Duck breast with radicchio, toasted walnuts and fregola

40 MINUTES | SERVES 4 | EASY | LC

Agrodulce is an Italian sweet and sour sauce, which together with the juicy duck and bitter greens creates a perfect balance of tastes. The vinegar could be swapped for white wine or cider varieties, and you could try honey in place of the maple syrup.

fregola or giant couscous 60g Gressingham duck breast portions 2 radicchio, red or yellow chicory or treviso 3 heads (use one or a mixture) walnuts 30g, toasted and chopped pomegranate seeds 50g blue cheese 30g, crumbled extra-virgin olive oil 2 tbsp

AGRODULCE

red wine vinegar 125ml maple syrup 4 tbsp dried chilli flakes a pinch

• Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. To make the agrodulce, put the vinegar, maple syrup and dried chilli flakes in a small pan and reduce for 6-8 minutes or until syrupy. Put aside.

• Bring a pan of lightly salted water to the boil, tip in the fregola and cook following pack instructions. Drain and run under cold water to cool. Put aside until you are ready to assemble the salad.

• Pat dry the duck breast portions with kitchen paper, score the fat and season. Cook, skin-side down, in an ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat for 6-8 minutes or until golden and the fat has rendered. Flip over and cook for another minute, then drain off the fat and transfer to the oven for a further 3-4 minutes, depending on how rare you like it. Rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing thinly.

• Slice the lettuce root ends into thin rings and quarter the rest of the heads lengthways. Layer the lettuce on a platter or individual plates, then top with the fregola, duck, walnuts, pomegranate seeds and blue cheese. Drizzle with the agrodulce and olive oil, and season. Serve.

PER SERVING 346 KCALS | FAT 18.9G SATURATES 4.5G | CARBS 25.4G | SUGARS 11.3G FIBRE 2G | PROTEIN 17.5G | SALT 0.3G