4 Bites: Dutch oven dishes

Duck au vinServes 6

300g small shallots, peeled
300g button mushrooms, halved
½ leek, cut into small slices
7 cloves garlic, peeled
Drizzle oil for frying
6 duck legs
Seasoned flour to coat
1 Knob butter
1 bunch curly parsley
1 bouquet garni made from fresh bay leaves, thyme and oregano
6 rashers bacon
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups red wine

1. Preheat oven to 150C. Fry shallots, mushrooms, leek and garlic in your Dutch oven (casserole dish) in a little oil until brown and then remove from the dish.
2. Toss duck legs in well-seasoned flour then sear them until brown in a little butter.
3. Layer branches of curly parsley into the bottom of the dish. Add the duck legs and top with the veges and some ground black pepper. Tie a bunch of fresh bay leaves, thyme and oregano together and add to the dish. Lay bacon rashers on top and cover with chicken stock and red wine. Put the lid on and bake in oven for 2 hours until the meat is falling from the bone.
4. To serve, plate the veges on top of a rasher of bacon, add a duck leg and spoon the strained cooking juices on top. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve with a mash.

To favourite, print or share this recipe, go to the recipe page.

Asian-braised beef short ribsServes 6

1¼ kg beef short ribs
Little oil for frying
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 capsicums, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1 large knob ginger, grated
3 bay leaves
1 stalk lemongrass
3 star anise
1½ cups sake
1 cup apple juice
½ cup mirin
⅓ cup soy sauce
3 Tbsp Korean chilli bean paste (gochujang)
1 lemon, zest and juice

1. Preheat oven to 125C. Season beef with sea salt flakes and ground black pepper. Heat a little oil in a Dutch oven (casserole dish), add ribs and brown on all sides. Remove.
2. Add chopped onion, capsicums, celery, crushed garlic and grated ginger to the dish with bay leaves, lemongrass and star anise. Gently fry until soft.
3. Return ribs to dish and add sake, apple juice, mirin, soy sauce and gochujang. Bring to the boil, put the lid on and bake for 4 hours, until the meat is super tender.
4. Transfer meat to a container and strain cooking juices on to it (discard solids). Refrigerate overnight. Remove fat the next day.
5. To serve, remove bones, add meat and gravy to a saucepan with the lemon zest and juice and reheat gently to a rich stew. Serve with a ribbon pasta, or a root vegetable mash.

To favourite, print or share this recipe, go to the recipe page.

Pigs' cheek confit

1. Season washed and dried pig cheeks liberally with salt and pepper and refrigerate to "brine" overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 150C. Wash cheeks again the next day, dry and lay them skin-side-up on a bed of fresh herbs (sage, oregano, thyme, bay leaves) and 1 Tbsp crushed peppercorns in a Dutch oven (casserole). Cover cheeks completely with melted duck fat, put the lid on and bake for 3 hours until they are totally giving when pierced with a knife.
3. Cool and transfer cheeks and fat to a container to refrigerate. They will keep in the fridge for 2-4 weeks.
4. To serve, remove cheeks from fat, cut into serving sized slices, lay on similar sized slices of sourdough and bake in a hot oven until coloured and crispy. Serve with a zingy raw fennel, parsley, caper and orange salad, or with fresh pickles, chutney and salsa verde.

To favourite, print or share this recipe, go to the recipe page.

Goat raanServes 6

1 goat's leg, approx 700g
1 large handful coriander
1 large handful mint
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 knob ginger, grated
3 curry branches, leaves only
3-5 small green chillies
¼ cup dried coconut
¼ cup almonds
1 orange, zest and juice
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric
⅔ cup unsweetened yoghurt
2 onions, finely sliced
1 cup stock or apple juice

1. Preheat oven to 150C. Trim and clean goat's leg. You can roast it with the bone in, or bone it out and roll accordingly. Season well with sea salt flakes and ground black pepper.
2. Make a curry paste by whizzing coriander and mint, chopped garlic, grated ginger, the curry leaves, 3-5 chillies, coconut, almonds, the orange zest and juice, cumin, garam masala, turmeric and yoghurt in a food processor to form a smooth paste. Smother the goat inside and out with the curry paste.
3. Cover the bottom of a Dutch oven (casserole dish) with finely sliced onions and nestle the leg on top. Add stock (or apple juice), put the lid on the dish and slow roast in oven for 4-5 hours, or until the meat is super tender.
4. Serve with the onion gravy and roast veges.

To favourite, print or share this recipe, go to the recipe page.