Best Braised Duck Legs With Leeks And Green Olives Recipes

CRISPY BRAISED DUCK LEGS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put duck legs skin side down in a skillet large enough to accommodate all ingredients comfortably. Turn heat to medium, and cook, rotating so skin browns thoroughly and evenly but do not turn over completely. Meanwhile, peel onion and carrots, trim celery and roughly chop them all.
• When skins are nicely browned, turn and sear the meat side just 1 to 2 minutes, and season with salt and pepper. Remove to a plate; remove all fat from pan except enough to moisten vegetables. Add vegetables and salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, over medium-high heat, until they begin to brown, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Return duck legs skin side up to pan, and add stock; it should come about halfway up the legs but not cover them. Turn heat to high, bring to boil and transfer to oven.
• Cook 30 minutes, and turn heat to 350 degrees. Cook undisturbed until duck is tender and liquid reduced, at least 30 minutes or a bit longer. Serve immediately, or let rest in a 200-degree oven for up to an hour.

BRAISED DUCK WITH OLIVES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Remove the duck's wings, giblets and neck; rinse inside and out and dry. Prick the skin of the breast and thighs with a fork. Lightly season the inside with salt and pepper; stuff with thyme and rosemary.
• Place duck, breast side down, in a large Dutch oven (preferably enamel-lined) over medium heat and brown on all sides, spooning off the fat as it renders.
• Bring stock and wine to a boil in a small pan; pour over the duck. Add the vegetables, bay leaves, lemon rind and several grindings of pepper. Cover; braise in oven until the leg meat is firm and the breast brown throughout, about 1 hour.
• Remove duck and cover loosely. Strain the stock, discard the vegetables and spoon off the fat. Boil stock until reduced to about 1 cup, about 10 minutes. Add the olives for the final 3 to 4 minutes. (You may thicken stock slightly with a roux of flour and butter.) Adjust seasonings.
• To serve, thinly slice the breast lengthwise. Separate legs from thighs. Pour on sauce.

SLOW-COOKED DUCK LEGS WITH OLIVES

Steps:

• Trim all visible fat from the duck legs, then lay them in a large, broad skillet. They can overlap if necessary. Turn the heat to medium, and add the remaining ingredients except the parsley. When the mixture reaches a lively simmer, turn the heat to low, and cover.
• Check the mixture occasionally. It should be bubbling gently. Cook until the duck is very tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove the duck to a warm plate, and cover (or place in a very low oven), then turn the heat to medium-high under the remaining sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is reduced to a thick, saucelike consistency, about 10 minutes. Spoon over the duck legs, garnish with parsley if you like, and serve.

SLOW-COOKED DUCK LEGS WITH OLIVES

Steps:

• Trim all visible fat from the duck legs, then lay them in a large, broad skillet; they can overlap if necessary. Turn the heat to medium and add all the remaining ingredients except the parsley. When the mixture reaches a lively simmer, turn the heat to low and cover.
• Cook, checking occasionally-the mixture should be bubbling gently when you remove the cover-until the duck is very tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Transfer the duck to a warm plate and cover (or put in a very low oven), then turn the heat to medium-high under the remaining sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is reduced to a thick, saucelike consistency, about 10 minutes. Spoon over the duck legs, garnish, and serve.

BRAISED DUCK WITH GREEN OLIVES AND KUMQUATS

Steps:

• Season the duck with salt and pepper. Lightly coat the base of a large braising pan with olive oil. Lay the duck skin side down in the pan, place over medium-low heat and cook for 30 minutes. Strain off the fat and continue to cook over medium heat until the skin is dark and crisp, another 30 minutes. Transfer the duck to a plate.
• Drain all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan; add the onion and garlic. Sauté until the onion wilts. Add the wine and reduce over high heat until syrupy; add the bay leaves. Return the duck to the pan, skin side up, then pour in enough broth to cover it by two-thirds. Tuck the kumquats and olives into the broth, cover and simmer until tender, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Let the duck cool in the broth, then remove the duck, kumquats, olives, onions and bay leaves and set aside. Skim the fat from the broth, then reheat the broth, reducing by half. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Return the duck and its accompaniments to the pan to warm through. Place a piece of duck on a plate, topped with olives, kumquats, onions and sauce.

SPICE-RUBBED DUCK LEGS BRAISED WITH GREEN OLIVES AND CARROTS

Steps:

• Toast first 4 ingredients in medium skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to mortar or spice grinder; grind to coarse powder. Transfer to small bowl; stir in salt. Arrange duck legs on rimmed baking sheet; sprinkle spice mixture over all sides. Refrigerate uncovered overnight.
• Preheat oven to 300°F. Pat duck gently to remove moisture, removing as little spice mixture as possible. Heat heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook duck, skin side down, until skin is crisp and brown, about 7 minutes. Turn duck legs and cook until brown, about 3 minutes longer, draining fat from skillet between batches. Transfer duck legs to roasting pan, skin side up. Pour fat from skillet. Remove skillet from heat; add brandy. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, scraping up browned bits. Add wine. Boil until liquid is reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add broth; bring to boil. Pour mixture over duck in pan. Tuck onion wedges, garlic cloves, lemon peel, and bay leaves between duck legs. Scatter carrots and olives over. Cover with foil. Braise duck in oven 1 hour. Turn legs over; allow vegetables to fall into broth. Cover; braise until duck is tender and meat is falling from bones, about 1 hour longer. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly. Cover and chill. Rewarm in 350°F oven 20 minutes.
• Preheat broiler. Transfer 6 duck legs, skin-side up, to rimmed baking sheet. Tent with foil (cover and chill remaining 4 legs for leftovers). Transfer vegetables and olives from sauce to bowl; cover to keep warm. Spoon fat from sauce in roasting pan. Transfer remaining sauce to large skillet. Simmer sauce over medium-high heat until reduced to 1 cup, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and honey, if desired. Keep warm.
• Meanwhile, place duck legs under broiler until skin is crisp, about 4 minutes, watching carefully to prevent burning. Transfer to serving platter, spoon vegetable mixture around duck legs, drizzle sauce over, and serve.

CRISP-BRAISED DUCK LEGS WITH AROMATIC VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Put duck legs, skin side down, in a skillet large enough to accommodate all ingredients comfortably; turn heat to medium. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Brown duck legs carefully and evenly, sprinkling them with salt and pepper as they cook. Meanwhile, peel and dice vegetables.
• When legs are nicely browned, turn them over and sear for just a minute or two. Remove to a plate; remove all but enough fat to moisten vegetables. Add vegetables to skillet along with some salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Return duck legs to pan, skin side up, and add stock; it should come about halfway up duck legs but should not cover them. Turn heat to high, bring to a boil, and transfer to oven.
• Cook for 30 minutes, then lower heat to 350 degrees. Continue to cook, undisturbed, until duck is tender and liquid reduced, at least another half hour. The duck is done when a thin-bladed knife pierces the meat with little resistance. When done, duck will hold nicely in a warm oven for another hour. Serve hot.

DUCK LEGS BRAISED WITH RED WINE AND LIME

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Season the duck with salt and pepper. Place a stew pot over medium-high heat, and add the oil. When hot, add the duck, skin side down, and cook until golden brown. Rotate the legs and cook for 30 seconds more; transfer to a plate.
• Turn the heat to medium-low, add the onions and a little salt and cook covered, stirring occasionally, until they are softened, about 15 minutes. Stir in the lime zest and serrano chili. Add the red wine, 1/2 cup of water and a pinch of salt. Nestle the duck legs, skin side up, on top of the onions. Bring to a boil, and then cover, place in the oven and cook until the duck is tender but still toothsome, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Transfer the duck and 1/2 cup of the onions to a plate; cover to keep warm. Purée the remaining onions, the cooking liquid and lime juice in a blender. Adjust to taste with salt and lime juice. Stir in half of the cilantro.
• Mound the reserved onions in the centers of 4 plates. Put a duck leg on top of each, and pour the sauce around the duck. Sprinkle the remaining cilantro over each plate. Serve as a hearty appetizer.