Ingredients
| 1½ cups walnuts, roughly chopped | |
| 1 large sourdough loaf, crust removed | |
| 2 teaspoons caraway seeds | |
| 3 cloves black garlic, peeled and finely sliced | |
| 2–3 tablespoons thyme leaves | |
| 6 duck legs | |
| 250ml chicken stock | |
| ½ cup pearl farro or barley | |
| 1 small red onion or 1 shallot | |
| 3 tablespoons lemon juice | |
| 2 teaspoons mustard | |
| 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil | |
| 3 cups finely sliced red cabbage | |
| 10 baby cucumbers or ½ cucumber, sliced | |
| 1 cup grapes, halved and seeds removed | |
| ½ cup mint leaves, chopped | |
| 1 cup flat-leafed parsley leaves, chopped |
A traditional European Christmas feast wouldn’t be complete without a gamey roast such as duck, goose or even rabbit. I’m using duck legs here so everyone gets one each, and the ‘stuffing’ is served as a side dish. You need a roasting dish that fits the duck relatively snugly in one layer so the stuffing is contained underneath and soaks up all the yummy juices.
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Instructions
| 1. | Heat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan bake. |
| 2. | Put ½ cup walnuts on a tray and toast in the oven for 5 minutes. Set aside. |
| 3. | Cut or tear the sourdough into bite-sized pieces and arrange over the bottom of a roasting dish. |
| 4. | Crush the caraway seeds roughly in a mortar and pestle and sprinkle half over the bread and set the rest aside. |
| 5. | Scatter over the black garlic, thyme and the remaining 1 cup of walnuts. |
| 6. | Dry the duck well, then season the skin with salt. |
| 7. | Place skin-side down in a frying pan, then turn on the heat to medium-high and cook for about 5 minutes until browned (use a mesh splatter guard as it does spit). |
| 8. | Arrange the duck on top of the bread stuffing, skin-side up. |
| 9. | Carefully pour the chicken stock into the pan and bring to the boil, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. |
| 10. | Pour evenly over the duck and bread. |
| 11. | Place the duck into the oven and cook for 20 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 170°C/150°C fan bake, cover and cook for a further 40 minutes. |
| 12. | Cook the farro or barley in boiling, salted water for 20 minutes or until just tender. |
| 13. | Refresh with cold water and drain well. |
| 14. | Grate or finely chop the onion into a large bowl and mix with the lemon juice, mustard and remaining caraway seeds, then whisk in the olive oil. |
| 15. | Add the farro and cabbage, mix and season with salt and pepper. |
| 16. | Put the cucumber, grapes, mint and parsley on top but do not toss until just before serving. Cover and refrigerate. |
| 17. | Toss through the toasted walnuts just before serving with the duck and stuffing. |
Recipes & food styling Fiona Smith / Photography Tony Nyberg / Styling Fiona Lascelles
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