2 cups panko or other plain bread crumbs
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Drizzle the head of garlic with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, then wrap it in tinfoil. Roast until the cloves are soft, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and squeeze the cloves from the garlic skin. Mash with a spoon on a cutting board and set aside.
2. In a skillet or ovenproof pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and brown the onions, about 3 minutes. Season them with salt and pepper, turn them, and place the pan in the oven. Cook until browned and tender, about 30 minutes, tossing frequently, then remove from the oven. If using cipollini, cut them into quarters; if using pearl onions, leave them whole. Set aside.
3. In a 10-inch skillet (see Note), render the bacon over medium-low heat until just crispy. (A smaller skillet will not be large enough to hold the entire contents of the recipe.) 4. Add the shallots and let sweat.
5. Add the kale and let wilt.
6. Add stock and simmer for 10 minutes.
7. Add garlic puree, beans, and cipollini and simmer for 15 minutes.
8. Add the duck meat and simmer for 30 minutes.
9. In a separate saute pan, heat the remaining 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Brown the bread crumbs, stirring constantly. Add the rosemary, and red pepper flakes. Remove the bread crumbs from the heat and continue to stir for a few minutes until the pan cools down.
10. Garnish the ca.s.soulet with the bread crumbs and place the whole thing in the 350F oven. Bake for 10 minutes.
11. Remove from the oven and serve immediately at tableside from the skillet.
Tip for peeling onions: Soak them in a bowl of warm water. When you"re ready to peel, use a small knife and cut a slit down the side, then peel the skin back around the onion in one layer.
Note: This dish can be cooked in a ca.s.serole or other pan that can be transferred to the stove. A skillet works best, however, because the flavors aren"t lost in the transfer and it can be served at tableside from the skillet.
Coot Legs in Sherry
Serves 4 This recipe was introduced to me by the queen of cuisine in the Village, and everyone"s favorite great-aunt. She pointed out a version to me one afternoon, in a thin pink church cookbook on her kitchen shelves that are home to hundreds of cookbooks, many from Southern churches. This is a good recipe for tough bird legs. I like to use coot legs, rather than some of the smaller duck legs, because there is a substantial amount of meat on them. The key is to keep the liquid level low so that you are braising the legs, not submerging and boiling them.
12 to 16 coot legs
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 cup Amontillado sherry, or other sweet to medium-sweet variety
2 cups duck stock (page 212)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco or other hot sauce
3 cups sliced shiitake mushrooms
1. Preheat the oven to 250F. Season both sides of the legs with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed, ovenproof pot over high heat. Brown the duck legs in the olive oil, about 1 minute per side.
2. Remove the duck legs from the pot and set on a plate. Add the onion and garlic to the pot and let brown. Add the thyme and deglaze with the sherry.
3. Return the duck legs to the pot and let the sherry reduce by half.
4. Add the duck stock, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco. Add the mushrooms and stir.
5. Cover the mixture with parchment paper or tinfoil and then with a lid.
6. Transfer to the oven and roast for about 2 hours, or until the meat falls off the bone. Serve with wild rice, Israeli couscous, or pasta.
Also try: other small game bird legs
Duck, Coot, or Goose Confit
Serves 4 Confit is traditionally a salt cure for a piece of meat, usually goose or duck, followed by poaching it in its own fat. Once cured, cooked, and cooled, the meat can be removed from the bone and stored in a gla.s.s jar in the fat for up to six months. It is ideal to confit legs with the skin on, but with wild ducks you can"t always be picky. If you don"t have skin, simply use extra fat during cooking and turn the meat more often. You can keep it simple or play with flavorings, as long as you have the fat and the salt. Either way, the meat shreds from the bone in a b.u.t.tery kind of way.
4 mallard or speckled goose legs (about 1 pound), or the equivalent in smaller duck legs, or gizzards, hearts, and necks
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Zest of 1 orange
Zest of 1 lemon
1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves removed and stem discarded
2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed and stem discarded
1 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds (optional)