The alternative christmas dinner.
I love duck and often find a treat of 2 plump juicy legs in the supermarket works out cheaper than chicken. But as it is nearly Christmas I thought this may make an interesting alternative to the bland boring turkey served up nationwide.
Duck is highly nutritious and is a healthy source of protein, phosphorus, riboflavin, iron, zinc, vitamin B-6 and thiamine plus smaller amounts of vitamin B-12, folate and magnesium.
The best thing about Duck is it also contains high levels of niacin (or B3) in-fact 100g of breast meat contains 50% of your recommended daily intake. So what, you say duck is to fatty to be healthy right? NOPE
Niacin aids in metabolising fats in your body and has a bad cholesterol (LDL) lowering effect, it also helps regulate blood sugar and regulates metabolism of Insulin, making duck an excellent dietary choice for diabetics and those looking to lose a few pounds!
Just ensure you eat the breast meat with the fatty skin removed, this reduces the fat content significantly. In-fact once the skin is removed duck has fewer calories per 100g than a skin-less chicken breast of the same weight. So go find yourself a gander and slap it on the table.
The pomegranate the second ingredient in this recipe is a middle eastern fruit with hard ruby like pips. The Pomegranate has been branded a super food, with claims that it helps reduce inflammation, as well as being is effective against heard disease and cancers.
This is mainly due to its high levels of fibre, and Vitamin A,C,E, Iron and other antioxidants but it has yet to be proven scientifically if it has a beneficial effect.
This said it certainly will not harm you to consume this delicious treat so if I reap the benefits regardless of the science, that’s a win in my book.
Just steer clear of juice drinks loaded with sugar and stick to the whole fruit, sprinkle it liberally on your salads and use it to add zing to this great dish from Gennaro.
Anatra con melagrana- By
; Jamie Oliver’s Italian Chum
Get Set:
4 skin-less duck breasts
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Plain flour or almond flour, for dusting
For the chicory/escarole
1 escarole, cleaned and leaves separated
5 tbsp Olive oil
3 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
Go:
Pre-heat the oven to 200C.
Season the duck breast with salt and freshly ground black pepper and dust with flour, shaking off any excess.
Heat the butter and olive oil in a large oven-proof frying pan until the butter begins to foam. Add the duck and fry for two minutes on each side, then transfer to the oven to roast for 5-6 minutes, or until just cooked. The duck should be rare, but cook according to your preference.
Meanwhile, rub two of the whole pomegranates firmly on a work surface with the palm of your hand, then cut them in half and squeeze out the juice, as you would with a lemon, all over the cooked duck.
Open up the remaining pomegranates and remove the seeds. Sprinkle the pomegranate seeds over the duck.
Place the duck onto a plate and drizzle with the juices and seeds from the pan. Let the duck rest for 2-3 minutes then slice on the diagonal.
For the chicory/escarole, blanch the leaves for a couple of minutes in boiling salted water. Drain and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, add the garlic and fry for one minute, or until soft, then add the escarole and gently sauté for 1-2 minutes. Reduce the heat, cover with a lid and cook for 5-6 minutes, or until the escarole is tender.
To serve, place the escarole onto the plate alongside the duck and spoon any remaining pan juices over
Refs:
http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/the-nutrition-of-duck.html#b
http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/superfoods/Pages/is-pomegranate-a-superfood.aspx
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/anatraconmelagranadu_84995