Oriental Warm Squash and Duck Salad

[Beardo]

This is a great seasonal dish, perfect for autumn.

I'd been out on the pigeons last week and dropped some in to the farmer - she had a wheelbarrow full of squash and pumpkins for sale so i grabbed a couple.

I love the fact that this recipe makes the most of every ingredient - it's quite labour intensive, but worth it.

 

 

Serve on a big platter and dress at the very last minute.

 

Serves 4

 

1x 2kg Duck

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

a small bunch of fresh mint, leaves picked and chopped

 

For the roasted squash:

1-2 dried red chillies, crumbled

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 large butternut squash or 2 onion squash, quartered or equivalent

olive oil

 

For the dressing:

zest and juice of 1-2 limes

extra virgin oil

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon soft brown sugar

1 fresh red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely grated

5 green onions, white parts trimmed and finely sliced, green ends finely chopped

a large bunch of fresh coriander leaves picked and stalks finely chopped

 

Preheat the oven to 180 C/ 350 degrees F. Wash the duck and pat it dry, inside and out, with paper towels, then rub it all over, inside as well, with salt and pepper. Place it in a pan and roast in the preheated oven for around 2 hours, turning it ever now and then. Halfway through, you'll probably need to drain away a lot of the fat from the bird. Don't throw it a way, though! Strain it and keep the fat (but no meat juices) in a jar in the fridge for a couple of months and us it to roast potatoes.

 

In a pestle and mortar bash up the dried chillies and coriander seeds and add the ground cinnamon and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Scoop the seeds out of your squash and put them to one side. Cut the squash into wedges, place them in a roasting tray, and drizzle over enough olive oil just to coat. Sprinkle over the ground spices and give the squash a good toss, spreading the pieces out in one layer. Once the duck has been in the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes, add the pan of squash to the oven and roast for about 45 minutes.

 

Meanwhile, rinse the squash seeds after removing any fibres. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Toast them in a dry frying pan until they're golden and crisp, and put aside. To make the dressing, put the lime juice and zest into a bowl and add the same amount of extra virgin olive oil, plus the sesame oil and the soy sauce. Stir in the sugar, chilli, garlic, the green onion ends and coriander stalks. Taste and adjust the sweet-and-sourness and the seasoning. You want it to be a little limey, to contrast with the rich duck.

 

After 2 hours, if the duck is nice and crispy, and the squash soft and sticky, take both pans out of the oven. If they need more time, leave them in until perfectly done. Using two forks, shred the duck meat off the bone and put into a large bowl. While the duck and squash are still warm, toss with the toasted seeds, half the coriander leaves, half the mint and half the white onion slices. Pour on the dressing and toss together. Serve sprinkled with the rest of the coriander, mint and white onion slices.

Edited September 15, 2009 by nickbeardo