Roast Duck with red cabbage 

Recipe from Rita Ross

Rita's family likes duck, and this dish is simple, and delicious. Duck is often fatty, but not cooked this way, for Rita makes sure to drain the oil. She's cooking with her grandson Jake in her light filled Melbourne kitchen. 

ingredients

• 1 large duck, cleaned and cut into 8 pieces.
• 1 large onion, peeled and sliced
• 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped 
• Hoisin sauce, for basting

METHOD

1. Slice onion into roasting tin. Place duck pieces, seasoned with garlic, salt and pepper, on top of the onion, skin side up. Cover the pan with foil. Bake for 90 mins, at 200 degrees. Check halfway.  
2. Rita turns the pieces over, and most importantly drains the oil that's gathered under the onions. (You can keep it and use it for later. Frying in duck fat is very in right now.)
3. When the duck is cooked, just before serving brush the pieces with Hoisin sauce, and cook under the grill, for a crisp sweet finish.

Rice 

• 1 ½  cups brown rice
• 1 chicken soup cube
• Optional: 1 T porcini mushrooms, chopped; a handful of spinach, or some grated Parmesan cheese

While the duck is roasting, Rita cooks the rice in the same oven.  Rinse the rice and put it into a glass pot, cover it with water, three fingers above the rice. Throw in the chicken stock cube, and the porcini muchrooms, if using. 

Bake in the oven, on a rack below the duck. But remember, the duck is cooking at a slightly higher heat, so check the rice more often. 

It should take about 30 minutes. 

To serve:

If you would like, you can also fold through the rice:
1 handful of fresh spinach or  1 tablespoon grated parmesan

Red Cabbage

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 small red cabbage, or ½ large red cabbage, finely shredded. 
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 2 green apples, unpeeled, chopped roughly 
• ½ lemon 

method

1. Fry the onion
2. Shred the cabbage add to pan, with 2 tablespoons vinegar so that it won't go brown
3. Throw in  the  apples, and the juice of 1/2 lemon and the lemon rind, which you will later remove
4. Salt and pepper to taste
5. Cook covered for 90 mins

Healthy and delicious, and a great accompaniment to to duck.