Happy 2010 Tummy Treasure readers! Here I sit, on the 5th of January, thinking that for once, I am not going to make any kind of foodie list for the year ahead. I usually do. I make a few food resolutions, and look back on last years and see how I did. I have no goals in mind this year. At least not with specific foods in mind. Instead, I make it my goal to keep it real here at Tummy Treasure- to keep cooking up the real food and telling the real stories. I suspect there will be a lot of excitement and adventure to be had this year, and I am excited that you’ll be around to share the tales with.
But first, lets talk about something exciting from last year. A few months ago, our neighbor asked us if we ate duck. Do we eat duck? Oh boy, do I eat duck. I order it anytime we go to a restaurant that serves duck. I love it- it’s one of my favorite treats, but I have never ever prepared it. In fact, three years ago I made a resolution to try preparing duck once. Well, I’m happy to say that I’ve now prepared duck. Several times, in fact. Although I can’t say I’ve earned my official Duck Cooking badge yet, as the duck that I’ve cooked has been the breast meat of wild duck, and not a whole bird- that I have yet to accomplish.
This duck came to us cleaned and ready to go, but what to do with it- that was the question. A few searches online did not sound promising at all. The few conversations I could find about wild duck referred to its gaminess and unpleasant flavors of mud. The neighbors themselves don’t prepare much of the duck they harvest, simply because no one enjoys it. I was afraid of this duck, sitting harmlessly in my fridge, defrosting away. I worried about it tasting like mud, so the first time I cooked it, I marinated it for several hours in a 7-Up/ginger mixture. I then took the marinated duck, drained it and dredged it before pan frying it. That duck turned out okay. It needs some tweaking before I would call it a real recipe. Unhappy with my first attempt at duck, I decided some stronger flavors were in order. And at the same time, Andy was really wanting to play with his grill, so we combined forces. I would provide a marinade, he would provide smoke.
I think this marinade was spot on- and would go great with duck that isn’t being smoked. It would probably work well with domestic duck, and I daresay, I think it would also be great for a marinade for lamb of some kind- a roast or a boneless leg. This duck was so tasty, that the neighbors who don’t eat the duck enjoyed the duck. This duck was so tasty that Zander requested it be part of our Thanksgiving feast. This duck was so tasty, that the leftovers went in the freezer, and tomorrow, I am going to tell you about one of the best pizzas I’ve ever made.
I’m afraid I can’t give you directions for smoking. Maybe one of these days I will talk my hubby into doing a how-to for the home smoker using a Weber grill. Maybe if enough of you would leave a comment asking him to do that very thing, he would have to listen and sidle on up to the keyboard for a spell.
I don’t have directions for smoking, but I do have the marinade. Use it anywhere you have some strong flavors that need some love. Lamb, duck, I bet venison would be spectacular- really, I would try this with any thing that is gamey. Goat? Hmm, don’t think I can get that anywhere around here yet. If your duck is on the wild side and not domestic, go ahead and give it a good long soak- 8 hours, or overnight would be fine too. If your duck is domestic, I would say 4 hours, but less would be okay too. If you happen to have whole coriander and cumin seeds- toast those babies up before using in the marinade. If you don’t have seeds, just use the ground powder as is. (But get some seeds, it makes such a difference in cooking.)
I am no longer afraid of cooking duck, and am so thankful to have hunting neighbors who share.
Marinade For Wild Duck
1/2 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted and ground (or use 1/2 tsp ground)
1 teaspoon cumin (or 1/2 teaspoon seeds, toasted and ground)
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon Ancho chili powder
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 Tablesoons lime juice
2 Tablespoons water
few pinches of salt and grinds of pepper
3 thyme sprigs
Combine all the ingredients in a zipper bag and marinate the duck. Discard the marinade.