Duck with Chestnuts

Stephen Ceideburg 1 lg Duck

1/2 kg Chestnuts

2 lg Oranges

This dish, Spanish in origin, is rich in flavour and well worth the effort. Well beforehand, disjoint a large duck by cutting it into 2 breast pieces and 4 leg and thigh pieces. Use the back, neck and wings to make a good strong stock. Remove the excess fat and render for use another day. Parboil and peel 1/2 kg chestnuts. Heat a large, dry frying pan to very hot and saute the duck pieces until golden on all sides. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat which will have accumulated in the pan and gently fry a finely chopped large onion. When it is golden, add the zest and juice of 2 large oranges and stir to deglaze the pan. Put the duck legs into a large saucepan, pour the orange- onion mixture over them and add enough duck stock to cover and several sprigs of thyme. Simmer for 30 minutes. Then add the duck breasts and chestnuts

and, if necessary, more stock to cover and cook for 20 minutes longer or until fork-tender. Remove the duck and chestnuts to a serving dish and keep warm while boiling the sauce hard to reduce until syrupy. Add a tablespoon of red currant jelly, adjust the seasoning and pour the sauce over the duck and chestnuts. Serve. Posted by Stephen Ceideburg From an article by Meryl Constance in The Sydney Morning Herald, 5/4/93. Courtesy Mark Herron. -----