Duck Legs Braised With Seville Oranges Food

DUCK LEGS BRAISED WITH SEVILLE ORANGES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Season the duck legs on both sides. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan set over a medium heat. Place the legs in the pan, skin-side down, and fry until well browned. Turn them over and brown the flesh side. Remove the pan from the heat and pour away most of the fat. Lay the orange slices in the bottom of a ceramic baking dish and top with the duck legs.
• Return the pan to the heat. Add the chopped shallots, celery and carrot, and fry, stirring, for 4 mins to allow the vegetables to brown a little. Add the wine, bring to a simmer and cook for 2-3 mins. Add the herbs, garlic and chicken stock, mix everything together, then pour over the duck legs. Tuck the vegetable pieces in between the legs so they are submerged in the liquid. Add just enough water to almost cover the legs, then cook in the oven for 1 hr.
• Meanwhile, add half the butter to a frying pan set over a medium heat. Add the whole shallots and brown all over. After the duck has been in the oven for 1 hr, add the browned shallots and cook for a further 30 mins until tender. Remove the dish from the oven and transfer the legs to a baking tray. Lift out the whole shallots and put to one side. Strain the cooking liquid into a jug and skim off any fat or vegetable debris that comes to the surface.
• Increase oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Place the duck legs back in the oven and let them crisp for 10 mins while you finish the sauce. Boil the liquid in a large pan and reduce until you have about 300ml, then season to taste and add sugar, if necessary. Finally, add the remaining butter and stir to melt, before returning the shallots to the pan and gently reheating. Serve the legs on a bed of buttered kale, drizzling the light sauce around it, with roast parsnips on the side.

RED-WINE-BRAISED DUCK LEGS

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.

CRISPY BRAISED DUCK LEGS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put duck legs skin side down in a skillet large enough to accommodate all ingredients comfortably. Turn heat to medium, and cook, rotating so skin browns thoroughly and evenly but do not turn over completely. Meanwhile, peel onion and carrots, trim celery and roughly chop them all.
• When skins are nicely browned, turn and sear the meat side just 1 to 2 minutes, and season with salt and pepper. Remove to a plate; remove all fat from pan except enough to moisten vegetables. Add vegetables and salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, over medium-high heat, until they begin to brown, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Return duck legs skin side up to pan, and add stock; it should come about halfway up the legs but not cover them. Turn heat to high, bring to boil and transfer to oven.
• Cook 30 minutes, and turn heat to 350 degrees. Cook undisturbed until duck is tender and liquid reduced, at least 30 minutes or a bit longer. Serve immediately, or let rest in a 200-degree oven for up to an hour.

DUCK LEGS BRAISED WITH RED WINE AND LIME

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Season the duck with salt and pepper. Place a stew pot over medium-high heat, and add the oil. When hot, add the duck, skin side down, and cook until golden brown. Rotate the legs and cook for 30 seconds more; transfer to a plate.
• Turn the heat to medium-low, add the onions and a little salt and cook covered, stirring occasionally, until they are softened, about 15 minutes. Stir in the lime zest and serrano chili. Add the red wine, 1/2 cup of water and a pinch of salt. Nestle the duck legs, skin side up, on top of the onions. Bring to a boil, and then cover, place in the oven and cook until the duck is tender but still toothsome, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Transfer the duck and 1/2 cup of the onions to a plate; cover to keep warm. Purée the remaining onions, the cooking liquid and lime juice in a blender. Adjust to taste with salt and lime juice. Stir in half of the cilantro.
• Mound the reserved onions in the centers of 4 plates. Put a duck leg on top of each, and pour the sauce around the duck. Sprinkle the remaining cilantro over each plate. Serve as a hearty appetizer.

SPICE-RUBBED DUCK LEGS BRAISED WITH GREEN OLIVES AND CARROTS

Steps:

• Toast first 4 ingredients in medium skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to mortar or spice grinder; grind to coarse powder. Transfer to small bowl; stir in salt. Arrange duck legs on rimmed baking sheet; sprinkle spice mixture over all sides. Refrigerate uncovered overnight.
• Preheat oven to 300°F. Pat duck gently to remove moisture, removing as little spice mixture as possible. Heat heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook duck, skin side down, until skin is crisp and brown, about 7 minutes. Turn duck legs and cook until brown, about 3 minutes longer, draining fat from skillet between batches. Transfer duck legs to roasting pan, skin side up. Pour fat from skillet. Remove skillet from heat; add brandy. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, scraping up browned bits. Add wine. Boil until liquid is reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add broth; bring to boil. Pour mixture over duck in pan. Tuck onion wedges, garlic cloves, lemon peel, and bay leaves between duck legs. Scatter carrots and olives over. Cover with foil. Braise duck in oven 1 hour. Turn legs over; allow vegetables to fall into broth. Cover; braise until duck is tender and meat is falling from bones, about 1 hour longer. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly. Cover and chill. Rewarm in 350°F oven 20 minutes.
• Preheat broiler. Transfer 6 duck legs, skin-side up, to rimmed baking sheet. Tent with foil (cover and chill remaining 4 legs for leftovers). Transfer vegetables and olives from sauce to bowl; cover to keep warm. Spoon fat from sauce in roasting pan. Transfer remaining sauce to large skillet. Simmer sauce over medium-high heat until reduced to 1 cup, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and honey, if desired. Keep warm.
• Meanwhile, place duck legs under broiler until skin is crisp, about 4 minutes, watching carefully to prevent burning. Transfer to serving platter, spoon vegetable mixture around duck legs, drizzle sauce over, and serve.

BRAISED DUCK LEGS WITH LEEKS AND GREEN OLIVES

Steps:

• Trim the excess fat from duck legs. Several hours ahead or the night before, season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate.
• Preheat the oven to 425°F.
• In an ovenproof skillet just large enough to hold the duck legs comfortably, heat the olive oil. Add the leeks and carrot. Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes. Stir in additional salt, thyme, parsley sprigs, bay leaf, and olives. Cook for 3 more minutes. Place the duck legs in the skillet, skin side down. Add to the skillet white wine and chicken broth with lemon zest.
• The liquid should be about 1 inch deep; add more liquid if needed. Raise the heat, bring to a simmer, and immediately put the skillet in the oven. After 30 minutes, take the pan from the oven and turn the legs skin side up. If necessary, pour off and reserve some of the liquid so that all the duck skin is exposed. Turn the oven down to 325°F and continue cooking for 1 to 1 1/2 hours more. The duck is done when the skin is browned and the tip of a knife slips easily in and out of the meat.
• Set the duck legs aside and pour the braising juices and vegetables into a small bowl. Allow the liquid to settle, then skim off and discard the fat. The duck legs will render a surprising amount of fat. Taste for salt and correct the seasoning if needed. If it's too thin, reduce the braising liquid to concentrate it. Pour the liquid and vegetables back into the skillet with the duck legs on top. Just before serving, return to a simmer and reheat for a few minutes.
• Variations
• · Pitted olives can be substituted, but use fewer, about 1/2 cup, and don't add them to the braise until the last 15 minutes of cooking.
• · Substitute dry sherry for half the wine.
• · Substitute dried fruit such as prunes or figs for the olives. Use red wine instead of white and add a piece of bacon or pancetta to the braise. Omit the lemon zest.
• · Substitute chicken legs for the duck legs. Reduce the cooking time by 30 minutes.