Recipe Sections
4
3 tbsp olive oil
4 Luv-a-Duck legs
4 shallots
1 glass dry sherry
500ml duck stock
40g quince paste diced
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 bay leaf
40g walnuts
Chickpea & Spinach dish:
200g dried chickpeas (or 2 x 400g cooked, rinsed chickpeas)
pinch bicarbonate of soda
500g spinach
120ml olive oil
4 cloves garlic sliced
1/2 tsp each of paprika, allspice & ground cumin
2 tsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp lemon juice
Preheat oven to 160C. In a large frypan, heat olive oil. Lightly salt duck and gently saute until the legs are golden. Remove and place in casserole dish.
Add the shallots to the pan and saute until golden, then transfer them to the casserole dish and discard any rendered fat. Pour the sherry into the pan and simmer for a few minutes, scraping off any caramelised remnants of meat with a wooden spoon. Add the stock, quince paste, vinegar, bay leaf and 500ml water, bring to a simmer, then pour over the legs. Cover the duck legs and cook in oven for 1.5 - 2 hours or until tender. Remove from the oven and let legs cool for 1 hour.
Meanwhile lightly toast the walnuts in the oven, cool and pound in a mortar and pestle.
Strain all the braising liquid from the cooled duck, place in a saucepan and simmer to reduce liquid by half. Add the walnuts and cook for 5 minutes to thicken the sauce. Return the legs to the sauce and gently cook for 15 mintues to warm through.
Chickpea & Spinach Dish:
Soak chickpeas overnight in water with pinch of bicarbonate of soda. The next day, rinse under cold running water and place in pot, cover with 2 litres water and bring to a simmer, removing any scum. Simmer for 1 - 2 hours until tender. When you're ready to use them, strain and reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.
To cook the spinach, heat a large saucepan with 2 tbsp olive oil, add the spinach and quickly wilt, stirring all the while. Remove from heat, strain any excess liquid and set aside.
In the pan, heat remaining olive oil and cook garlic until slightly golden. Add chickpeas and spices and cook for 1 minute. Add spinach, vinegar, lemon juice and 1/2 cup of chickpea stock (or 1/2 cup water if using canned chickpeas). Simmer the chickpeas until all the liquid is reduced. Add salt to taste and extra lemon juice if required.