Duck casserole with red wine, cinnamon and olives

One of my favourite recipes from my recently reissued book The Wine Lover’s Kitchen which is full of recipes for cooking with wine.

Red wine and cinnamon are natural partners and work together brilliantly in this exotically spiced, Moorish-style casserole. I suggest you use a strong, fruity wine such as a Merlot, Carmenère or Zinfandel. 

Duck casserole with red wine, cinnamon and olives

Serves 4

2 duck breasts

4 duck legs

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 celery stalk, thinly sliced

1 garlic clove, crushed

350 ml/1 ½ cups full-bodied fruity red wine (see recipe introduction), plus 2 tablespoons extra

250 ml/1 cup passata/strained tomatoes

2 small strips of unwaxed orange zest

1 cinnamon stick

100 g/1 cup pitted mixed olives marinated with herbs

½ teaspoon herbes de Provence or dried oregano

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

couscous or pilaf and leafy green vegetables, to serve

an ovenproof dish

Preheat the oven to 200 °/180°fan/400 ° F/Gas 6.

Trim any excess fat from all the duck pieces and prick the skin with a fork. Cut the breasts in half lengthways and season all the pieces lightly with salt and pepper. Put 1 tablespoon oil in an oven proof dish and add the duck pieces, skin-side upwards. Roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven and pour off the fat (keep it for roasting potatoes). Reduce the oven temperature to 150 °C/130°fan/300 ° F/Gas 2.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a flameproof casserole, add the onion and celery and fry over a low heat for 5-6 minutes or until soft.

Stir in the garlic, increase the heat and pour in the red wine. Simmer for 1-2 minutes, then add the passata/strained tomatoes, orange zest, cinnamon, olives and herbs. Transfer the duck pieces to the casserole and spoon the sauce over them. Bring the sauce to a simmer, cover and transfer the casserole to the preheated oven for about 1¼ hours until the duck is tender. Spoon the sauce over the duck halfway through cooking and add a little water if the sauce seems too dry.

Take the casserole out of the oven, remove and discard the cinnamon stick and orange zest and spoon off any fat that has accumulated on the surface. Stir in 2 tablespoons red wine and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with couscous or a lightly spiced pilaf along with some cavolo nero or other dark leafy greens.

Note: You can also make this casserole a day ahead. To do so, cook it in the oven for just 1 hour, then let it cool, cover and refrigerate overnight. The following day, skim off any fat, then reheat it gently, adding a final dash of wine just before serving.

What to drink
Any robust southern French, Spanish, Portuguese or southern Italian red would go well with this recipe. As would a good, gutsy Zinfandel.

For other pairings see 9 great wine pairings for duck

From The Wine Lover’s Kitchen by Fiona Beckett, published by Ryland Peters & Small (£22) Photography by Mowie Kay © Ryland Peters & Small.