Roasted Duck, Kale and White Bean Soup

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Since it is cold and raining outside, making a soup from roasted duck, kale and white beans sound good. It is time to use up what is in the refrigerator.

Roasted Duck, Kale and White Bean Soup

You will need

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 sweet onion, diced small
  • 2 carrots, peeled and sliced thin
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
  • 1 small russet potato, peeled and diced small
  • 3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 1 quart chicken stock
  • 1 cup leftover roasted duck meat, diced small
  • 1 cup cooked or 1-15 oz. can of white beans, drained
  • 1 medium tomato, peeled, seeded and diced OR 1-15 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 2 cups roughly chopped and stemmed fresh kale
  • Salt and pepper to taste (Start with 1 tablespoon and adjust to suit your taste)
Carrots of many colors.

Carrots of many colors. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Saute the onions and carrots in oil for 3 minutes, add the garlic, potatoes and thyme, stir.

When the onions are translucent, add the stock and bring to a boil.

Add the duck and the white beans, bring to a simmer.

Add the tomatoes, simmer for 5 minutes.

Stir in the kale and simmer for 5 minutes more.

When the carrots and potatoes are done, adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper.

Serve with good bread and crispy kale chips.

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Chicken Piccata

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This is a simple delicious recipe for Chicken Piccata. It is fresh and light and cooks quickly.

Boil the water and cook pasta while making the piccata.

You can choose to use tofu or fish or scaloppini of veal instead of chicken. We like them all!

Chicken Piccata

  • Servings: 2
  • Difficulty: easy
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Chicken Piccata

Serves 2

  • 2 chicken breasts, sliced into 2-3 thin slices each
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • zest and juice from 1 large lemon
  • 1 tablespoon minced shallot
  • 1 clove fresh garlic, minced fine
  • 2 tablespoons capers
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 2 tablespoons cold butter
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Garnish with:

  • Fresh flat leaf parsley and lemon slices
  • Shaved Parmesan cheese

Place the sliced chicken breasts into a plastic bag, a piece at a time, and lightly pound to make the breast pieces flat and even.

Season with a sprinkling of salt and pepper.

Heat a saute pan over medium high heat, when hot add the oil.

Saute until golden brown

Dredge the pounded chicken breasts in flour.

Saute in a hot saute pan until golden brown on both sides.

Remove the chicken from the pan and keep warm while you make the sauce.

Add the shallots and garlic, stir, being careful not to  burn the garlic or shallots.

De-glaze the pan with white wine. When the wine is nearly gone, add the lemon zest and juice, capers and chicken stock.

Bring to a boil. Simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Finished Sauce

Whisk in the butter and serve.

Do not boil the sauce after adding the butter to avoid ‘breaking’ the sauce.

Serve with spaghetti, linguine or rice, if you prefer.

A fresh green salad and crusty bread are great sides.

Enjoy!

Chicken Piccata

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Stuffed Shrimp

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Stuffed shrimp are so easy to make and are considered a quick and easy meal. While scallops are the original fast food, these don’t fall far behind.

Use the largest shrimp you can afford. I prefer wild caught shrimp. What I have read about farm raised shrimp has me not eating shrimp for the most part. The process of farm raising shrimp is disgusting. I wouldn’t eat them for anything.

Wild caught are another story.

You need to know where the shrimp were caught. Additionally, you need be reasonably environmentally aware of what is going on the in the world so you can make your own decisions as to whether or not you want to eat fish from questionable areas.

I still don’t trust seafood from the Gulf of Mexico or BP for that matter. I do not think the full truth has been disclosed about the Gulf disaster.

Anyway, back to the shrimp.

These are wild caught 16/20 white shrimp from eastern coast of Florida. We have a wonderful fish market in town called Clean Catch Fish Market. They procure only the best seafood from around the world. The prices reflect it too, but so well worth the cost. When I decided to write about stuffed shrimp, I needed the best shrimp I could find. There was only one place to go, Clean Catch.

When buying shrimp, the numbers like 16/20 indicate how many of them are in a pound. 16/20 means there are between 16 and 20 in a pound. The smaller the number, the larger the shrimp.

When you see a size like U-10 or U-15 it means Under 10 per pound or Under 15 per pound which means you are going to get a really big shrimp, almost lobster tail size.

Note: Larger shrimp are easier to peel. If you are so inclined, save the shells for making shrimp stock. Freeze them until you have enough to run a batch.

Smell the shrimp. They should smell like the fresh ocean, not ammonia, iodine or dead fish.

Because only two of us were eating, I got 8 shrimp. No need to buy a full pound.

For this dish, you will peel and devein and butterfly the shrimp. You will leave the first tail section and the tail on for presentation.

Don't cut all the way through, just so it can lay flatInsert your sharp paring knife into the top portion of the shrimp and open the shrimp all the way to the first tail section. This makes shell removal simple, also opens the shrimp so you can remove the intestinal track. (Yup, that’s what that black line is along the back.) Cut deep so you can lay the shrimp flat, also known as “butterfly” the shrimp. Be careful not to cut all the way through.

Rinse under clear cold water. Label and freeze shells for later use.

Make the stuffing. Form into small balls that fit on the back of the shrimp. Fold the tail over the stuffing and spread or fan the tail out so it looks nice.

Place the shrimp on a baking sheet and bake in a 400°F oven for 10 minutes or until the shrimp turn pink.

Remove from the oven and serve with Lemon Orange Horseradish Sauce and a nice salad on the side.

Stuffing for Stuffed Shrimp

This makes a generous amount. Freeze any left over so you can make stuffed shrimp again soon! Or use the stuffing in another seafood or  in mushrooms or quail.

  • 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 1 egg
  • 1 Tablespoon capers
  • 1 Teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon minced sweet onion or shallot
  • 1 scallion thinly sliced, from the white tip to the green end, use it all
  • 1 tablespoon smooth Dijon mustard
  • Zest and juice from one lemon (the zest is a major flavor contributor, don’t leave it out)
  • 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese – optional

Mix everything in a bowl. The mixture should hold together when you squeeze it.

Make small balls of the stuffing mix and place a ball on the back of the shrimp and fold the tail over. Fan the tail.

Bake at 400°F for 10 minutes or until the shrimp are pink.

Lemon Orange Horseradish Sauce

Super simple and versatile. This sauce goes well with these shrimp, coconut shrimp and spring rolls.

1/4 cup orange marmalade

Juice from 1/2 lemon

1 tablespoon horseradish (more or less depending upon desired heat)

Melt over low heat, whisk to incorporate. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes. If it gets too gloppy, add a small amount of water.

Spoon the sauce around the shrimp on the plate and serve.

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