Duck and Chianti lasagne

We've adapted this from a book called The Complete Cookbook, written/edited (we think!) by Weldon Owen. We've made it a few times now and improved on it slightly each time.

Ingredients (serves 4):

2 duck legs

6 rashers of pancetta

pack of mushrooms, sliced

1 onion, diced

2 leeks, sliced

1 carrot, diced

3 celery sticks, diced

4 large tomatoes, diced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

tbl sp chopped fresh rosemary

tea sp chopped fresh/dried oregano (optional)

tea sp chopped fresh sage (optional)

pinch of nutmeg

pinch of allspice

tin of chopped tomatoes

1/3 bottle of chianti

bechemel sauce

mix of cheddar and parmesan, grated

fresh or dried lasagne sheets

salt and pepper

olive oil

• Cook the duck legs in a pre heated oven until cooked through. We tend to do this the night before. Remove the skin and shred the duck meat. Set the meat aside in the fridge until needed. Save the excess liquid fat for roast potatoes.
• In a little olive oil cook the pancetta, onion, leek, celery and carrot until the pancetta is starting to crisp. Then add the mushrooms and garlic and continue to cook until the mushrooms have softened.
• Now add the fresh tomatoes, herbs, and other seasonings before adding the wine. Let it bubble for a couple of minutes on a high heat and then turn the heat down low and add the chopped tomatoes.
• After another 10 minutes or so add the reserved duck meat and leave to simmer on a low heat for at least an hour. After an hour taste it and adjust the seasoning.
• Pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees and start to asemble the lasagne. We find that this works best with a sprinkling of grated cheese between each duck ragu/lasagne sheet layer, but with the bechemel sauce only going on the very top, before being sprinkled with extra cheese.
• Cook for approx 35-40 minutes if you're using dried lasagne sheets and 20-25 minutes if you're using fresh lasagne sheets.

Duck and red wine risotto

Ingredients: (serves 2)

1 duck leg

4 rashers of pancetta

1 red onion, finely diced

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

8 chestnut mushrooms, sliced

small handful of mixed greens (optional)

1 tbl sp fresh thyme leaves

risotto rice (1 cup full)

200ml chicken stock

glass of red wine

tea sp redcurrant jelly

salt and pepper

olive oil

• Slow roast the duck leg in advance. We did this the night before. Once cooked, remove the meat from the bone, shred the meat into bite size pieces and set aside.
• In a non-stick frying pan saute the pancetta, onion and garlic in a little olive oil. After 5 minutes or so add the sliced mushrooms and fresh thyme and allow the mushrooms to soften slightly.
• Add the rice and stir through thoroughly.
• Start to add the stock and wine (alternating between the two). Keep adding liquid until the rice is cooked.
• Once the rice is almost cooked add the shredded mixed greens, cooked duck, redcurrant jelly and season with salt and pepper.
• Allow to cook for another 5 minutes or so before serving.

Rillettes

This was the first time we'd made rilletttes but it definitely won't be the last. We researched various recipes before coming up with a combination which we liked best. We had ours with hot toast and cornichons. Chutney is optional but I think it would have gone nicely with an apple or caremelised onion chutney.

Ingredients (makes about 4 greedy portions):

1 square of pork belly (approx 10cm by 10cm)

2 duck legs

1 bay leaf

leaves off 2 thyme sprigs

3 garlic cloves

1 large glass of white wine

tea spoon of mustard seeds

salt and pepper

• Pre-heat the oven to around 160 degrees
• Place the pork and duck legs in a roasting pan
• Add the herbs, garlic (peeled but not chopped), mustard seeds, seasoning and finally the wine.
• Cover loosely with foil and cook for approx 2 hours. Turn the meat over after an hour.
• Once cooked, drain the fat/liquid into a bowl and reserve.
• Using two forks, pull the duck off the bone and gently shred the pork belly into bitesized pieces. Mash the soft garlic into the shredded pork and duck mixture.
• Press the meat into ramekins and leave to cool slightly.
• Once cooled spoon the reserved fat on top of the meat in a thin layer (if the fat has started to solidify just warm it through gently in the microwave for 20 seconds).
• Place the ramekins in the fridge for at least an hour before eating but it is best to cook them a day before you want to eat them. I'm told they last a week in the fridge but I wouldn't know!

Roast duck breast with berry sauce and braised cabbage

Mmmmm, roast duck breast with crispy skin.

The berry sauce has the right balance of sweet and savoury and the dish is finished off nicely with braised red cabbage and sliced potatoes.

Ingredients (serves 2):

2 duck breasts

2 medium potatoes, cut into thick slices

olive oil

salt and pepper

Berry sauce:

a handful of mixed berries

1/2 glass of red wine

a good splash of creme de cassis

100ml beef or chicken stock

leaves off a sprig of thyme

a bay leaf

salt and pepper

Braised cabbage:

red cabbage

red onion, diced

1 clove of garlic, crushed

1/2 glass red wine

2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon of apple sauce

1 tea spoon of sugar

knob of butter

salt and pepper

• Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees. Lay the potato slices on a lightly oiled baking tray and season. Place in the oven for 20 minutes.
• After 20 minutes turn the potato slices over. If you have a wire rack that fits the baking tray, place it on top of the potatoes and place the duck breasts on top of the wire rack. If not place the duck breasts skin side up directly on top of the potatoes. Season the skin and place in the oven for 20 minutes.
• Check the duck breasts after 15 minutes as you don't want to overcook them.
• To make the sauce add all of the ingredients to a saucepan over a low heat and leave to simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Check the seasoning before serving.
• To make the braised cabbage; remove the outer leaves from the cabbage, cut the cabbage in half and then finely dice. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the cabbage, red onion and garlic. Cook for at least 10 minutes until the onion has softened. Then add the red wine, red wine vinegar, sugar and apple sauce. Season and leave to simmer for at least 45 minutes. Stir often and add a splash of hot water towards the end if it starts to look too dry. (This recipe makes far too much cabbage for 2 people which is good because I like it on roast pork sandwiches the next day).