Duck with prunes and red cabbage
In a recipe such as this, where duck is cooked in a deep casserole with port and dried fruit, it is best to use meat on the bone. You can buy ready prepared legs and breasts with the bone in or you could ask the butcher to joint a whole bird for you. Whichever route you take, avoid the boneless breasts, which are better grilled than slow cooked.
Serves 3
whole duck, jointed into 6
groundnut oil or duck fat 2 tbsp
prunes 250g, stoned
port 250ml
chicken, duck or vegetable stock 250ml
smoked pancetta or bacon 200g
red cabbage 1 small
sherry vinegar 2 tbsp
In a deep-sided casserole dish, warm the oil and lightly brown the pieces of duck, turning as necessary to get an even colour. Remove the duck as each piece browns and set aside.
In a bowl, soak the prunes in the port, turning occasionally, for 30 minutes or so. Tip as much of the fat as possible from the casserole, then return the pan to the heat and add the port and soaked prunes, stirring any tasty sediment left by the browning of the duck and letting it dissolve in the bubbling liquid.
Once the port has boiled for a minute or two, pour in the stock. Bring it back to the boil, lower the heat to a simmer then return the pieces of duck to the pan. Season with salt, cover with a lid, and leave to cook on a low to moderate heat for about 40 minutes.
Cut the pancetta or bacon into small cubes, then brown evenly in a casserole or medium-sized saucepan. Halve and coarsely shred the red cabbage then add to the pancetta, tossing briefly in the melted fat. As the cabbage brightens, pour in the vinegar, season with a little salt and pepper, let it sizzle briefly, then cover with a lid and leave to simmer for about 15 minutes, till the cabbage is soft.
To serve, pile the cabbage onto a serving plate, place the pieces of duck and prunes on top, then serve with any cooking liquid from the pan, correcting the seasoning with salt and pepper as necessary.
Short ribs with stout and beetroot
A little care is needed when choosing the beer for this. A very strong, dark-coloured craft beer may be too bitter. Try a stout that is fairly mild in character.
Serves 4
beef short ribs 900g
oil or dripping 2 tbsp
garlic 1 head
stout or other, mild, dark beer 330ml
redcurrant jelly or sugar 3 tbsp
double cream 250ml
For the accompaniment
raw beetroot and its leaves 500g
Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Warm the oil or dripping in a wide casserole or roasting tin set over a moderate heat, add the ribs, and brown them on both sides.
Place the head of garlic on top of the ribs then pour in the stout and bring to the boil. Add salt and pepper then cover with a lid, transfer to the oven and bake for about 40 minutes. After this, remove and set aside the head of garlic, then continue cooking the ribs for a further 50 minutes.
When the meat is tender – it should come away from the bone easily – remove the dish from the oven. Pop the garlic cloves out from their skins and mash them to a rough paste with a fork. Take the ribs from the dish and set them aside under a piece of foil to keep warm. Stir the garlic into the pan juices together with the redcurrant jelly or sugar and the cream. Bring to a simmer then check the seasoning, adding salt, pepper and sugar as necessary. Serve the sauce with the ribs.
To make the mashed beets, remove and set aside the leaves, then scrub the beets without breaking their skins. Boil them in deep, lightly salted water till tender to the point of a knife – about 40 minutes. Wash and finely shred the leaves.
Drain the beetroot and skin them – you should be able to skin them by rubbing the beets firmly with your thumb – then mash the flesh either with a potato masher or in a food processor. Put the leaves into a saucepan with a couple of tablespoonfuls of water, bring to the boil, then, as soon as the leaves wilt, drain, squeeze dry and fold into the mashed beets. Serve with the ribs.
Pork with cider and apricots
A jacket potato would be a sound accompaniment with these sweet and juicy chops. Failing that, some plain mashed potatoes, into which you can fork the cooking juices as you eat.
Serves 4
pork rib chops (or boneless steaks) 4 (about 1kg)
juniper berries 15
sparkling cider 700ml
dried apricots 200g
In a large, wide casserole dish, lightly brown the chops on both sides, seasoning them with salt and black pepper as you go. Pour in the cider, scraping at any sticky residue left behind by the chops. Roughly crush the juniper berries, flattening them with a heavy weight, then add them to the pork with the apricots.
Cover with a lid, then transfer to the oven and bake for approximately an hour, till the meat is tender. Serve with the pan juices.
Lamb with beer and shallots
The smaller lamb shanks are just enough for one per person. If you are using particularly meaty shanks, then you can expect to serve two to three, especially if you are accompanying them, as I suggest, with a mound of creamed parsnips.
The tenderness of lamb shanks varies rather more than one might like, so cook them for longer than I suggest if the meat proves less than effortless to pull from the bone.
Serves 2
small lamb shanks 2
groundnut or olive oil 2 tbsp
small to medium shallots 10
wheat beer 500ml
rosemary stems 6
bay leaves 3
honey 1 tbsp
Dijon mustard 1 tbsp
For the creamed parsnips
parsnips 600g
butter 30g
double cream 100ml
Lightly season the lamb shanks, then brown them as evenly as you can in the oil in a deep pan set over a moderate heat.
Peel and trim the shallots, keeping them whole, then add them to the lamb. When the shallots are lightly coloured, pour in the beer then tuck the rosemary stems among the lamb, add the bay leaves, partially cover with a lid, then simmer for an hour and a half.
To make the mash, peel and roughly chop the parsnips, then boil them in deep, lightly salted water, or steam them till tender to the point of a knife. Drain the parsnips, then let them stand briefly to lose all their steam (wet parsnips will give a wet mash).
Warm the butter and cream together in a small pan, finely crush the parsnips with a vegetable masher or beat them using a food processor, then stir in the melted butter and cream to give a soft, velvety mash.
Remove the shanks from the pan, cover in foil and set aside to rest. Dissolve the honey and mustard in the juices from the lamb, check the seasoning, then reduce slightly over a fierce heat.
Serve the parsnip mash on plates or in shallow bowls, place a shank on each then spoon over the cooking liquor. Serve with spoons as well as knives and forks.
Chicken, muscat and thyme
A reasonably priced muscat is fine for this, so there is no need to use anything special. I often add a few muscat grapes to this in the autumn, at the end of cooking.
Serves 3
olive oil 3 tbsp
a large chicken, jointed into 8
carrots 200g
a medium onion
celery 2 sticks
garlic 3 cloves
sweet Muscat wine 500ml
thyme sprigs 6
orange 1 small
Warm the olive oil in a large, wide pan over a moderate heat, then brown the chicken pieces, seasoned with salt and pepper, in the oil. Remove and set aside as soon as the chicken is evenly coloured.
Scrub the carrots and dice them finely. Peel the onion, finely chop and add to the carrots, then finely chop the celery. Peel and finely chop the garlic then add all the vegetables, together with the thyme and three strips of orange zest removed from the fruit with a vegetable peeler, to the empty chicken pan, adding a little more oil if necessary.
Cook the vegetables for about 10 minutes over a moderate heat, stirring from time to time, till the carrots and celery are almost tender but still retain a little crispness.
Return the chicken pieces to the pan and tuck in among the vegetables.
Pour the muscat into the pan, bring it to the boil and scrape at any residue in the base of the pan, dissolving it into the wine as you stir. Then leave the chicken, vegetables, aromatics and wine to simmer for about 45 minutes.
Serve when the chicken and vegetables are tender.
