INGREDIENTS
For the preserved kumquats (makes about a litre jar)
50g kumquats
500ml water
1tbs salt
1 stick cinnamon
2tbs white wine vinegar
For the kumquat-flavoured chickpeas
350g chickpeas, soaked
1 litre duck stock
Salt
1dl duck essence or glaze
1-2 preserved kumquats, diced
2 rocket leaves, finely shredded
For the duck neck sausages
2 duck necks
Salt
250g chopped duck trimming
250g minced belly of pork
Salt & pepper
Quatre-épices
Dried herbs (optional)
For the confit of duck
6 duck legs (Donovan's usually does batches of 30)
Coarse salt
1tsp quatre-épices
1tbsp thyme leaves
500g rendered duck fat
METHOD
Soak the kumquats in the water with the salt, cinnamon and vinegar. Transfer to a pan and simmer for 1 hour. Store in a sterilized jar. (Note: the proportions are not exact and may be adjusted to taste.)
Simmer the chickpeas in salted stock till soft. Drain. Transfer to a pan with duck glaze, preserved kumquats and rocket. Stew very gently until the chickpeas have absorbed the flavour of the fruit.
Turn the duck necks inside out and rub with salt. Loosely fill with a 50-50 mixture of chopped duck trimming and minced belly of pork seasoned with salt, pepper, quatre-épices and dried herbs if using. Sew up the ends. Cook the necks gently along with the duck leg confit, but take out the pieces after about one hour. Cut into slices.
Put all the ingredients for the confit of duck into a pan and bake in the oven for 2 hours at 110ºC. Crisp up the duck legs in a hot oven or a frying pan. Put them on a bed of chickpeas, with some of the reduced liquor. Arrange the sliced duck-neck sausage on top.
Robert Castellani