I am not sure the purist would call this a tagine as it is only served in one rather than cooked in one. I tought it would make a tagine a bit more interesting and visually better if you wanted to serve at a dinner party. The highlight of the dish are the Pastillas, basically Moroccan spring rolls, they are packed with flavour rather than boring vegetables. Meat from the duck legs, a fig chutney and caramelised onions, all encased in a crispy shell. The “Couscous” wasn’t, I find it so boring and monotonous to eat. I made it with a bulghar wheat and quinoa mix. This carries the flavours better and adds texture, livened up with some Piquillo Peppers. The houmous is just spiced with a North African staple of Harissa, if you haven’t tried it yet I can’t recommend it enough. It transforms most things with its smoky heat. This is all married together with a sweet red wine sauce made with this wonderful fruity Beaujolias I had found.[purerecipe]
Ingredients
- 4 Duck Breasts
- 4, skinned Duck Legs
- 500ml Chicken Stock
- 60g Dried Figs
- 60g Prunes
- 1 Tbsp Honey
- 3 Tbsp Water
- 1/2 Tsp Allspice
- 1 Large sliced finely, 1 small chopped Onion
- 6 Leaves Filo Pastry
- 75g Melted Butter
- 150g Bulghar Wheat and Quinoa mix
- 150g Piquillo Peppers
- 100g Black Olives
- 1/2 Lemon Lemon Juice
- 1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 Tbsp Sultanas
- 2 Tbsp Chopped Parsley
- 50g Toasted Almonds
- Chopped Carrot
- 1 Sprig Rosemary
- 75ml Port
- 150ml Red wine
- 300ml Reserved Stock
- 1 Heaped Tsp Redcurrant Jelly
- 250g Houmous
- 1-2 Tbsp Harissa
Directions
- Poach the duck legs in the chicken stock for 30mins. Remove the meat and shed. Reserve the stock for the sauce.
- Slowly cook the onion in a touch of butter over a very low for an hour! Make sure it doesn't catch the pan as it will burn, just check every 10mins.
- Heat the allspice in a small knob of butter. Add figs, prunes, honey and water. Simmer for 20mins, mushing the mix up as it cooks.
- Combine the duck meat, onions and chutney in the ratio of 2:1:1.
- Brush half a sheet of filo with butter, fold dry half onto wet half. Cut in two so that you have two long narrow strips. Place a heaped tablespoon of the mix at one end, butter the pastry again and roll up. Tuck the ends together like a parcel. They will just stick together because of the butter. Continue this until you run out of mixture.
- Boil the bulghar wheat for 8 minutes. Add the olives, peppers, lemon juice, sultanas and oil. Keep the almonds and parsley until the last minute.
- Make the sauce by carmelising the chopped onion and rosemary in a little oil. Add the port, reduce by half, add the wine reduce by half. Now add the jam, carrot and reserved stock. Reduce by half again, add a knob of butter to add a glistening finish.
- Fry the duck breasts, skin side down in a dry pan for 6 mins. Transfer to a 180°c oven for 6-8mins. Let them rest for 5mins.
- Stir the harissa into the houmous according to your taste.
- Fry the pastillas in a tablespoon of oil and butter until crisp on each side.
