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Fall recipe: Finnish Wild Duck Legs

November 5, 2018

“Ravintola Nokka” is one of Helsinki’s most popular restaurants. A classic choice is wild duck. Chef Ari Ruoho prepares it with roasted pumpkin, forest mushrooms and butter.

https://p.dw.com/p/37Ztz
Euromaxx alc Wildente
Image: DW

Autumn cuisine: wild duck with pumpkin

Lightly smoked wild duck, oven roasted pumpkin and
black currant sauce.

  • 2 Wild ducks
  • 1l Game stock
  • 1dl Blackcurrants
  • 1 Onion
  • 1 Celery stick
  • 2dl Red wine
  • 2tbs Red wine vinegar
  • Salt    
  • Black pepper
  • 2tbs Sugar free blackcurrant juice
  • 200g Butter
  • Rosemary
  • Thyme
  • Garlic

Method: 
Remove the wild duck's breast and the legs. 
Cook the legs in the game stock slowly simmering for about 3 h or until the meat comes of easily of the bones.
Cut the wild duck carcass into smaller pieces and roast them in a sauteé pan.
Cut the onion and celery sticks into small cubes and caramelize them with the wild duck carcass.
Add the game stock so that it covers all the vegetables and the wild duck carcasses.
Let it simmer for 30 mins
Sieve the stock into a pot and add red wine and red wine vinegar.  
Bring it to a boil and add the blackcurrants. Cook the sauce until it is reduced by half. Strain it. 
Add 2tbs of blackcurrant juice and season the sauce with salt.
Smoke the wild duck breast with alder wood chips for 4 minutes.
Fry the breast skin side down in a pan with foaming butter, garlic, thyme and rosemary until the skin is golden brown and crispy. Turn the breast and fry for about 30 seconds.
Season them with salt and pepper. Put the breast in to a 140 degree Celsium oven and cook until the inside temperature is 42 celsius. Set aside until serving.
Fry the wild duck legs in butter until they are nice and crispy.


Oven roasted pumpkin:

  • 1 pumpkin
  • 1tbs oil
  • salt

Peel and cut it into pieces and season them with salt and oil. Roast the in a 200c until fully cooked (about 30-40 minutes). On top sprinkle some roasted pumpkin seeds.

 

Forest mushrooms and cabbage:

  • 1 Cabbage
  • 4dl Forest mushrooms

Cut the cabbage in to thin slices and cook in a pan with butter. Season it with salt.
Fry the mushrooms in a pan with rosemary and thyme until nicely browned and season with salt.