Roast Duck Legs with a Red Wine Sauce

This weeks Sunday night dinner again came from Good Food. I reduced the recipe for just the 2 of us, but kept the same amount of garlic, rosemary and five spice and used 250ml of red wine as I like plenty of sauce. It's a really simple recipe to follow and a good alternative to a roast dinner if there are only a few of you.

I served the duck with sweet potato mash and braised leeks. I put the sweet potatoes in the oven with duck, when the flesh was soft I peeled off the skin and mashed them with a little low fat creme fraiche and seasoning. I softened the leeks in butter, then added some vegetable stock and left them to braise for 10 minutes on a low heat. Yum!

Little duck legs resting before the oven:

Crispy duck & red wine sauce:

Braised leeks & sweet potato mash:

Ready to eat:

Leek & Pancetta Risotto

I always get a sense of satisfaction when I'm able to make dinner entirely from ingredients I already have lurking in the back of my fridge, especially when they're as tasty as this risotto! I already had the leeks and creme fraiche from the salmon with creamy greens and I always make sure I have stock, rice and Parmesan, so I only had to buy the pancetta. I'm a recent convert to risotto, as whenever I've had it in a restaurant it's been greasy and stodgy, so it's nice to make it at home and be reminded of how delicious and comforting a creamy bowl of risotto can be.

Serves 2
150g arborio rice
2 small leeks, sliced
1 courgette, diced
Small pack pancetta
1 tbsp creme fraiche
100ml white wine
500ml chicken stock
25g Parmesan

1. Fry the courgette and leeks in a little oil, until soft. Add the pancetta and turn up the heat a little, until it is cooked through and crisp
2. Stir in the rice and gently fry until the edges go clear. Add the wine and turn up the heat, let it simmer until the liquid has been absorbed by the rice
3. In the meantime, make up 500ml of hot stock. Gradually add a ladleful at a time, waiting until it has been absorbed before adding any more
4. Once the rice has plumped out and is almost ready, add the creme fraiche and Parmesan. Turn the heat right down and put a lid on the risotto and leave to steam for 3 minutes. Season and serve!

Adding the stock:

 Rice cooking away:

Tasty-licious!

Salmon with Creamy Spring Greens

Last night I made a delicious fish recipe from Good Food. It took less than 30 minutes to have a tasty meal on the table and other than a dollop of creme fraiche, it was reasonably healthy. Fish is something I always say I need to eat more of, so it's great to have a new recipe in my repertoir.

I added some spinach and used sugar snap peas rather than broad beans, but other than that I kept to the recipe. I served it with minted new potatoes, which tasted amazing crushed into the creamy sauce. It's a perfect meal for a warm summers evening, yum!

Spring greens:

Salmon cooking:

Topped with chives:

Minted new potatoes: