Well, our executive chef was tired of pairing our Siegerrebe with Eastern Mediterranean, Indian, spicy Asian, and even South American dishes. So for this private event, why not try another realm of spicy cuisine - African. Um, wow!
1 large yellow onion, chopped into a medium dice
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 T. chopped fresh ginger
½ cup prunes, chopped into ¼” pieces
½ cup dried apricots, chopped into ¼” pieces
¼ cup golden raisins, coarsely chopped
1 T. ground coriander
2 t.s ground cumin
½ t. ground cinnamon
¼ t. cayenne
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
Juice and zest of 1 orange
4 duck legs
Kosher salt
1 T. olive oil
5 cups chicken stock
1 T. chopped fresh parsley
1 T. chopped fresh mint
Combine the onion, garlic and ginger into a small bowl and set aside.
Combine the prunes, apricots and raisins into a separate bowl and set aside.
Combine the coriander, cumin, cinnamon and cayenne in a small bowl and set aside.
Combine the juice and zest of the lemon and orange in a small bowl and set aside.
Trim any excess fat from the duck legs and salt liberally on both sides. Heat a Dutch oven, large enough to hold all 4 legs comfortably, over high heat. Pour in the olive oil. Place all 4 legs into the pot, skin side down, and sear until dark golden brown. Turn down the heat and transfer the duck legs to a plate.
Discard all but 2 T.s of the fat in the pot, or enough to cover the bottom of the Dutch oven. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and saute until the vegetables have softened, roughly 5 minutes. Add the spices and stir so the spices completely coat the vegetables.
Turn the heat to medium-high. Deglaze with the citrus juice-zest mixture and cook until the liquid has evaporated. Add the dried fruits and chicken stock, and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and gently place the duck legs, skin side up, back into the Dutch oven, making sure they are completely submerged in the liquid. Cover the Dutch oven. Either turn the stove top to the lowest heat or place in a preheated 300 degree oven for 2 hours. After 2 hours check to see if the duck legs are so tender that the meat easily begins to fall off the bone. If they are not yet tender, cook for an additional 20 to 30 minutes.
Carefully transfer the duck legs to a serving dish. Stir the cooking liquid, which should have thickened to a sauce. If it’s not quite thick enough, return to medium heat and reduce for an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Pour the sauce over the meat and garnish with the chopped parsley and mint.
Dressing:
1 medium clove garlic, pressed
2 T. chopped cilantro
2 T. chopped parsley
2 t. powdered cumin
2 t. smoked paprika
1 t. sea salt
1/2 t. fresh ground black pepper
2 T. olive oil
2 T. Perennial Vintners Verjus
Salad:
3 green peppers
3 red peppers
1 large sweet onion, 1/2" slices
Whisk the dressing together.
Grill the peppers over high heat turning frequently until the skin is blistered.
Place a plastic bag for 10 minutes to steam and loosen skin.
Remove the skin, clean, and cut into 3" x 1/2" strips.
Peel and core the onion, then cut crossways into 1/2" thick slices.
Brush the onion slices with olive oil.
Grill over medium heat rotating and flipping until tender and well marked.
Cut the slice in quarters.
Toss the peppers, onion and dressing together while still a bit warm.
Refrigerate 1-2 hours, tossing a couple of times.
6-8 medium Russet potatoes
1/2 cup melted duck fat
2 garlic cloves, pressed
2 t. Harissa powder
2 t. Ras el Hanout powder
2 t. sea salt
1 t. Aleppo pepper powder
Arrange a rack in the bottom third of the oven and heat to 400°F.
Remove any blemishes on the potatoes, scrub clean and pat them dry.
Combine the fat with the garlic, harissa, ras el hanout, and salt in a small bowl.
Cut a thin slice off the bottom of each potato. Rest them on a cutting board, with a chopstick along either side hugging the potato. Cut slits in the potatoes, leaving the bottom intact. Cut parallel slits into each potato, stopping just before you cut through so that the slices stay connected at the bottom of the potato. Space the slices 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch apart. Slice straight down and when your knife hits the edge of the chopstick, stop slicing. But watch the ends of the potatoes, the outer edge may be closer than you realize!
Arrange the potatoes on a baking sheet or in a baking dish. Brush the potatoes all over with half the fat mixture, including the bottoms of the potatoes.
Bake 30 minutes, then brush with more fat. Make sure you get some of the garlic, which always seems to settle at the bottom. Bake the potatoes for 30 minutes. At this point, the layers will start separating. Remove the pan from the oven and brush the potatoes again with the remaining fat — you can nudge the layers apart if they're still sticking together. Make sure some of the fat and garlic drips down into the space between the slices.
Bake until the potatoes are crispy on the edges and easily pierced in the middle with a paring knife, 20-30 minutes. This will depend on the size of your potatoes.