Duck Wilted Spinach And White Bean Salad Recipes

PAN-FRIED DUCK BREAST WITH CREAMY WHITE BEANS

Steps:

• Score the skin of the duck breast at 2cm intervals, then season with sea salt and black pepper.
• Place the duck skin-side down in a cold non-stick frying pan, then turn the heat on to medium-high. Cook for 8 minutes without moving it, or until the fat is well rendered and the skin is golden and crispy.
• Meanwhile, finely chop the bacon. Peel and finely slice the garlic.
• Turn the duck over and cook for 4 minutes on the other side, then remove to a plate to rest, leaving the pan of duck fat on the heat.
• Sprinkle the bacon and garlic into the hot pan, strip in the rosemary leaves and cook for 2 minutes, or until golden, stirring regularly.
• Add a splash of red wine vinegar and stir to pick up any sticky bits, then pour in the beans, juice and all. Simmer for a couple of minutes, then stir through the spinach until wilted.
• Slice the duck breast at an angle. Divide the beans between your plates and arrange the duck on top, spooning over any resting juices, to finish.

SLOW-ROASTED DUCK WITH MASHED WHITE BEANS, SIZZLED HERBS AND OLIVES

Steps:

• Cook the beans: Rinse beans and put them, along with the onion, bay leaves, cloves and garlic, in a large heavy-bottomed pot with a lid. Add enough water to cover by 2 inches and bring to a boil over high heat.
• Add 2 teaspoons salt, reduce heat to low, and bring beans to a bare simmer. Cover, but leave lid ajar. Cook very slowly, adding water as needed, for about 1 1/2 hours, or until beans are soft. Taste broth and adjust seasoning. Remove onion, bay leaves, cloves and garlic, and discard. Let beans cool uncovered in the cooking liquid. (They may be cooked up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated.)
• As beans cook, prepare the duck legs: Lay them on a cutting board skin-side up, and use a skewer or the tip of a knife to prick the skin of each leg all over.
• Heat oven to 325 degrees. Season each leg generously on both sides with salt and pepper - don't go crazy, but don't be meek.
• Place legs in a roasting pan, in a single layer skin-side up. (Take care that the roasting pan is high-sided enough, as a fair amount of fat will be produced as legs cook.) Roast, uncovered, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the meat is quite tender, nearly falling off the bone. At this point, check to see the skin is crisp and nicely browned.If not, raise oven temperature to 400 degrees, and roast for another 10 minutes, or perhaps more, until skin is crisped. Remove legs from roasting pan and keep warm. (An inch or more of liquid fat will have accumulated in the roasting pan. Let it cool a bit before pouring it into a jar for future use.)
• Bring beans to a boil in a pot over medium-high heat. Pull them off the heat, and drain in a colander, reserving liquid. Put three-quarters of the beans in a mixing bowl and use a potato masher to mash them. (Alternatively, you can purée the beans in a food processor.) Add bean broth as needed to loosen the mixture to the consistency of soft mashed potatoes. Stir in the reserved whole beans. Adjust the seasoning. Keep warm.
• Prepare sizzled herbs: Add 3 tablespoons olive oil to a skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add sage and rosemary until they're coated with oil. When all the sage leaves have wilted, keep stirring until the herbs begin to fry and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn heat to low, then swirl in the garlic and red-pepper flakes. Immediately add olives and warm through.
• To serve, pair one duck leg with a spoonful of mashed beans. Spoon some of the olive mixture over the duck and beans. If desired, dress crisp green arugula with just a few drops of lemon juice and a little salt, and serve alongside for a refreshing counterpoint to the rich, salty duck and beans.

SPINACH, BACON & WHITE BEAN SALAD

Steps:

• Heat a large pan and dry-fry the bacon for about 2 mins each side until crispy. Remove and drain on kitchen paper. Keep the fat from the bacon in the pan, add the vinegar and bubble for a few secs before tipping in the peppers and beans. Season and heat through. Toss together the spinach, beans, peppers and bacon, then drizzle with a dressing of your choice.

WARM DUCK SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place the duck breasts on a sheet pan, skin side up. Sprinkle with salt and roast for about 20 minutes, until medium-rare. Remove from the oven, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and allow to sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove and discard the fat and skin on top (unless you're making cracklings), slice the duck, and then cut the slices crosswise into julienned pieces.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the shallots, sherry vinegar, orange zest, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt. Whisk in the olive oil and set aside.
• For the salad, trim the bottom half-inch from the endive and cut them diagonally into 1/2-inch slices. Separate the leaves and discard the cores. Place the slices in a large salad bowl. Add the mache leaves, oranges, raspberries, and toasted pecans. Toss with enough dressing to moisten. Gently toss in the warm duck meat and serve immediately.

LIGHTLY WILTED SPINACH SALAD

Steps:

• In a small skillet, heat 1 teaspoon of the canola oil. Add the onion and garlic clove and cook, stirring gently, for 2 minutes. Season lightly with salt. Discard the garlic clove. Whisk in the cider vinegar and add 1 teaspoon canola oil. Taste for seasoning. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Place a large heatproof bowl over low heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon canola oil. When the bowl is warm remove it from the heat and add the spinach. Season lightly with salt and toss with a spoon so the spinach gets coated with the oil and wilts slightly, 1 minute. The spinach should only be partially wilted and still appear somewhat raw. Pour off any water that might accumulate in the bottom of the bowl from wilting and stir in the onion and dressing from the skillet. Add chopped hard-boiled egg. Serve immediately.

TUSCAN WHITE BEAN SALAD WITH SPINACH, OLIVES, AND SUN-DRIED TOMATOES

Steps:

• 1. To quick-soak the beans: Place the beans in a large pot with water to cover by 3 inches and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 45 minutes. Remove from the heat, drain, and rinse.
• 2. To cook the beans: Place the beans in a large pot and add enough water to cover by 3 to 4 inches. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer, uncovered, 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until beans are tender but still firm. Drain and rinse the beans thoroughly. Set aside to cool.
• 3. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook and stir until slightly brown, about 5 minutes.
• 4. Toss the beans, onion, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, mozzarella, and olives in a large bowl with the vinaigrette until just combined. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to use or up to 1 day. If refrigerating, add the spinach just before serving.

WHITE BEANS AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Place water, garlic and spinach in a large skillet. Cook, covered, over medium heat just until tender, 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in remaining ingredients; heat through.

WILTED SPINACH SALAD

Steps:

• Place 6 eggs in a medium saucepan with enough cold water to cover. Bring water to a boil, and immediately remove from heat. Cover, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, cool, peel, and chop.
• Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and set aside, reserving approximately 1/2 cup of drippings in the skillet.
• In a large bowl, toss together the spinach and green onions.
• Heat the reserved drippings over low heat. In a small bowl, whisk together the 2 remaining eggs, sugar, white vinegar, and red wine vinegar. Add to warm grease, and whisk for about a minute, until thickened. Pour at once over spinach, add crumbled bacon, and toss to coat. Garnish with chopped egg.

CRISPY DUCK SALAD WITH GREEN BEANS AND HONEYED ALMONDS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook honey and salt until thin and runny, then mix in almonds until coated. Add sugar and toss to coat. Spread nuts on baking sheet (lined with parchment paper) and bake, stirring once, until deeply golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Let nuts cool, then break up clumps with your fingers.
• In a medium pot on medium-high heat, bring six cups salted water to boil. Fill a medium bowl with ice water. Cook green beans until bright green and tender, 2 to 4 minutes depending on thickness of beans. Drain, then plunge into ice water to stop cooking. Drain and pat dry.
• Raise oven heat to 400 degrees. Using a sharp knife, score duck fat into a crosshatch pattern, with cuts a half-inch apart. You want to cut through fat but not into flesh of duck.
• In a small bowl, mix salt, chili, pepper, cumin and cinnamon. Rub mix all over duck, working it into the fat.
• Set an ovenproof pan on the stove over medium-low heat. Add 1 teaspoon of oil, heat for a few seconds, then add duck, fat side down. Sear without moving until dark brown, about 10 minutes (if it starts to burn, lower the heat). Flip duck and cook for 1 minute, then transfer pan to oven and roast until meat is done to taste, 4 to 8 minutes longer for medium rare (130 degrees). Let duck rest on a cutting board. Reserve 2 tablespoons of fat from pan.
• Using mortar and pestle or side of a heavy knife, make a paste from garlic and a pinch of salt. In a small bowl, mix it with lime juice and a half-teaspoon salt, then drizzle in remaining olive oil, whisking well.
• In a large bowl, toss green beans and watercress with reserved pan drippings and just enough of dressing to coat. Taste and add salt if desired.
• Slice duck breasts and toss with salad. Garnish with almonds and serve.

SAUTEED SPINACH AND WHITE BEANS

Steps:

• Heat a large saute pan over medium heat, and add olive oil. Add diced onion, and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes.
• Add garlic, and cook 1 minute. Add beans, and cook until hot and slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add the spinach and vinegar, stirring frequently until spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes. Add the thyme, and season with the salt and pepper. Serve.

DUCK, WILTED SPINACH AND WHITE BEAN SALAD

Steps:

• Season the duck breasts with the salt and pepper to taste. Heat the oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat until almost smoking. Add the duck and cook for 3 minutes. Turn and cook until crisp and brown on the outside and still rare in the center, about 3 minutes longer. Remove the duck from the pan and set aside; keep warm.
• Gradually place the spinach in the skillet, and stir-fry until barely wilted, adding more as room allows. Place in a bowl and toss with the beans. Add the vinegar to the skillet and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon and scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add to the spinach mixture and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Cut the duck on the diagonal into thin slices. Divide the spinach mixture among 4 plates and drape the duck slices over it. Serve immediately.