Cook and Drink

Fresh leg of duck is hard to find, which is a pity because it’s juicy and flavourful. We used it to prepare Pasta with Duck (Pappardelle al Ragù d’Anatra), a classic Italian dish that goes back to a recipe by Pellegrino Artusi, published in 1891. It inspired us to do more with leg of duck. This very simple dish combines fried leg of duck with excellent zucchini. Just a few ingredients, which means that quality is crucial.

Wine Pairing

We enjoyed our Duck and Zucchini with a glass of Chiroubles, produced by Didier Desvignes. The label of the wine shows a snail, indicating that the wine is made with respect for the environment. Chiroubles is one of the 12 appellations of the Beaujolais. All red Beaujolais wines are made with gamay grapes. Wines from the Chiroubles appellation are in general fresh, generous and expressive. They have flavours such as strawberry, raspberry and cherry. This Chiroubles had a hint of earthy and rustic aromas, which added to the complexity of the wine. Excellent pairing with the rich duck and the aromatic, slightly sweet and bitter zucchini.

What You Need

• 2 Legs of Duck
• Olive Oil
• Zucchini
• Black Pepper

What You Do

1. Start by preparing the duck by removing the bits that you don’t like to eat
2. Preheat the oven to 150 °C or 300 °F
3. Heat a skillet, add olive oil and fry both sides of the legs until golden.
4. Transfer the duck, skin on top, to the oven for 30 – 60 minutes depending on the size, 
5. Bate every 15 minutes
6. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes
7. Wash, dry and slice the zucchini
8. Warm a skillet, add olive oil and fry the zucchini until a touch golden
9. Add black pepper to both the zucchini and the duck
10. Serve the zucchini with some of the (green) oil and duck on a warm plate

PS

An alternative is to remove the bigger bone of the leg, season the meat and use kitchen wire to close the leg. Fry as above. When the meat is in the oven, slice the fennel and add to a pan with some olive oil. Leave on low heat. Alternatively for a lighter version you steam the fennel and add some olive oil just before serving. When the meat is resting, fry shallot, garlic, finely chopped carrot and/or celery and/or chopped pancetta. Add juices from the duck and make a sauce. Slice the meat and serve with fennel.
You could also fill the leg of duck with for instance a combination of thyme and chopped rosemary.