MUST EAT
This time around, we preview one of the recipes from our Dutch author homeowner, Eva Posthuma De Boer. It’s simple to make and absolutely delicious, and better still, it’s a popular dish in Burgundy.
Ingredients:
300 g frozen peas
600g potatoes, peeled and cut into 1½ cm cubes
400g parsnips (or salsify), peeled, diced 1½ x 1½ cm
1 tin of gésiers de canard (approx. 400g, net weight approx. 200g), halved
3 tbsp. duck fat taken from the tin of gésiers
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, grated
2 tsp. thyme
pepper and salt
150ml cream
125ml vegetable or chicken stock
60g Parmesan cheese, grated
Here’s what to do:
• Heat the oven to 180 °C.
• Put the peas in a large bowl to defrost.
• Put the potato cubes in cold water, bring to the boil and cook for 5 minutes.
• Spoon the parsnips (or salsify) onto the potato cubes and cook for another 5 minutes - the vegetables don't need to be al dente; they will continue to cook in the oven. Dump into a colander and drain until use.
• Open the can of gésiers and place it in a milk pan with a layer of water - the water should come to about three-quarters of the can. Bring to the boil gently so that the duck fat in the can melts. That way you can easily take out the gésiers. Cut the gésiers in half.
• Heat 3 x tablespoons of the duck fat in a large frying pan and fry the gésiers on high heat for 2-3 minutes.
• Add the onion, lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and thyme and turn off the heat.
• Spoon the gésiers mixture, parsnips (or salsify), potatoes and peas into a baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and stir.
• Pour over with the whipping cream and stock and top with a layer of parmesan.
• Place in the oven for 30 - 35 minutes until the whipped cream bubbles and the cheese turns golden brown.
By the way, save the remaining duck fat from the can in a jar, it’s great for frying potatoes on another day!
Ed: For those of you who are not too sure of what Salsify is… it is known as the oyster plant or oyster vegetable. These giant pencil lookalikes are members of the dandelion family, and a Mediterranean plant with a delicate taste, ever so slightly sweet, some say slightly reminiscent of oyster. OK, so now are you impressed by my culinary knowledge, eh?