CookEat Recipe
Braised Wild Duck with Black Kale
Whole wild mallard browned over a prosciutto and vegetable soffritto, then braised and served with black kale finished in its juices.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Gather the ingredients: 1 wild mallard duck, about 1 kg, legally supplied for human consumption and professionally cleaned and eviscerated; 30 g prosciutto with both fat and lean; 1/4 large onion; 1 small celery stalk; 1 small carrot; A few parsley stalks with their leaves; About 2 tablespoons olive oil; Salt and black pepper to taste; About 500 ml water, added as needed; About 400 g black kale, tough stalks removed; About 10 g butter, only if needed to finish the kale.
Step 2
Use a professionally cleaned duck with the head, neck bones and tail oil gland removed. If neck skin remains, fold it over the breast. Reserve any professionally prepared edible liver, heart and gizzard separately under refrigeration for another preparation; they are not required in this braise. Do not rinse the raw bird or use smell, vinegar or a scalding dip to make questionable meat acceptable.
Step 3
Finely chop the prosciutto, quarter-onion, celery, carrot and parsley together. Put this mixture and the olive oil in a heavy casserole. Set the duck over it, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderate heat, turning carefully until browned on every side, about 20 minutes.
Step 4
Add water gradually to keep a shallow layer in the pan. Cover and braise at a gentle simmer, turning occasionally and adding more water as needed, until the bird is tender and reaches 82°C in its thickest breast and thigh areas without touching bone. Allow about 1½–2 hours after browning, or longer for an older bird.
Step 5
Meanwhile boil the black kale in a separate pan of water until tender, about 10–15 minutes. Drain, chop coarsely and season lightly with salt and pepper.
Step 6
Lift out the fully cooked duck and keep it hot. Put the drained kale into some of the simmering duck juices and turn for about 5 minutes to absorb their flavour. Taste and add the small piece of butter only if it improves the balance. Serve the kale alongside the duck with the remaining juices.
Step 7
For the lentil version, replace the kale with about 180 g dried whole lentils. Pick over and rinse them, then simmer in plenty of water until tender but intact, about 20–35 minutes or according to their package. Drain and finish in the duck juices in the same way, adding the small piece of butter only if needed.
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