Mallard with braised cabbage and carrot

Serves 4

A real winter warmer, and a great recipe that uses the legs of the mallard (or duck legs if mallard legs aren’t available), gently braised in an aromatic liquor.

For the mallard legs

— 80ml vegetable oil — 6 mallard legs, skin on — 100ml rapeseed oil — 4 banana shallots, peeled and thinly sliced

— 3 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced

— ½ bunch thyme

— 3 bay leaves

— 10 black peppercorns — 2 star anise

— 10 juniper berries — 100ml sherry vinegar — 100ml Madeira

— 1 litre brown chicken stock — juice and zest of 3 oranges — handful of chopped parsley

For the roasted carrot

— 2 medium-sized carrots, washed well, and a few carrot tops to finish (optional)

— 50ml vegetable oil — 100g unsalted butter — 20g fennel seeds

For the cabbage

— 100ml vegetable oil, plus a splash

— 4 banana shallots, finely sliced

— ½ bunch thyme

— 4 bay leaves — pinch each of black peppercorns, fennel seeds and coriander seeds

— 1 star anise

— 400ml cider

— 400ml white wine — 800ml white chicken stock — 1 tbsp white miso paste — 1 hispi cabbage — knob of butter To begin the braise, heat the vegetable oil in a medium saucepan. When hot, place the mallard legs skin-side down in the pan. Once the skin is golden brown, turn them over, and once coloured on both sides, place the legs in a colander to drain.

Add the rapeseed oil to the pan and gently sweat the shallot and garlic, herbs and spices. Add the vinegar and bring to a simmer to reduce by half. Now add the Madeira and reduce by half again, then add the chicken stock, orange juice and zest. Bring up to a simmer and add the mallard legs back to the pan. Gently simmer (without a lid) for 2-3 hours, until the mallard legs are tender and the meat falls off of the bone. Once cooked, remove from the heat and allow to rest for one hour.

Meanwhile, prepare the carrots and cabbage. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas mark 6.

Pan-fry the carrots whole in the oil and butter over a medium-high heat, until they are golden brown (you will cook them through later). Add the fennel seeds, toss to coat and remove from the heat.

Drain the carrots in a colander then wrap each one a piece of tinfoil. Place on a roasting tray and roast until they are just cooked – about 20 minutes. You can check this with a toothpick or skewer; it should go through with ease. Allow to cool then halve each carrot lengthways.

For the cabbage, heat 100ml vegetable oil in a pan over a medium heat and sweat the shallot with the herbs and

spices, until soft but not coloured. Add the cider and heat to reduce by half. Add the white wine and reduce by half again. Now add the chicken stock and reduce by half. Finally, add the miso paste and set aside. Keep warm.

Slice the hispi cabbage in half through the root. Add the halves cut-side down to a hot saucepan with the butter and splash of oil, cooking until very caramelised, which should take a couple of minutes. Add the miso liquor and put a lid on the pan. Braise the cabbage until just cooked, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the cabbage to cool in the liquor, then cut each half into two pieces. When the mallard legs have rested for an hour, remove them from the pan and carefully pick off the meat, discarding the skin and bones. Pass the sauce through a fine sieve and set over a heat to reduce down to a thick consistency. Add the picked meat into the sauce and mix well. Add the chopped parsley.

Serve with roasted carrot and braised cabbage, and finish with carrot tops if you like.