Duck w. Marsala Beans
Cook Time: ~15 Minutes
The main fixture of this dish is just four ingredients; duck, wine, rosemary, and beans. I add a side of spinach and garlic crisp but it’s an optional pairing. Despite the lack of ingredients, this relatively simple dish is surprisingly packed with flavour. Soft pink duck meat, sweet soft beans stewed in marsala, and an aromatic whiff of rosemary.
Serves: 2
Prep: ~5 minutes
Cook: ~10 minutes
Ingredients
2-4 duck breasts
Marsala wine (~5 tbsp)
Cannellini beans (~400g)
Spinach (~250g)
4x garlic cloves
Rosemary
Extra virgin olive oil (2 tbsp)
Notes
Marsala: If you have the choice, opt for a secco (dry) marsala wine instead of a dolce (sweet). The former is better for savoury cooking (like this recipe) and the latter is better for baking.
Equipment
Frying pan
Large pot
Mise En Place
Peel and thinly slice the garlic cloves. Drain and decant the cannellini beans. Wash the spinach if you need to.
Pat down the excess moisture on the duck breast and skin. Score the skin both ways and season with salt and pepper.
The Cook
Bring a pan to medium heat and, without adding oil, lay the duck breasts skin side down and cook until golden brown and crisp. This should take 4-6 minutes. Once crisp, flip the duck breasts skin side up, add the drained cannellini beans to the pan, and add 5 tablespoons of marsala wine alongside a few sprigs of rosemary. Cover the pan with a lid, and let simmer for 5-6 minutes more.
To make the spinach with garlic crisp, add a dash of oil to a medium-heat pan and fry the sliced garlic gently until golden brown. Remove from the pan, drain the excess oil and within 30 seconds the garlic will dry and begin to crisp. Add the spinach to a large pot alongside olive oil on a gentle heat and stir until wilted. Drain the excess liquid from the spinach, season, and combine with the garlic crisp.
To serve, scoop the beans into a pile, place sliced duck on top of them and sprinkle with a few garlic crisps and a sprig of rosemary. Enjoy.
If you attempt this dish, let me know how it goes, and if you variate the recipe in any way. This newsletter relies upon word of mouth, so if you know someone who would enjoy this recipe please share it.
Thanks for reading,
Conor