Roast and smoked duck risotto recipe
Whenever we find a free range duck on offer we squeeze it into the freezer for a really special meal. Last weekend Danny roasted a duck and served it with a blueberry and plum sauce. Superb. Incidentally we usually cook fruit with the duck to make a sort of instant sauce. This time he roasted the duck “plain” and made the sauce separately. The duckiness of the duck was so good that I think that we’ll cook duck this way from now on. “We can make a duck risotto with the leftovers. Possibly two.” Danny chortled as he cut himself...
read moreSlow cooker chef: Steak, venison and duck au vin recipe
Our fridge freezer has been a bit of a trial for quite a few years now. It has problems coping with external high and low temperatures and generally performs best in the spring or autumn. So it was a bit of a surprise when we found the larder floor covered in dark water. We both assumed that the other had kicked the bacon curing pot. The next day I investigated further and noticed red liquid dripping out of the freezer door. This is no super duper frost free machine. It has to be manually defrosted. If we forget to do this, the ice...
read moreDukes Teal au Vin or Tippled Teal in Cider recipe. Contributed by Duncan Lang
Photo: Copyright Hanna Zabielska Teal – wild duck – is a lot gamier than ordinary duck and far more compact. We occasionally find one on offer at Waitrose and pop it into the freezer for a special occasion. So I was delighted when Duncan sent me this recipe. “I first cooked it about six years ago and it was yummy I was then asked by a friend for ideas on how to cook Teal for Valentines evening, so I gave him this recipe.” Duncan explained. “He did the cider variation and it met with great success by all accounts. I decided that...
read moreBest recipes for leftovers: Spectacular goose, red pepper and tarragon risotto recipe
“Would you like goose risotto tonight?” “Oh yes please!” We eat a lot of risotto at the cottage. The perfect easy comfort food. What I didn’t mention was the age of the goose. I’d found some last week in our freezer left over from Christmas 2008. It looked a bit stringy and unappetising so I hid it from Danny as it defrosted. Leftover goose – even if it’s been lingering in the freezer for months makes a risotto to die for. It smelt and tasted fine and once it was chopped up and stirred into the risotto it transformed the...
read moreDeluxe cauliflower goat’s cheese with smoked duck breast and tomatoes recipe
At the end of the day in the market, vegetable prices are slashed. I totter back to the car with bulging bags of spuds and veg to supplement the stuff from our kitchen garden. Yesterday I bought a giant cauliflower for 50p and made a deluxe cauliflower cheese using some delicious crumbly blue goat’s cheese – bought for a few pence from the Tesco CFC. We always line the base of the pie with tomatoes (ours are still going strong) and a handful of either bacon or ham. Last night it was some smoked duck breast that I’d unearthed in...
read moreQuick piquant turkey stir fry with Romano peppers and button mushrooms recipe
My food dehydrator is turning out to be a winner. For years I’ve often had the frustration of running out of an essential ingredient and having to adapt my cooking plans. I now have access to a large range and choice of ingredients. I can do off the cuff cooking which is fun. As long as I remember to bung them into the slow cooker for an hour to rehydrate I can throw a meal together in minutes as all the chopping and preparation has been done prior to dehydrating. My dehydrated fruit and veg are stored in ziplock bags in a vast carrier...
read moreDuck legs with mango sauce on a bed of saffron rice recipe
“What are you doing? I thought we were having plums with the duck.” Danny’s eyes flicked across the green mango skins on the chopping board. I had planned to make a duck leg version of our duck breasts in a fresh plum sauce but have overdosed on plums recently. So when I spotted a pile of mangoes in the fridge – waiting to be turned into Mango Chutney I decided to make a little less chutney and use a plump mango as the fruit base for this recipe. I’m pleased that I did. This recipe is really easy and tastes superb – don’t...
read moreBest recipes for leftovers: duck breast risotto with summer vegetables recipe
I reckon that the best risottos contain a range of textures as well as combination of flavours, This risotto hits the mark on both fronts. We scoffed the lot – even I had seconds. But this could easily feed four, with a starter and a crisp green salad. As it only uses one duck breast this recipe is both economical and tastes divine. At one stage this summer we had four ducks in the freezer. All free range and bought for a song as they were nearing their sell by date. Danny makes a wonderful roast duck stuffed with plums. If we cook this for...
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