Duck Legs Braised in Red Wine

Duck Legs Braised in Red Wine

Ingredients:
4 to 6 duck leg quarters
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 carrot, chopped
11/2 cups dry red wine
1 cup Chicken Stock or purchased stock
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon dried thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Directions:
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1. Rinse duck and pat dry with paper towels. Using a metal skewer, prick the skin of
each leg horizontally to the skin so that the skin but not the meat is pierced. Arrange
duck legs in the slow cooker.
2. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and carrot,
and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes, or until onion is translucent. Add wine to
the skillet, raise the heat to high, and boil wine until reduced by one-third. Pour
mixture into the slow cooker.
3. Add stock, parsley, thyme, and bay leaf to the slow cooker, and stir well. Cook on
Low for 7 to 9 hours, or until duck is incredibly tender. Remove and discard bay leaf.
4. Preheat the oven broiler, and line a broiler pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil.
Remove duck from the slow cooker with a slotted spatula, and set aside. Pour braising
liquid into a saucepan, and allow to sit undisturbed for 10 minutes. Spoon fat off of
surface of sauce with a soup ladle.
5. Bring sauce to a boil over high heat, and reduce by half. Mix cornstarch with 2
tablespoons cold water, and mix into sauce. Cook for 2 minutes, or until juices are
bubbly and slightly thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. To serve, broil duck legs for 2 to 3 minutes, or until skin is crisp. Serve hot, passing
sauce separately.
Note: The dish can be prepared up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated, tightly
covered. Reheat it, covered, in a 350°F oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until hot. Do not
broil the duck legs until just prior to serving.
Variations:
Add 1/2 cup pitted olives to the slow cooker.
Add 1 pound baby carrots or 1/2 pound baby carrots and 1/2 pound parsnips, cut
into 2-inch pieces to the slow cooker.
To reduce is to make something smaller, and when the word is used in cooking, it means to cut down
on the volume of liquid by applying heat, which speeds evaporation. Simmering a gravy or sauce
evaporates some of the water, which concentrates the flavor of the resulting liquid. Many recipes call
for liquid to be reduced by half, but it can be a greater or smaller amount.
T
here are two reasons why this is the longest chapter in the book. The first reason is
that cooking meats to exquisite tenderness is what the slow cooker does exceptionally
well. And the second reason is that meat dishes are an essential part of Italian cuisine,