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Apricot Duck Stew with Polenta

Slow simmered in red wine, chipotle pepper and apricot preserves, you will be pleasantly surprised by this duck stew’s sweet and spicy flavor. It is delicious over creamy, cheesy polenta – a stick-to-your ribs meal for any occasion.

Ingredients

Braised Duck

Goat Cheese Polenta

Sautéed Chard

Instructions

Step #1 Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Cut duck breasts into 1-inch pieces. Dab dry with a paper towel, and then season with salt and pepper. Lightly coat each piece with flour. In a Dutch oven, heat 2 tbs. of olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook duck in batches until browned. Remove meat and set aside. Reduce heat to medium, and add diced onion, shallots, carrot and a pinch of salt to the pot. Sauté until onion turns translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Stir frequently.

Step #2 Turn off heat and carefully pour in ¼ cup of whiskey. Turn heat back on to medium and allow whiskey to evaporate almost completely. Return duck to pot. Add 1 cup of red wine, 1 chipotle pepper, 2 sprigs of thyme, 2 cups of beef broth and 1/3 cup of apricot preserves. All ingredients should be submerged – add more broth if needed. Bring to a boil, cover and bake in a 350° oven for 2 hours and 30 minutes, or until tender. Season to taste.

Step #3 To make the polenta: Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Slowly whisk in cornmeal to avoid lumps. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until polenta turns creamy and soft. Add more water if polenta is too thick. When polenta is cooked, stir in butter and goat cheese. Take off heat and season to taste.

Step #4 Rinse swiss chard thoroughly. Cut and discard the toughest third of the stalk, and roughly chop the remaining chard. In a saucepan, heat 1 tbs. of olive oil over medium heat. Add sliced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add chopped swiss chard leaves, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Then, flip the leaves, cover and cook for an additional 5 minutes until tender. Season to taste. Serve duck stew and sautéed Swiss chard over polenta.

Recipe Card

Apricot Duck Stew with Polenta

Written by Jenny and Rick Wheatley Visit : Visit authors website

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Prep Time: 15 min - Cook Time: 3 hours

Ingredients

Braised Duck

4 Wild Duck Breasts

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup(s) all-purpose flour

2 tbsp olive oil

Half an onion, finely diced

3 shallots, finely diced

1 large carrot, peeled and finely diced

1/4 cup(s) whiskey

1 cup(s) dry red wine

1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced

1/3 cup(s) apricot or peach preserves

2 cup(s) beef broth, plus extra

2 sprig(s) fresh thyme

Goat Cheese Polenta

1 cup(s) yellow cornmeal

4 cup(s) water

2 tbsp butter

4 oz goat cheese

Salt, to taste

Sautéed Chard

2 large bunches of Swiss chard

2 clove(s) garlic, sliced

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt, to taste

Instructions

Step #1 - Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Cut duck breasts into 1-inch pieces. Dab dry with a paper towel, and then season with salt and pepper. Lightly coat each piece with flour. In a Dutch oven, heat 2 tbs. of olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook duck in batches until browned. Remove meat and set aside. Reduce heat to medium, and add diced onion, shallots, carrot and a pinch of salt to the pot. Sauté until onion turns translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Stir frequently.

Step #2 - Turn off heat and carefully pour in ¼ cup of whiskey. Turn heat back on to medium and allow whiskey to evaporate almost completely. Return duck to pot. Add 1 cup of red wine, 1 chipotle pepper, 2 sprigs of thyme, 2 cups of beef broth and 1/3 cup of apricot preserves. All ingredients should be submerged – add more broth if needed. Bring to a boil, cover and bake in a 350° oven for 2 hours and 30 minutes, or until tender. Season to taste.

Step #3 - To make the polenta: Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Slowly whisk in cornmeal to avoid lumps. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until polenta turns creamy and soft. Add more water if polenta is too thick. When polenta is cooked, stir in butter and goat cheese. Take off heat and season to taste.

Step #4 - Rinse swiss chard thoroughly. Cut and discard the toughest third of the stalk, and roughly chop the remaining chard. In a saucepan, heat 1 tbs. of olive oil over medium heat. Add sliced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add chopped swiss chard leaves, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Then, flip the leaves, cover and cook for an additional 5 minutes until tender. Season to taste. Serve duck stew and sautéed Swiss chard over polenta.

About the Author

Jenny and Rick Wheatley

Jenny and Rick Wheatley both grew up in Southern California and connected over a shared love of the outdoors. They started their wild game cooking blog Food for Hunters in 2011, where they share recipes, photos and thoughts on wild food. Today, Jenny and Rick continue to hunt, fish, forage and cook in the Cornhusker State of Nebraska. Their recipes have appeared in numerous publications, including Petersens Hunting, Game and Fish, Nebraskaland and North American Whitetail magazines.

The Nebraska Center for the Book awarded their book Hunting for Food: Guide to Harvesting, Field Dressing and Cooking Wild Game the Wildlife Honor Award in 2016.

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