Photos by Steve Shanahan |
First published Canberra Times 11 April 2012.
Last September when the fuss and flurry of Floriade was
over, I was left with, what looked like, a gaggle of duck necks, which I threw in the freezer to deal with later. Well, later has now
come, and I need to do something creative with them. Thus, my duck neck sausage was created.
I was a little obsessed while working on what stuffing
ingredients to include, and it was only when my sister phoned during a sensitive stage of the preparations and I described what I was
doing, that I stopped to think what this dish might sound like to the
uninitiated. Her response was, well, not what you’d call positive.
But I persisted and the result is absolutely delicious, if fiddly, and for people
like me who are dedicated to everything duck, an essential addition to your
duck repertoire, that is if you have one.
If you haven’t had the
experience of cooking multiple duck breasts at Floriade, and aren’t left with a
gaggle of duck necks, I believe you could approach a poultry supplier who could
sell you the duck necks very cheaply.
Don’t be put off by the duck neck thing - this is really a fun
dish to make. I have provided quantities for 2 duck necks. If you have more
necks, just increase the quantities of filling.
The makings |
You can buy duck fat in tubs from many supermarkets, Costco, poultry
suppliers or delis. Costco has the best price.
2 duck necks
1 to 1.5 kg of duck fat
250g minced pork fat or 2 tbsp of duck fat extra
200g of duck breast meat, chopped finely
bunch thyme, leaves stripped
60 g pistachio nuts, roughly chopped
4 tsp of cognac or good brandy
1 tsp of grated lemon zest
4 tsp plain flour
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
½ tsp of five spice powder
½ 450ml can of sour cherries, drained
½ tsp of salt
ground black pepper
kitchen string
Strip the skin of the duck necks away from the windpipe, as
if peeling off a glove. The skin will be attached to the windpipe by little
fibres that pull away easily. Remove the windpipe from the skin and throw away.
Wash the skin thoroughly, inside and out and pat dry.
Place the chopped duck meat, flour, balsamic vinegar, pork
mince, pork or duck fat, pistachios, cognac, thyme, cherries, five spice
powder, lemon zest and salt and pepper into a mixer, that is fixed with a
paddle attachment.
Mix on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, or until well
combined, although don’t overmix until the mixture turns pasty. Place the stuffing
mixture into a piping bag. If you don’t
feel confident with a piping bag, you could spoon the stuffing mixture in, just
make sure you push it down. The filling should be packed in quite firmly and
resemble a thick sausage.
Heat the duck fat in a small medium saucepan, on low to
medium or 90C.
Tie a knot with kitchen string at the narrow end of the neck
and pipe the stuffing mixture in, filling it well. Tie off the large end of the
neck with another piece of string.
Repeat with the second duck neck.
Place the neck sausages into the saucepan of duck fat and
cook for 30 to 40 minutes on low heat. Make sure the sausages are just covered
in the melted duck fat and the heat remains low with just the occasional
bubble.
While the sausages are cooking through, preheat the oven to
200C.
Remove the sausages from the saucepan, place on a baking
tray and crisp up in the oven for about 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Check they are not burning.
When the sausages are crisped, remove from the oven, cover
with foil and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Holding the sausage to maintain its
shape, slice carefully into 1 cm slices with a sharp knife, throwing away the
string. Serve with salad and a spicy chutney or pickle for the warmer months or
with potato mash and vegetables for the cooler months.
fancy preparation..
ReplyDeletethx for sharing,
ijust butchered a goose and saving the neck skin...