oil, mustard, creme fraiche and pepper to the shallots, stir well and toss with the vegetables.
• Wipe the spice mixture from the duck breasts, dry the meat and skin thoroughly. With a razor blade or very sharp knife, score the skin in small diamonds. Film a heated broiler pan with the reserved fat from the duck legs, place the duck breasts on it flesh side down and broil about four inches from the heat for six or seven minutes -until the skin is brown and crisp and the meat rose-rare.
• While the breasts broil, reheat the leg shreds in a small covered pan with one tablespoon of water.
• To serve, center a portion of leg meat on each leaf-lined plate and cover completely with the cabbage mixture. Slice the breasts on the diagonal into eight pieces each and arrange four slices on top of each bed. Decorate with reserved radishes and carrots, pour any collected juices over the meat and serve at once.

Steps:

• At least 24 hours before serving, mix the salt, pepper and herbs, except the thyme sprigs, in a large bowl. Add the duck legs and rub in the herby salt until well coated. Cover and leave overnight or up to 24 hours in the fridge.
• Next day, wipe the salty mixture from the duck legs and place them in a single, tight-fitting layer in the base of a pan. Add the bay leaves from the bowl and pour over the goose fat. If it doesn't cover the duck, top up with the groundnut oil. Cook over the lowest possible heat for 2½ hours, so the fat barely bubbles. The duck skin should be creamy rather than golden once cooked. Transfer the legs to a bowl and strain in the fat, pushing the duck under until fully submerged. (The duck can now be chilled and refrigerated for up to 1 month.)
• While the duck is cooking (or up to 2 days ahead of the meal), make the madeira gravy and cabbage. For the gravy, melt the butter in a small pan, add the shallots and cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring until golden. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring all the time, until the flour browns - take care not to let it burn. Whisk in the stock and continue whisking over the heat until slightly thickened. Add the madeira and cook for 2 minutes more. Strain through a sieve into a bowl. (The gravy can now be cooled and chilled for up to 2 days.)
• For the cabbage, scoop 2 tbsp of the goose fat from the duck as it cooks (if making at another time use olive oil) and put into a medium pan. Add the shallots and cook, stirring, until softened. Tip in the juniper berries and cabbage and cook over a fairly high heat until the cabbage starts to soften. Stir in the vinegar, orange juice, raisins and redcurrant jelly. Cover and leave to cook for 15 minutes, stirring now and then until tender. (Cool and chill for up to 2 days if making ahead.)
• On the day, preheat the oven to fan 180C/ conventional 200C/gas 6. Remove the duck legs from the fat and wipe away any excess with kitchen paper. Put the duck on a wire rack in a roasting tin and top each leg with a sprig of thyme. Roast for 10 minutes, then add the creamy wild mushroom potatoes to the oven (see recipe, below) and cook with the duck for 30 minutes, or until the duck skin is golden. Meanwhile, reheat the cabbage and gravy in separate pans until piping hot.
• To serve, put a generous spoonful of cabbage on serving plates and sit the duck legs on top. Spoon round the gravy and serve with the potatoes. For a green vegetable, quickly stir fry some sugar snaps.

Steps:

• Put duck legs, skin side down, in a skillet large enough to accommodate all ingredients comfortably; turn heat to medium. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Brown duck legs carefully and evenly, sprinkling them with salt and pepper as they cook. Meanwhile, peel and dice vegetables.
• When legs are nicely browned, turn them over and sear for just a minute or two. Remove to a plate; remove all but enough fat to moisten vegetables. Add vegetables to skillet along with some salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Return duck legs to pan, skin side up, and add stock; it should come about halfway up duck legs but should not cover them. Turn heat to high, bring to a boil, and transfer to oven.
• Cook for 30 minutes, then lower heat to 350 degrees. Continue to cook, undisturbed, until duck is tender and liquid reduced, at least another half hour. The duck is done when a thin-bladed knife pierces the meat with little resistance. When done, duck will hold nicely in a warm oven for another hour. Serve hot.