Braised Duck With Olives Recipes

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.

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.

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.