Ingredients
- 1 cup (175 g) burghul
- 4 small duck breast fillets, about 500 g in total
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1½ tablespoons mild chilli powder
- 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
- ⅓ cup (20 g) finely shredded fresh basil
- grated zest and juice of 1 orange, plus juice of 2 more oranges
- juice of 1½ lemons
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 16 cumquats
- 1½ tablespoons sugar
- 3 spring onions, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup (15 g) chopped fresh coriander
- salt and pepper
- 200 g salad leaves
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar, or to taste
- ¼ telegraph cucumber, finely diced
- ½ large tomato, finely diced
Preparation
- Place the burghul in a bowl and cover with boiling water.
- Leave to soak for about 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, remove all of the skin and fat from the duck breasts.
- Put the breasts in a dish and add half of the garlic, chilli powder, cumin and basil, all of the zest and juice of 1 orange, the juice of ½ lemon and 2 teaspoons of the oil.
- Mix well then set aside to marinate.
- To prepare the cumquats, cut a small slit in each one (do not cut all the way through).
- Place the cumquats in a saucepan with the juice of 1 orange, the sugar and ⅔ cup (170 ml) of water.
- Bring to the boil and simmer over a moderate heat, turning the cumquats so that they cook evenly, for 15–20 minutes or until tender and the liquid has reduced by about half.
- Remove; leave to cool in the liquid.
- Drain the burghul and return it to the bowl.
- Add the spring onions, the remaining garlic, chilli powder, cumin, lemon juice and orange juice, 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil and the coriander.
- Season.
- Heat a ridged cast–iron grill pan or non–stick frying pan.
- Remove the duck from its marinade and brown on both sides over a high heat.
- Cook for a further 4–5 minutes, turning the breasts frequently so that they don’t stick or burn.
- The meat will be rosy in colour in the centre (cook a little longer if you prefer it well done).
- Remove the breasts to a carving board and slice very thinly against the grain.
- Arrange the salad leaves and remaining basil on 4 plates and place 4 cumquats on each bed of leaves.
- Drizzle with the remaining 2 teaspoons oil, the balsamic vinegar and a little of the cumquat cooking liquid.
- Place a portion of the burghul salad in the centre of each plate, and arrange the duck slices around it.
- Scatter on the diced cucumber and tomato, and serve immediately.
Serves 4
Preparation: 20 minutes, plus 30 minutes soaking and cooling
Cooking: 25 minutes