Duck Breast with Rhubarb and Orange Chutney

You’d be ‘quackers’ not to try this for yourself.

Ingredients:  (serves two)
2 duck breasts.
seasoning – salt and pepper.

Chutney:
1 stick rhubarb.
Juice of 1 large orange.
Zest of half an orange.
1/4 onion – diced.
1/2 clove garlic – crushed.
100ml chicken stock.
1 dessert spoon of mango chutney.
2 tsps sugar.
1 dessert spoon of olive/veg’ oil.
seasoning – salt and pepper.

Stuffed Mini Peppers:
8 mini sweet peppers – washed.
80g couscous.
110ml hot chicken stock.
1/4 onion finely diced.
1 button mushroom finely chopped.
1/2 chilli finely diced.
1/2 tsp turmeric.
1/2 tsp ground coriander.
1/2 tsp paprika.
4 dessert spoons olive/veg’ oil.

1 dessert spoon of mango chutney.
2 sun-dried tomatoes – chopped.
seasoning – salt and pepper.
drizzle of olive/veg’ oil for roasting peppers.

Garnish/salad:
1 bunch of watercress – washed.
zest of 1/2 an orange.
1/2 chilli sliced.
2 sun-dried tomatoes – sliced.
Drizzle of olive oil.

Method/cook:
Firstly prepare the stuffed peppers.
In a heat proof dish add your hot chicken stock ( bring the stock to a simmer) to the dry couscous. Leave to soak for ten minutes.
Add oil and spices to a frying pan and gently warm – don’t overheat as the spices will burn.
Add onion, chilli and mushroom to the warm spices and cook until onions are soft. Add a touch more oil if the pan becomes dry.
Once the onions are soft, add the contents of the pan, the sun-dried tomatoes and mango chutney, to the soaked couscous. Season with salt and pepper and thoroughly mix. (Keep the pan for cooking chutney as it contains a residue of flavour.}
Cut the top off the peppers – see image:

Stuff the peppers with the couscous mix and place in a baking tray.
Replace the tops and secure with cocktail sticks.
Wrap a ring of foil around the peppers to keep them upright – see image:

Drizzle your peppers with oil and roast for 30 minutes at  gas 6 or 200°C / 400°F.
When the peppers are cooked, carefully trim off any stalks from their bottoms. Keep warm.

Rhubarb and Orange Chutney: 
In the frying pan add the oil, onion and garlic – lightly fry until onions are soft.
Then, add the orange juice, zest, rhubarb, stock, mango chutney and sugar – place a lid on the pan and gently cook until rhubarb is soft.
Once the rhubarb is soft blend the ingredients and season with salt and pepper – set aside.

The Duck Breast:
Set oven to gas 7 or 220°C / 425°F
Score along the skin of each duck breast – 6 to 8 cuts on each breast.
Season each breast with salt and pepper.
Place both duck breast skin side down in a medium hot frying pan.
Fry duck breasts until skin is golden brown.
When skin is golden brown, seal the flesh sides of duck breast and place in pre-heated oven for 8-10 minutes – if you like your meat pink. 20 minutes for well cooked but not over done.
When cooked, leave to rest for 4 minutes before slicing.

Garnish/salad:
Mix together your washed watercress, orange zest, sliced chilli.

Serving:
Slice your cooked duck breast and serve with the stuffed peppers, watercress salad and rhubarb and orange chutney.
Garnish with slices of sun-dried tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil.

Enjoy this simple but tasty dish.