In season Rhubarb
At this time of year, you may spot especially pink stalks of rhubarb in the shops – these have been ‘forced’, which means they have been grown in the dark to create tender stems of rhubarb that need less sweetening than later rhubarb grown outdoors. Here, Donal Lock, who is an innovation chef with the Kerry Group, shares his recipe to make the most of early season rhubarb
Confit duck leg with rhubarb chutney & grilled Baby Gem lettuce
CONFIT DUCK LEG
15g of course sea salt
3 sprigs of thyme, picked
2 duck legs, 200g each approx. 225g duck fat, melted RHUBARB CHUTNEY
½ cup sugar
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1 clove of garlic, minced
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ ground fenugreek
½ tsp ground allspice
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and diced
4-5 stalks of fresh rhubarb, sliced Pinch of salt
GRILLED LETTUCE
1 head of Baby Gem lettuce
1 tbsp olive oil
Pinch of sea salt
Method
For the duck legs, mix the salt and thyme, rub into the duck legs, and leave covered in the fridge for at least 5 hours.
Pre-heat the oven to 120°C. Rinse the salt from the duck legs and dry well, then put in an ovenproof dish and cover with the duck fat. ( Use vegetable oil if you can’t source duck fat, but I thoroughly recommend using duck fat). Put in the oven covered with foil for about 2 ½ to 3 hours, until completely tender when pried with fork. Leave to cool in the fat mixture, and then remove the duck legs from the fat and pat dry with kitchen paper. (Reserve the fat for roast potatoes).
For the rhubarb chutney, slice the rhubarb into thin slices to get about 4 cups worth. Dissolve the vinegar, sugar, and spices in a medium pot, then add the rest of the ingredients. Cover and cook over a medium heat for 10-15 minutes until the rhubarb starts to break down, then remove from the heat. It will keep in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to a month.
For the grilled lettuce, wash the Baby Gems, dry, and cut in half lengthways. Drizzle the cut sides with olive oil and put that side down on a hot griddle pan for about a minute or until you get blackened bar marks. Remove from the pan and season with salt (only cook on one side). To serve, pan-fry the duck legs in a little oil (1 tbsp) until crispy on both sides and heated through, this can be done under a grill too. Put the warm rhubarb chutney on a plate and put the duck leg on top, and nish with the grilled Baby Gem beside it. Follow Donal’s great food photography on Instagram @the_irish_development_chef