Slow cooked duck with olives - Stowe Farm Community

Duck, one of our favorite dishes, especially when it is slow cooked, and we just happened to have two wonderful ducks raised locally by our friend Andrew. recipe…

Slow-Cooked Duck with Olives(adapted from “The Slow Meditteranean Kitchen” by Paula Wolfert)

Note that this is a not a complicated recipe but you do need to have time because of the long, slow cooking process. If it works better for your schedule you could bake the duck the previous day, then make the olive sauce and reheat the next day.

Ingredients

1 duckling (about 5 lbs), fresh or thawed

2 medium onion

1 large celery rib, sliced

8 cloves garlic

1/4 cup plus 2 tsp. coarsely chopped parsley

2 bay leaves

2 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1 tsp. herbes de provence

green olive sauce (see recipe at the end)

Procedure

1) Preheat the oven to 475 F. Halve the duckling, setting aside the back, neck and wing tips for the sauce. In a a 9×11-inch roasting pan, make a bed for the onions, celery, garlic, thyme, 1/4 cup parsley, and the bay leaves. Prick the the duck skin all over with the tip of a sharp knife. Rub the duck with the salt, pepper, and herbes de provence and set it on top of the vegetables, skin side up. Roast uncovered for 10 mins.

2) Reduce the oven temperature to 275 F, cover the contents of the pan with foil, and leave the duckling to cook for 3 1/2 hrs. or until it is very tender (i.e.,falling off the bone). Turn off the heat and let the duckling rest in the flavored fat in the oven for 30 mins.

3) Carefully transfer the duck to a work surface. Remove and discard any loose bones, chopped vegetables, and clumps of fat. Reserve 1 tsp. fat for step 5 (strain and reserve the rest of the fat for another use – it is fantastic for sauteing potatoes or just about anything else). Quarter the duck, carefully maintaining its shape along with any remaining intact bones, wrap individually in foil to prevent drying out. Set aside in refrigerator.

4) About 30 mins. before serving unwrap the duck quarters and generously season the flesh side with salt, pepper and more herbes de provence.

5) About 10 mins. before serving, preheat the broiler and set the rack 10 inches from the heat source. Dab the duck skin with a little duck fat and run under the broiler to reheat the duck and crisp the skin.

6) Pour the olive sauce into a shallow, warm serving dish, place the duck on top, sprinkle with the remaining parsley, and serve.

Green Olive Sauce

Ingredients:

Neck, back and wing tips of the duck

1 medium onion, sliced

1 TBS tomato paste

1/2 cup dry white wine

Pinch of sugar

1 cup poultry stock

salt and freshly ground pepper

1 1/2 cups (7-8 ozs. drained weight) green olives, rinsed, pitted and coarsely chopped

1/4 tsp. herbes de provence

Procedure:

1) Slowly brown the duck neck, back and wing tips in their own fat in a covered non-stick skillet. Add the onion and continue cooking until the onions are glazed and browned, about 10 mins. Pour off excess fat.

2) Add the tomato paste to the skillet and cook until lightly charred. Quickly deglaze the pan with the white wine. Add the sugar, stock, and 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for one hour; then strain, degrease, and boil until reduced to 1 cup. Reserve covered in the refrigerator.

3) About 10 mins. before serving, reheat the sauce, add olives, and simmer for 10 mins. Correct the seasonings with salt and pepper, and herbes de provence to taste.