Slow Cooker Duck with White Beans and Chorizo

Duck isn't something I have a lot of experience cooking. I often order it when we go out and really enjoy it. When my last Cuisine magazine arrived with a recipe that was both 'slow cooker' and 'duck' I decided to give it a go.
The dish was really nice and it was pretty easy to make.
I'll make it again.







Slow Cooker Duck with White Beans and Chorizo
SERVES: 4Cook delicious winter meals using a slow cooker.

olive oil for cooking
4 duck legs
2 onions, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
250g fresh hot chorizo (I used Chorizos Garcia), sliced
1⁄4 cup red wine
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
2 cups chicken stock
400g can chopped tomatoes in juice
1 bay leaf
1⁄4 teaspoon bittersweet
Spanish smoked paprika
400g can butter beans (or use El Navarrico large butter beans), drained, rinsed
1 tablespoon chopped sweet marjoram or oregano leaves
potatoes cooked in duck fat and wilted cabbage to serve

Preheat the slow cooker for 20 minutes.

Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add a dash of oil then slowly brown the duck legs on both sides. This should take about 10 minutes and allows the fat to render down.Remove the duck legs and set aside.

Drain off all but 1⁄2 tablespoon of the fat (allow the drained duck fat to cool, then use for roasting potatoes in).
Add the onions and garlic to the pan and fry until soft and golden. Transfer to the slow cooker.

Add the chorizo to the pan and fry until browned. Transfer to the slow cooker, along with the browned duck.

Pour the wine and vinegar into the frying pan and bring to the boil, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the stock, tomatoes, bay leaf and paprika. Bring slowly to the boil then pour into the slow cooker. Cook on High for 3 hours.

Add the beans and half the chopped herbs to the slow cooker then continue to cook on Low for a further 1 hour.

Sprinkle with the remaining herbsthen serve with potatoes and cabbage.

In the oven 

Follow the recipe, transferring all the panfried ingredients to a casserole dish rather than the slow cooker, then cook, covered, at 150°C-160°C for 2 hours

Braised Chicken with Bacon, Chorizo and Olives - This one is for Patrick!

Patrick (17) has a few things that he really really likes to eat. I managed to find a recipe that contained three of those things...chicken, bacon and chorizo in the latest (July) Cuisine Magazine. It had a very distinctive smoked paprika influence and the olives were great - Yum!

This meal is one of those 'one pot' wonders that should mean minimal effort and dishes, but did have quite a few steps. It will be a make again one.

Braised chicken legs with tomato, chorizo & olives

Ingredients6 free-range whole chicken legs (with thighs), bone in (1.8kg)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika

½ onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, sliced

80g dried chorizo, sliced

5 rashers (60g) bacon, diced

2 large Agria potatoes (700g), peeled, cut into 1.5cm dice

400g can chopped peeled tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato paste

12cm sprig fresh rosemarygood pinch of dried thyme

100ml red wine

100ml chicken or veal stock

60g Kalamata olives

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Place the chicken legs in a deep oven dish. Add the oil and paprika and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss to coat then arrange the legs so they are skin side up and cook, uncovered, in the oven for 20 minutes.

Add the onion, garlic, chorizo and bacon to the dish then return to the oven for a further 10 minutes.

Reduce the oven to 160°C. Mix the remaining ingredients together in a bowl then add to the chicken, making sure the chicken legs are evenly covered. Cover with foil then cook for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for a further 40 minutes, stirring once so the chicken skin doesn’t become too dark. Remove from the oven, taste and season. Serve with a green salad.