Duck With Olives And Mushrooms Spanish Food

DUCK WITH OLIVES

Steps:

• Broil (grill) duckling plain and season it with salt and pepper as you turn it. Serve it with the following sauce: Sauté onion in butter until just soft. Add white wine, olives and salt and pepper to taste. Let this cook down for five minutes and serve it over the duckling.

DUCK WITH OLIVES IN SHERRY SAUCE (PATO A LA SEVILLANA)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Prick the duck all over the skin with a two-pronged fork. Insert the onion slices and garlic cloves inside the duck. Truss the duck. Place it breast side up in a shallow baking or roasting pan and arrange the neck, if available, around it.
• Place the duck in the oven and bake one hour.
• Meanwhile, put the olives in a small saucepan and half of the white wine. Let simmer five minutes. Drain.
• Heat the oil in a shallow ovenproof casserole. Add the chopped onion and minced garlic, and cook, stirring, until onion is wilted. Add the sherry, one-half cup chicken broth, carrots, parsley, thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns and salt. Set aside.
• When the duck has baked for one hour, remove it from the oven.
• Transfer the duck to a flat surface and cut it into quarters.
• Pour the fat from the roasting pan. Add the remaining white wine, cooking over moderate heat and stirring to dissolve the juices that cling to the bottom and sides of the pan. Pour the pan liquid into the casserole containing the vegetable mixture. Let simmer five minutes.
• Arrange the duck pieces skin-side-up over the vegetables, spooning some of the sauce over the pieces. Return to the oven and bake one hour.
• Transfer the duck pieces to a serving dish.
• Place a sieve inside a saucepan. Skim off any more fat from the duck. Pour and scrape the vegetables and nonfat pan juices into the sieve and strain. Press the solids with the back of a heavy spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids. Add three or four additional tablespoons of chicken broth if desired and add the olives. Heat the sauce and pour it over the duck.

PAN-ROASTED DUCK WITH WILD MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Rinse dried mushrooms to remove sand or dirt and place in a bowl. Cover with boiling water and let steep for 30 minutes.
• Lay duck breasts skin-side down on a cutting board. With your fingers, remove the thin tenderloins from the underside of each breast and reserve for sauce. With a sharp knife, trim away any gristle. Turn breasts skin-side up and trim excess fat from the edges. Score the skins in a diamond pattern. Season generously with salt and pepper, transfer to a plate and leave at cool room temperature for 1 hour.
• Put olive oil in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the reserved tenderloins and brown well on both sides. Add butter and flour to pan, and cook, stirring, until mixture is lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add soaked mushrooms and soaking liquid, and stir well as sauce begins to thicken. Add wine, thyme and bay leaf, turn heat to low, and simmer gently until gravylike, but not too thick, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and discard tenderloins, thyme and bay leaf. Taste sauce and adjust seasoning. Keep warm. (Sauce may be prepared several hours or up to 2 days in advance.)
• Set a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. When pan is hot, add duck breasts to skillet skin-side down and let sizzle. Lower heat to medium and cook for about 7 or 8 minutes, making sure skin doesn't brown too quickly. (This will render fat and crisp the skin.) Turn breasts over and cook 3 minutes more for rare (thermometer should read 120 degrees), or 4 to 5 minutes for medium-rare (thermometer should read 125 degrees). Transfer to a warm platter and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Pour off all but 2 tablespoons rendered fat from the pan, and raise heat to medium-high. Add sliced mushrooms and sauté, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, letting them brown nicely. Season with salt and pepper. Turn off heat and stir in garlic and parsley.
• Slice duck 1/4-inch thick, crosswise at a slight angle, and serve immediately. Each serving should have 4 to 5 slices of duck, a large spoonful of mushrooms and a bit of sauce.

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.