Duck breasts with Ginger and Cardamom

Ingredients: (Serves two)

• 2 plump duck breasts
• 1 small onion
• Salt and pepper
• 3 cms piece of root ginger
• A little sunflower oil
• 25g butter
• 1 teasp sugar
• 2 whole cardamom pods
• 500 ml chicken stock
• 100 ginger wine
• 100 ml dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Pepper

Method:

1. Peel and finely chop the onion  and peel and grate the ginger
2. Heat the butter and gently fry the onion until softened
3. Add the ginger, sugar and the seeds from the cardamom pods and continue to cook until the onions are browned
4. Add the stock, the ginger wine and the white wine and bring to the boil.  Simmer until the sauce has reduced by half and is a thin syrupy consistency.
5. Season with pepper and the lemon juice
6. Set aside until needed to serve with the grilled duck

Grilled duck method:

1. Pre-heat the grill. 
2. Rub salt and pepper into the skin of the duck breasts and grill, skin side up until well browned
3. Turn them over, brush with the oil and grill for a further 5 – 10 minutes (depending on how well you like them done and how plump the breasts are)
4. Turn off the grill and let the breasts rest for 5 minutes.
5. Meanwhile stir fry the vegetables and gently heat the sauce
6. Slice and arrange on serving plates with the sauce poured over

Serve with:

Mini jacket potatoes – Depending on appetite 2 – 4 potatoes per person.  These need to be about the size of a large egg.

Method:

1. Wash potatoes and dry them on a tea towel and leave them until they are thoroughly dry
2. Turn on the oven to 19oC (reg 5)
3. Make a small cross in the skin of each potato
4. Pour a little oil over the potatoes and, using your hands, make sure that they are thoroughly coated
5. Place on a baking tray and put them into the oven for an hour
6. Gently squeeze the potatoes from the bottom, pushing upwards, to open up the cross on the top
7. Serve with butter or Hollandaise sauce

Stir fried vegetables

Cut about 150 g of mixed vegetables into thin matchsticks.  Use vegetables like carrots, courgettes, peppers, spring onions, mushrooms. Stir fry these with 150 grams of fresh baby spinach leaves and ½ red chilli (seeds removed and finely chopped) in 1 tablespoon of oil for 2 – 3 minutes  tossing them around continuously. Add a dash of sesame oil, soy sauce and a squeeze of lemon or lime juice and serve immediately