Nigel Slater’s confit of duck
It looks mean, I know, just one piece of duck per person, but it is really all you need. I eat it two ways, either with potatoes cooked in the duck fat or at room temperature in a salad. Strip the meat and crisp skin from the bones, tear into jagged shards and toss with a green salad you have dressed with a sharp vinaigrette.
Serves 4
a large duck, about 1.5–1.75kg
Maldon sea salt 3 tbsp
black pepper
bay leaves 3 or 4
thyme a few sprigs
duck fat about 750g
Put the duck flat on a chopping board and using a large, heavy knife cut the bird into six or eight pieces. Cut away the backbone and the wing tips and either discard them or add them to your next stockpot. Place the pieces in a shallow stainless steel or glass dish and rub salt into them. Grind over some black pepper, tuck in the bay leaves and sprigs of thyme then leave in a cool place for a good 5 or 6 hours, or even overnight. The longer you leave it the stronger the flavour will be.
Set the oven on low, at 150C/gas mark 2. Wipe the salt off the duck with kitchen paper then place the pieces snugly into a flameproof dish. I use a cast-iron casserole. Place the pan over a very low heat and leave the duck to colour lightly, turning it once to do the other side. Expect this to take a good 15 minutes or so.
Cover the duck with the duck fat (if you are intending to keep the duck for more than a day or two, the fat must cover the duck completely). Add a further grinding of pepper and tuck in the salvaged thyme and bay. Put it into the oven and leave it to quietly roast for 90 minutes to 2 hours. Remove the pan from the oven and leave to cool.
You can keep the duck like this, in a very cool place for several days, longer if it is properly covered and there are no air pockets. (Banging the dish on the table will help.)
Serve the confit either in the oven or on the hob. I must say I prefer the former. To roast, set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6. Wipe off most, but not quite all of the fat, then put the duck pieces on a baking tray. Roast them for about 15 minutes till the skin is crisp. If you prefer, you can fry the duck pieces in a shallow pan for about 10-15 minutes till warm right through and the skin has crisped.
Maricel E. Presilla’s short ribs in black sauce with chocolate and cacao
I grew up eating short ribs in soups. In Argentina and Uruguay they are often grilled, but I much prefer them braised to really enjoy their wonderfully rich and gelatinous texture. This is the basic technique for the Venezuelan eye-of-round braise called asado negro (black roast), which I have adapted to my taste and enriched with dark Venezuelan chocolate and cacao nibs for depth and a final bit of crunch.
Serves 6
For seasoning the ribs
garlic cloves 4, mashed to a pulp with a mortar and pestle or finely chopped and mashed
dried oregano ¼ tsp
ground allspice ⅛ tsp
salt ¼ tsp
ground cayenne ¼ tsp
short ribs 6 large (225-250g each)
For searing the ribs
extra-virgin olive oil 3 tbsp
all-purpose flour 150g
grated brown loaf sugar (preferably panela), Muscovado sugar, or packed brown sugar 175g
carrots 2 medium, finely chopped
celery stalks 2, finely chopped
yellow onion 1 medium, finely chopped
garlic cloves 6, finely chopped
dry red wine 240ml
chicken broth 480ml, homemade or store-bought
tomato paste 2 tbsp
fresh or dried rosemary 1 tsp
Venezuelan dark chocolate 30g, preferably 70%, coarsely chopped
cacao nibs 2 tbsp
rosemary sprigs for garnish
In a small bowl, combine the mashed garlic with the oregano, allspice, salt, and cayenne. Rub this mixture over the ribs and let sit for at least 2 hours.
Heat the oil over medium heat in a 12-inch skillet. Dredge the ribs in the flour, shaking off the excess. Add to the skillet and cook, turning occasionally, until golden, about 8 minutes. Add the brown sugar and continue cooking until the sugar melts and coats the ribs. Remove the ribs to a platter.
Add the carrots, celery, onion, and finely chopped garlic to the pan and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the red wine and cook for 3 minutes, then add the chicken broth, tomato paste, and rosemary. Return the ribs to the pan, reduce the heat to medium, and cook, covered, until the ribs are very tender, about 2 hours. Remove the ribs to a platter and let the sauce simmer, uncovered, 10 more minutes or until it thickens. Before serving, stir in the chocolate, let it melt, and scatter in the cacao nibs.
Ladle some of the sauce onto a large serving plate, arrange the ribs over the sauce, and garnish with sprigs of rosemary.
From Gran Cocina Latina by Maricel E. Presilla (W. W. Norton & Company, RRP £30). Click here to buy it for £25.50 from the Guardian Bookshop
Anissa Helou’s seven vegetable couscous
Ideally you need to have a couscoussière to steam couscous, although you can improvise with a normal steamer (if the holes are too big, simply line it with a thin layer of muslin or cheesecloth).
Serves 4–6
For the couscous
fine or medium uncooked couscous 500g
sea salt
extra virgin olive oil 1 tbsp
butter 30g, melted
For the vegetable broth
chickpeas 75g soaked overnight with ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda added to the boiling water
lamb shanks 2
saffron filaments good pinch, crushed
onions 2 medium, quartered
ripe tomatoes 3 medium, peeled and coarsely chopped
finely ground black pepper 1 tsp
extra virgin olive oil 3 tbsp
unsalted butter 60g
cabbage heart ½ small, quartered lengthways and cored
carrots 150g, cut across in half then quartered
courgettes 150g, cut across in half then quartered
sweet potatoes or pumpkin 150g, peeled and cut into large chunks
frozen broad beans 150g
coriander and parsley a few sprigs of each, finely chopped
seedless sultanas 50g
sea salt
dried chillies ¼ tsp crushed to a coarse powder (optional)
Put the couscous in a shallow mixing bowl. Dissolve 1 teaspoon sea salt in 150ml water and sprinkle over the couscous. Stir with your fingers, rubbing to separate the grain and break up any lumps. When the couscous has soaked up all the water, stir in the oil.
Drain the chickpeas and rinse well. Put in the bottom half of a couscoussière or steamer. Add the shanks, saffron, onions, tomatoes, and the black pepper. Add 1½ litres water and place over a medium heat. Bring to the boil then add the olive oil and butter. Cover and cook for 1 hour.
Put the couscous in the top of the couscoussière and set over the bottom part. No steam should escape from the bottom pan, so, if necessary, wrap a strip of cloth around the edge of the pan before slotting in the steamer top. Steam the couscous, covered, for 20 minutes. Remove the steamer part and replace the lid over the pan.
Tip the couscous into a bowl and sprinkle with a further 150ml water. Add the melted butter and stir well with a wooden spoon. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let sit while the meat and chickpeas are cooking.
Add the cabbage to the pot and cook covered for a further 15 minutes.
Add the rest of the vegetables, together with the herbs, sultanas and sea salt to taste. Put the prepared couscous into the top of the couscoussière and set over the boiling broth. Steam, uncovered, for 10–15 minutes, or until the vegetables are ready.
Transfer the couscous to a serving dish and stir in the remaining butter. Taste the broth and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Arrange the vegetables and meat on top of the couscous and sprinkle with some of the broth. Strain the rest of the broth into a separate bowl and stir in the crushed chillies if using. Serve immediately. In Morocco, where everybody eats straight from the serving dish, people pour enough broth over their side of couscous to moisten it to taste.
Anissa Helou, food writer and chef; anissas.com
Paula Wolfert’s lamb tagine with mejdoul dates
Tagine pots are versatile, and I strongly recommend that you acquire one. However, you can still prepare recipes that call for a tagine by substituting a heavy-bottomed, shallow flameproof casserole. It might not be necessary to use a heat diffuser, but traditional Moroccan cooking is slow and low. The heat diffuser helps in most cases whatever the pot you are using.
Serves 6
shoulder of lamb on the bone 1.6kg, cut into 4cm chunks
garlic cloves 2, chopped
salt
saffron water 2 tbsp (see below)
freshly ground black pepper 1 tsp
ground ginger ¾–1 tsp
cayenne pepper pinch
unsalted butter, argan oil or extra virgin olive oil 2–3 tbsp, melted
white onion 1 medium, very finely chopped
coriander leaves 2 tbsp, finely chopped
Medjoul dates 225g, pitted if you like
ground cinnamon
Trim the excess fat from the meat. Crush the garlic with 1 teaspoon salt to a paste in a mortar. Loosen with the saffron water, then stir in the spices and butter or oil.
Place the meat and spice mixture in a 28–30cm tagine set on a heat diffuser over a low heat, and toss and cook to release the aroma of the spices. Stir in half the onion, the coriander and 240ml hot water. Raise the heat to medium and bring to the boil. Cover the tagine, reduce the heat and simmer for 2 hours.
Add the remaining onions to the tagine and simmer, uncovered, for a further 1 hour or until the meat is very tender and the sauce has reduced to a thick gravy.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6.
If your tagine is not capable of taking high heat, transfer the contents of the pot to a shallow baking dish. Place the dates around or among the chunks of meat. Sprinkle each date or cluster of dates with pinches of ground cinnamon. Bake, uncovered, in the upper part of the oven for about 15 minutes or until the dates become a little crusty. Serve at once.
How to make saffron water
Dry½ teaspoon crumbled strands in a warm (not hot) pan. Crush again, then soak in 240ml hot water and store in a small jar in the refrigerator. This will keep for up to a week.
From The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert (Bloomsbury, RRP £35.00). Click here to buy it for £29.75 from the Guardian Bookshop
Margot Henderson’s Pavlova
Growing up in NZ, my aunts all made beautiful pavs. They are tricky to cook – you need to get to know your oven and adapt your recipe accordingly. This is my take on Stephanie Alexander’s pav from her brilliant book The Cook’s Companion.
Makes 6 portions
egg whites 4
salt a pinch
caster sugar 250g
cornflour 2tsp, sifted
white wine vinegar 1 tsp (or you could use a sweet wine)
vanilla 2 drops
cream 750ml
passionfruit pulp from 12 (around 600g)
Preheat the oven to 120C/gas mark ½.Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
Beat the egg whites and salt until satiny peaks form. Beat in the sugar a third at a time until the meringue is stiff and shiny – the sugar should be dissolved.
Fold in the sifted cornflour, vinegar and vanilla.
Pour the mixture onto the tray in a big happy mound and slightly flatten out the centre.
Place in the oven at or 2 hours. When a knife is slid in and out it should come away clean. Turn the oven off and leave to cool.
Once cool, gently turn the pav upside down and peel the paper away. Whip the cream until soft peaks form – don’t add any sugar. Pile the cream onto the pav and then finish with the passionfruit.
Margot Henderson, chef and co-owner at Rochelle Canteen, London E2; arnoldandhenderson.com
