FIREQUAKERS
Rachel Zammit Cutajar shares some exciting Christmas bird recipes.
If you ask most people in Malta what they eat at Christmas, the answer would be turkey. Love it or hate it, it’s a once-a-year affair that most families tend to indulge in. However, this becomes a little problematic if your Christmas gathering is a small one and you don’t want to be eating leftovers throughout the holidays. But fear not. There are plenty of other game birds that are perfect for the festive season. These recipes also work well if you’re entertaining around the Christmas holidays and want to make something a little festive. Ducks, quails and even baby chickens can be made to fit into the season with some Christmassy ingredients.
All ingredients available from Park Towers Supermarkets.
Rum and pomegranate roast duck with walnut and apple stuffing
Serves 4You will need:
1 whole duck
1 tbsp sea salt
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
3 whole sprigs rosemary
1 tbsp black pepper
1 orange, zest and juice
2 cups pomegranate juice
½ cup spiced rum
For the walnut and apple stuffing:
1 large baguette, cut into small chunks
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
150g pancetta, cut into cubes
1 onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 apples, cored and cut into cubes
1 tbsp rosemary, finely chopped
200g walnuts
2 eggs
¾ cup chicken stock
½ cup spiced rum
1 pomegranate, seeds only
Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 200°C. Remove giblets from the cavity of the duck and reserve for use in another recipe. Pat the duck dry and cut off any excess skin and the tips of the wings to prevent burning. Score the fat on the breast of the duck making sure to go all the way down to the meat. Add the chopped rosemary, orange zest, salt and pepper to a pestle and mortar and grind until the paste is a little wet. Rub the duck with the paste and put in a baking tray.
In a separate bowl, mix together the orange juice, pomegranate juice and rum and pour over the duck, filling the bottom of the try by about 2cm. Add more juice if necessary. Place the rosemary sprigs in the bottom of the pan.
Roast in the oven for 2 hours 30 mins basting with liquid every 15-20 mins. Remove from the oven and cover loosely with foil to rest. To make the stuffing, put the bread cubes in a baking tray, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Bake in the oven for approx. 10 mins until toasted and set aside. In a frying pan over medium heat, gently fry the pancetta until crispy on all sides. Remove from the pan and set aside. In the same pan, fry the onion and apples in the remaining pancetta fat until translucent – approx. 10 mins. Stir in the rosemary and walnuts and remove from the heat.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, chicken stock and spiced rum. Add the bread cubes and mix until coated. Add to the apple and walnut mixture and stir through. Place in a baking tray and bake in a pre-heated oven at 200°C for 35 mins until crispy on the top. Place the stuffing around a large dish with the roasted duck in the centre. Garnish with pomegranate seeds and rosemary sprigs and serve immediately.
Baby chickens wrapped in bacon with cider gravy
Serves 2You will need:
1 onion
20g butter
2 baby chickens
4 sprigs thyme
1 apple
Handful fresh cranberries
4 cloves garlic
4 rashers streaky bacon
330ml cider (reserve approx. 100ml gravy)
Salt and pepper
For the apple cider gravy:
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp plain flour
Remaining cider
Method:
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Peel the onion and slice into thin wedges. Push a knob of butter into the cavity of the chicken, along with a sprig of thyme, a slice of apple and a cranberry. Place a rasher of bacon over each of the chicken breasts. Place the remaining onion into a baking tray and place the stuffed chickens on top. Arrange the apple slices, cranberries, whole garlic cloves and remaining thyme sprigs around the chickens. Pour approx. 230ml cider into the oven dish until it comes up about half way in the baking tray.
Roast for 45 mins (depending on the size of the bird) until the juices run clear and the chicken in golden. Remove the chickens from the baking tray and allow to rest for 10 mins covered loosely in foil. Pour the excess fat out of the roasting tin and then place over medium heat. Add whatever remains of the cider and bring to a sizzle. Add the butter and flour and mix until the gravy thickens. Serve one chicken per person with apple cider gravy, roast potatoes and veg.
Pecan and fig stuffed quails with kumquats
Serves 2You will need:
4 quails
8 kumquats
4 sprigs thyme
2 tbsp honey
4 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
For the stuffing:
½ small onion
2 cloves garlic
6 large dried figs
6 kumquats, diced
2 tbsp brandy
½ orange, juice and zest
Handful pecans
Method:
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Start by making the stuffing. Dice the onion and fry in olive oil over medium heat until translucent. Add the garlic and fry for another minute. Add the figs, chopped kumquats and orange zest and fry for a few seconds. Add the brandy and the orange juice and season with salt and pepper.
Cook until the figs are soft, then take off the heat and add the pecans and stir through. Stuff the quails with about 1 tbsp of stuffing each. Don’t over-stuff them. Tie the legs of the quails together and place in a baking tray with some onion wedges, garlic, thyme sprigs and remaining kumquats. Mix together the olive oil, honey, salt and pepper and cover the quails with half of the mixture.
Roast for 10 mins before basting with the remaining honey mixture. Cook for a further 20-30 mins until the birds are golden. Allow to rest for a few minutes before serving with mashed potatoes and roasted veg.
Rachel’s life has been one recipe after the other for almost 10 years. Though she is no longer editor of gourmet today magazine, food still takes centre stage. To balance the inevitable calorie intake she has become a reluctant runner and likes to lift weights, though still loves a day on the sofa binge-watching absolutely anything (good).
