Frank Camorra's slow-cooked duck

When I am buying duck, my mind often drifts back to the backyard bird collection of one of my uncles. He used to breed all sorts of eating birds in suburban Melbourne, including quails, pheasants and ducks.

If you ever need to pluck a duck, the trick is to put the bird in hot, soapy water to get through the layer of oil that covers the feathers.

Most of the ducks bred for meat production are Pekin ducks, but if you can find a Muscovy, all the better. They have an incredible flavour.

The silverbeet recipe is a great accompaniment to duck legs. The sherry vinegar used to finish it cuts perfectly through the richness of the rest of the meal.

Once you have cooked duck legs you can also pull the meat off the bones and roughly chop it, then toss it through a rustic tomato sauce for a lovely pasta dish.

Slow-cooked duck leg

6 duck legs, trimmed of excess fat

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 large onions, diced

6 cloves garlic, chopped

1 large carrot, chopped

6 celery stalks, diced

4 bay leaves

1/4 bunch lemon thyme

200ml red wine

2 cups chicken stock, preferably home-made

Preheat oven to 150C. Place duck legs skin-side down in a large roasting tray and place over medium heat. Brown them carefully and evenly, sprinkling with salt and pepper as they cook. When legs are nicely browned, turn them over and sear for a minute or two, no more. Remove to a plate.

Remove all but enough fat to moisten vegetables. Place vegetables and herbs into the tray. Cook over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes until they begin to brown, stirring occasionally.

Return duck legs to pan, skin-side up, then add wine and stock. Liquid 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 undisturbed, until duck is tender and liquid reduced. The duck is done when a thin-bladed knife pierces the meat with little resistance. Serve hot.

Serves 6

Braised silverbeet

2 bunches silverbeet or chard, about 2kg in total,

stalks and leaves separated and rinsed

200ml extra virgin olive oil

3 large brown onions, finely chopped

6 garlic cloves, peeled, thinly sliced

1 tsp fine sea salt

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

125g 2-day old bread, thickly sliced

5 whole cloves, unpeeled

1 tbsp sherry vinegar

Slice the silverbeet stalks very thinly and shred the leaves roughly, keeping them separate. Heat 80ml of the oil in a large heavy-based frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute for 5 minutes, or until slightly brown. Add garlic, silverbeet stalks and a good pinch of sea salt.

Reduce heat to low-medium and cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes or until the stalks are very tender. Add the leaves and remaining salt and cook for another 5 minutes, or until the leaves are just wilted. Stir in the turmeric and 70ml of water and simmer over low heat for another 30 minutes or until tender.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a heavy-based frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the bread and the unpeeled garlic and cook, shaking the pan frequently, until the bread is golden and crisp. Remove bread, drain on paper towel, then return the pan to the heat and cook the garlic for another 2-3 minutes or until slightly golden.

Drain on paper towel. When cool enough to handle, break up toasted bread with your hands. Peel the garlic, flatten with the flat side of a large knife and chop roughly. Add the vinegar, toasted bread and garlic to the silverbeet in the last few minutes of cooking. Season to taste.

Serves 6