Duck With Olives Food

BRAISED DUCK WITH OLIVES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Remove the duck's wings, giblets and neck; rinse inside and out and dry. Prick the skin of the breast and thighs with a fork. Lightly season the inside with salt and pepper; stuff with thyme and rosemary.
• Place duck, breast side down, in a large Dutch oven (preferably enamel-lined) over medium heat and brown on all sides, spooning off the fat as it renders.
• Bring stock and wine to a boil in a small pan; pour over the duck. Add the vegetables, bay leaves, lemon rind and several grindings of pepper. Cover; braise in oven until the leg meat is firm and the breast brown throughout, about 1 hour.
• Remove duck and cover loosely. Strain the stock, discard the vegetables and spoon off the fat. Boil stock until reduced to about 1 cup, about 10 minutes. Add the olives for the final 3 to 4 minutes. (You may thicken stock slightly with a roux of flour and butter.) Adjust seasonings.
• To serve, thinly slice the breast lengthwise. Separate legs from thighs. Pour on sauce.

CRISP ROAST DUCK WITH OLIVES

Steps:

• This recipe yields a succulent roast duck, every morsel of which is tender and tasty, and as a by-product, a good half pint of duck fat. No cook worth her salt would waste a scrap of this precious substance, which is kept in a pot in the fridge and used for frying and flavoring.
• Trim any flaps of fat on the duck, and pull out any lumps of fat tucked inside. Rinse and dry the duck, then prick lightly all over with a skewer (about 20-30 times), trying to pierce the skin but not the flesh underneath. Rub all over with salt and sprinkle some inside the cavity.
• Put on a rack and roast upside down for 3 hours at 250° F (200° F convection). Drain the fat into a bowl, set the duck the right way up and increase the heat to 350° F (325° F convection) for 45 minutes longer, till nicely browned. Leave to stand for 15 minutes, loosely covered with foil.
• Reduce the chicken stock with the tomato and herbs to a saucelike consistency, then strain into a clean pan. Simmer the olives in water for 2 minutes to temper the flavor, then strain and stir into the sauce.
• Cut the duck into pieces and serve with the sauce.

SKILLET DUCK LEGS WITH OLIVES AND ANCHOVIES

Steps:

• Trim the excess skin and all the visible fat from the duck legs; cut the skin and fat into 1-inch pieces. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of the salt on all sides of the legs.
• Pour 2 tablespoons of the oil into the pan, and set over medium heat. Arrange the legs in the pan, skin side down, and scatter all the skin and fat pieces in the spaces between them. As the fat starts to sizzle, lower the heat slightly and partially cover the skillet, leaving a gap of an inch or so for moisture to evaporate. Let the fat sizzle away, as you occasionally nudge and shift the leg pieces so they don't stick to the bottom.
• After 15 to 20 minutes, turn the legs over-the skin should be gold and lightly crisped already. Cook the legs on the flesh side for about 15 minutes, shifting them a bit, then turn them skin side down again and continue cooking for another 20 minutes-cook an hour altogether-until they are thoroughly crisp and deeply colored. Lift the leg pieces from the pan, letting fat drip off, and put them in a bowl. Carefully pour out the fat into a heat-proof container, but leave the crusty bits on the bottom and sides of the skillet. See box on uses for duck fat, which follows.
• Return the skillet to the stove; pour in 3 more tablespoons of olive oil, and set over medium heat. Stir in the garlic slices, and cook for a minute or two, until they start to sizzle. Drop the chopped anchovies in a hot spot; cook, stirring, for a minute or more-the anchovies will melt away in the oil. Now drop in the olives and stir them around, scraping up some of the browned bits in the pan as you do, for a minute or more, until they're starting to cook.
• Put the duck legs back into the pan, toss in the branches of rosemary, and get the duck cooking again, turning the legs over in the oil and seasonings for a minute or two. When everything is hot, pour the red wine vinegar in several clear spaces around the pan; toss and stir everything as the vinegar steams and the acidity cooks off. After a minute, sprinkle on another 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pour in the wine, also on hot spots, and stir for a minute, then cover the pan completely.
• Cook covered for 4 or 5 minutes over low to medium heat, then uncover and turn everything well, coating the duck with the liquid and using it to deglaze the browned bits in the pan. Taste the sauce and add salt if necessary; drizzle over a tablespoon or two of olive oil if the sauce needs more viscosity.
• Cover the pan, and cook another 4 to 5 minutes. Uncover, and give everything a final stir so the duck is well coated with thick sauce and bits of olives. If there's loose, wet sauce in the pan, cook and stir until it is thickened. But if the duck is dry and there are stuck brown bits on the pan, pour in a bit of broth to loosen things up and get the duck moist and glistening with the sauce. Remove from the heat and serve. Let the duck rest in the pan, partially covered, if you want; refresh and reheat it with a bit of broth before serving.
• To make this wonderful dish with a whole duck rather than duck legs, here's a simple way to cut it up. I suggest you have a heavy chef's knife, kitchen shears, and a small cleaver.
• Rinse and dry the duck. Save the giblets and neck for soup (or cook the neck in the skillet, as I would). Trim and cut excess skin and fat, and cut them up for the skillet.
• Grasp a wing near the body and bend it back firmly, exposing the armpit-you'll feel the connecting joint. Cut through it to remove the wing; repeat on the other side. Slice off the outside thin wing piece for the soup pile; cook the meatier wing pieces in the skillet.
• Set the breast facing up, and slice a line right down the middle, exposing the cartilage where the breast halves meet. Now cut through the cartilage and bone with your shears or knife, following your line, splitting the duck open.
• Open the breast halves and spread them apart, like opening a book, with the spine down the middle. Now cut the duck apart along the spine, chopping with the base of your knife or cleaver at the tough parts. One cut is all you need; leave the backbone attached to one of the long duck halves.
• Cut each half crosswise, dividing the breast meat from the leg meat-there's a natural dip between them.
• Now you have four big pieces, two small wings, one neck, and lots of fat and skin to fry, following the recipe.
• This skillet duck is delicious served just with cooked or grilled polenta.
• Skillet Brussels Sprouts (page 271) is a harmonious accompaniment with or without polenta.
• To serve on individual plates, arrange a whole leg, thigh and drumstick, on each plate, and top it with the pieces of olives and drops of remaining sauce. Or you can cut the leg at the joint and serve two pieces.
• If you are cooking the whole duck pieces, either serve as they are or cut in smaller pieces. Duck bones are more brittle and splinter easily, so cutting at the joints is the way to go.
• Don't discard delicious duck fat!
• You'll get almost a pound of fat with skin attached when you're trimming duck legs for this recipe or for guazzetto (page 154). Both the fat and the skin are full of flavor and easy to render, giving you a snack of delicious cracklings and a small crock of pure duck fat. Here's how:
• Cut the trimmings into rough 1/2-inch pieces and put them in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat. Within a few minutes, the fat will have started rendering and the skin will be sizzling. Cook slowly for 20 minutes or more, until the skin cracklings are crisp and browned all over.
• Lift out the cracklings with a spider or strainer, and toss them on a paper towel with a little salt. Pour the rendered duck fat into a heatproof bowl or small crock. (If you're not sure whether it's heat-proof, put a spoon in the crock to temper the heat.) Store duck fat in a closed crock; it will solidify and keep for a month and more. To use, just spoon into a pan; it will melt immediately, like butter. Use it as a cooking fat when frying eggs, making sauces like Bolognese, and braising meats.
• Enjoy the cracklings as a snack, or dress a soup with them. You can use them instead of bacon in a quick pasta dish, or add them to a recipe like Spaghetti with Asparagus Frittata (page 99). Also, duck cracklings are delicious tossed in a green salad, in Poached Whole Zucchini with Lemon and Olive Oil, in scrambled eggs, or kneaded into focaccia just before baking.

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.

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.

BRAISED DUCK WITH GREEN OLIVES AND KUMQUATS

Steps:

• Season the duck with salt and pepper. Lightly coat the base of a large braising pan with olive oil. Lay the duck skin side down in the pan, place over medium-low heat and cook for 30 minutes. Strain off the fat and continue to cook over medium heat until the skin is dark and crisp, another 30 minutes. Transfer the duck to a plate.
• Drain all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan; add the onion and garlic. Sauté until the onion wilts. Add the wine and reduce over high heat until syrupy; add the bay leaves. Return the duck to the pan, skin side up, then pour in enough broth to cover it by two-thirds. Tuck the kumquats and olives into the broth, cover and simmer until tender, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Let the duck cool in the broth, then remove the duck, kumquats, olives, onions and bay leaves and set aside. Skim the fat from the broth, then reheat the broth, reducing by half. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Return the duck and its accompaniments to the pan to warm through. Place a piece of duck on a plate, topped with olives, kumquats, onions and sauce.

DUCK WITH OLIVES AND MUSHROOMS (SPANISH)

Steps:

• Assemble and prepare all ingredients.
• Mix together the seasonings and sprinkle on duck. (You may start baking the duck right away, but it will taste better, of course, if you let it marinate in the spices for an hour or two in the fridge first.)
• In a 6-quart casserole dish, arrange the duck pieces with skin side up. Bake, uncovered, at 325 degrees F. for 90 minutes. Drain off excess fat.
• In saucepan, melt butter, add carrots, celery, and onion; cook until onion is translucent.
• Add diced tomatoes and bay leaf to vegetables to cook, covered, for 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
• Add olives and mushrooms to casserole, then contents of the saucepan.
• (At this point you may stop, refrigerate, and continue later if you want to have it ready just as guests arrive. Otherwise, continue.).
• Bake, covered, at 325 degrees F. for 30 minutes.

DUCK IN OLIVES

Steps:

• Tie the spices in cheesecloth, set aside.
• Heat a stock pot with 1 tablespoon of the butter and the oil. Add the chicken wings and livers (or neck and giblets, if using), and cook, stirring often, until they begin to brown.
• Add the minced onions, and cook for 5-10 minutes more. Stir in the flour. Add the broth, the wine, the vermouth, the spice bag, and the tomato paste. Season with salt and pepper, and simmer gently, for about 2 hours, skimming the scum, from time to time.
• Bring a 6-cup saucepan, half-filled with unsalted water to a boil. Cook the olives 2 minutes, then drain, and rinse under cold water.
• Strain the sauce through a fine large sieve into another saucepan, of suitable dimensions and add the olives, discarding the solids, and spices, from the sieve. Simmer gently for an hour or more, until the sauce coats a spoon.
• Preheat the oven to 475 degrees, while the sauce cooks.
• Wash the duck, discarding (or reserving) any lumps of fat.
• Score the skin all over with a small sharp knife, rub with the remaining butter, and season the cavity, and flesh with salt and pepper. Tie the legs.
• Fit a roasting tin with a rack, put on the breast side down of the duck, and roast 20 minutes, basting. Flip, roast 20 minutes more, basting.
• Reduce thermostat to 350 degrees and roast until the duck registers 160 degrees (about 1 hour).
• Rest 20 minutes, then cut into pieces, as for chicken, and serve with the sauce all over.

SLOW-COOKED DUCK LEGS WITH OLIVES

Steps:

• Trim all visible fat from the duck legs, then lay them in a large, broad skillet; they can overlap if necessary. Turn the heat to medium and add all the remaining ingredients except the parsley. When the mixture reaches a lively simmer, turn the heat to low and cover.
• Cook, checking occasionally-the mixture should be bubbling gently when you remove the cover-until the duck is very tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Transfer the duck to a warm plate and cover (or put in a very low oven), then turn the heat to medium-high under the remaining sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is reduced to a thick, saucelike consistency, about 10 minutes. Spoon over the duck legs, garnish, and serve.