Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/618165
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 20 DECEMBER 2015 VIII Christmas VIII Christmas Turkey at Christmas? Stuff that! TODAY For many of us turkey on Christmas day is a bit like visiting the in-laws. You know you have to do and you try to do it with a smile, but it's far from the highlight of your day. This year break away from tradition and try something a little tastier. Whether you are looking for something gamey, something fishy, a roast pork, a Middle Eastern lamb tagine or even a vegetarian option, that big bland bird need not dominate your meal. GOURMETTODAY editor Rachel Zammit Cutajar says stuff the turkey, and try something different and create new traditions! Roast duck with figs and chestnuts Gaby Holland Serves 3 – 4* Ingredients • 1 whole duck • ½ tsp grated nutmeg • 2 tsp cinnamon • Salt and pepper • 1 orange, juice and zest • A few sprigs of fresh rosemary • A few bay leaves • 1 orange, halved • 4 cloves garlic, unpeeled • 2 red onions, peeled and quartered • A few stalks celery, chopped • 2 carrots, chopped into chunks • 1 tbsp plum jam • 12 dried figs • 300g cooked peeled chestnuts • 12 chestnuts, with skin on • 100ml red port Method 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. 2. Stuff the duck with rosemary sprigs, bay leaves, 2 orange halves, and the garlic cloves, then place them breast-side up in a large roasting pan. 3. Scatter the onion, celery and carrot in the bottom of roasting pan. 4. Season well with sea salt and roast duck for 1 ½ hours. 5. Bring out the pan and carefully spoon off the fat from the roasting pan. (Skim off fat and once cooled seal and store in the fridge to use for roasting potatoes). 6. Using a small, sharp knife, cut a cross into the skin of each chestnut. 7. Scatter the figs and chestnuts around the duck. Return to the oven and roast for a 30 to 40 mins. 8. Bring pan out of oven and brush all over with plum jam to create a glaze. 9. Return to the oven and roast at 200°Cfor a further 5 mins until duck is golden. 10. Remove duck from oven, Cover loosely with foil and let rest for 15 mins. 11. Tip the juices (skimming off any fat from surface) out of the pan and place in a saucepan together with the port. 12. Check for seasoning, bring the gravy to the boil and then simmer for 10 to 15 mins until reduced. 13. Serve duck with roasted vegetables, figs, chestnuts, and gravy. *Recipe may easily be doubled to serve 8, in which case use 2 roasting pans. Pre-dinner 1940s cocktails & canapés, a lavish banquet with an international open bar & free-flowing champagne and a special guest singer with her jazz band For further information please call us on 2144 0301 DRESS FOR THE DECADE IN YOUR BEST FORTIES STYLE NEW YEAR'S EVE 1940 s SWING AT THE CORINTHIA PALACE HOTEL & SPA