Chefs Recipe

Confit duck leg with duck and mushroom rotollo choy and orange cardamon infusion

Allow a couple of hours head start for this one as it takes a while to cook the duck legs to that not quite ‘fall from the bone’ consistency.  If you’re like me, and love making pasta, then you might want to use your own favourite recipe.  If you don’t want the mess and are not too confident about making and rolling pasta then buying some ‘fresh’ lasagne pasta sheets from the ‘fresh’ pasta section of the supermarket will do the trick.

#1 – The confit leg

4 duck legs seasoned and rubbed with sweet soy olive oil to cover
1 cup mirepoix (equal parts carrot, celery and onion)
2 cloves of garlic
sprigs of rosemary or thyme

#2 – The Rotollo Filling

500g duck mince
10 birubi cup mushrooms cooked
1 red capsicum roasted and peeled cut in strips
100ml cream
1 silver beet stem removed and blanched
2 cloves of roast garlic
1 punnet of wood ear mushrooms chopped fine
1 bunch fresh sage leaves chopped
Seasoning

#3 – The Rotollo Pasta

200g strong plain flour
1 whole egg (55g)
3 egg yolks
A few drops of oil
A pinch of salt
A piece of cheese cloth or clean tea towel approx 40cm x 30cm rectangle

Method

2 hours prior to being needed, place the seasoned duck legs in a close fitting baking dish.  Pour in enough oil to just cover them and scatter in mirepoix, garlic and herbs.  Cover and roast in the oven at 180^oC for 1 ½ hours.

To make the pasta, sift flour and salt into a mixing bowel and make a well in the middle.  Beat together the yolks and egg and pour into the well.  Drizzle in the oil and begin mixing to form a firm dough.  Knead well – the texture should be a bit like plasticine if not a sprinkling of water kneaded in will help.  Wrap in cling wrap and rest for 20min.

For the filling paste the garlic and mix together with the mince, sage, wood ears and some seasoning.  When combined add cream and mix until combined.

Divide the pasta dough in 2 and pass each through the pasta machine starting on the largest setting (1) and roll down to the thinnest (7) using semolina or a little flour to dust the sheets and prevent sticking.  Once there trim the sheets into 2 identical 30cm long pieces and stick them together along the longest edge using a little beaten egg and overlapping them about 2cm.  For those using purchased pasta sheets you need to now have a sheet approximately 30cm long and 20cm high.  With the longest edge nearest you, lay the blanched silver beet over the sheet then using a spatula spread the filling evenly onto the sheet leaving a 5cm gap along the top edge of clean pasta.  In the middle lay some strips of capsicum and an overlapping line of mushrooms working length ways at all times.  Brush the clean pasta edge with some egg wash and begin rolling the pasta up starting with the edge nearest you until you form a large cylinder and the clean edge is now sealing the roll.  Wrap in the cheesecloth and tie each end closely with string.  Place one string tie around the middle only to prevent the cloth coming loose.  Place into boiling water in a fish steamer or long water bath over high heat and summer for 20min.

Make the orange glaze by reducing some orange juice with a pod of cardamom and a little sugar, when nice and syrupy, add some chicken stock and reduce to a sauce.

Remove Rotollo from water and allow to rest, cut the string and remove the cloth.

To served steam the Choy and place on each plate the duck leg on top and cut the Rotollo to place around the outside.  Pour over the sauce and enjoy!