Here is my customised take on panforte (which is usually based on dried figs and too much flour):

Mix

400 g mixed nuts, can be hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, pistacios, all with their skin on, lightly dry-roasted and coarsely chopped

with

400 g mixed dried and candied fruit, can be dates, apricots, (figs if you insist but I prefer dates and dried apricots), apple, pineapple, cherries, stem ginger in a syrup, or a bit of ginger jam (to me, ginger in this recipe is essential), cranberries, goji berries and orange peel in smaller quantities, all coarsely chopped. Spread on a board and dust with a tblsp plain white flour to prevent the pieces from sticking together in big lumps.

and

3 tblsp coacoa powder

1,5 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp roasted, ground cloves

1 tsp roasted ground coriander seeds

Ground seeds from ten cardamom pods

1 tsp ground black pepper

Heat 400 g of a mixture of honey and brown sugar (can also be a bit of maple syrup, a bit of syrup from pickled stem ginger, muscovada sugar) – must not boil – and add 150 g dark chocolate and two tblsp butter or oil (am olive oil freak so that is what I always, but coconut oil would also work for me).

Pour over the fruit/nuts/spice mixture, mix well (most easily done with your hands but be aware of the heat). Press the mixture into a well-greased oven-proof plate or a round baking tin with baking paper covering the bottom. Make sure there are no air pockets at the bottom, sides or corners. Make the surface as smooth as possible.

Bake at 150 degrees C in 35-50 minutes depending on the thickness of the layer. The cake should still feel soft and wobbly in the middle, since it does not set until it cools off.

Dust with icing sugar. Keep in cling-film in the fridge and it will keep for weeks.

 

 

Vietnamese roast duck (vit quay)

Marinade for a 2.5 kg duck:

1 dl fish sauce (nuoc mam)

2-3 tbsp soy sauce

2-3 tbsp honey

1-2 tbsp five-spice powder

1 tsp ground ginger

The duck must be completely dry on the outside before applying the marinade. Mix the ingredients for the marinade well and rub all over the duck inside and outside the skin (rub the skin to loosen it so that you can get your fingers between the meat and the skin).  Leave uncovered in the fridge for 24 hours. Turn from time to time.

Stuff 100 g fresh root ginger, finely chopped, cloves from 1 garlic, peeled and lightly crushed, 2 lemon grass stalks, halved lengthwise and lightly crushed, and 5 spring onions, lightly crushed, into the duck and tie the legs together. Poke holes in the skin all over.

Roast for 45 minutes at 220 C, breast side down on a rack, basting regularly with the juices from the pan. Turn the duck over and repeat for another 45 minutes or until the juices run clear.

 

 

 

This is one of my favourite aubergine recipes and an old faithful.

2 large aubergines cut into wedges
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground turmeric
6 tbsp mustard oil
2 tsp kalonji
2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
½ tsp sugar
8 tbsp yoghurt
1 dl water
4 red or green chillies, deseeded and sliced
1 tsp ground roasted cumin seeds

Rub the aubergine pieces with salt and turmeric and set aside for ½ hour.

Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and brown the aubergine pieces.

Drain on paper towels.

Lower the heat to medium and add the kalonji. After a few seconds add the turmeric, chilli powder, salt, sugar and yoghurt. Stir fry for a minute.

Add the water, and when it boils, add the aubergines and chillies and cook for five minutes, stirring carefully.

Sprinkle with ground roasted cumin and serve with rice, as a vegetarian meal or as accompaniment to a meat dish.

I love duck, and I am so glad they can be easily found in the shops this time of year. This version is my current favourite and I make it several times each season.

The leftovers keep for days, and can of course be frozen, and is delicious for breakfast, lunch and dinner, thinly sliced in salads, shredded, with hoisin sauce, in wraps, etc.

A tip: Obviously, the skin does not become crispy using this recipe, but you may be able to peel it off, sizzle it on a hot pan, and leave it on kitchen towel to crispen up.

1 duck, approx 2,5 kilo

Three tblsp fivespice powder

40 g fresh turmeric

40 g fresh galangal

6 garlic cloves

3 tblsp sesame oil

18 peeled whole shallots

5 lemon grass stalks, halved lengthwise and slightly crushed

6 cinnamon sticks (Ceylon or Sri Lanka – NOT Cassia)

12 star anise

18 whole cloves

Sliced chili peppers (optional, to taste)

6 dl light soy sauce and 1,5 dl dark soy sauce

4 tblsp brown sugar

Rub the duck thoroughly, inside and outside, with fivespice powder. Refrigerate uncovered for at least eight hours, or overnight.

Chop turmeric, galangal and garlic cloves and grind to a smooth paste. In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat sesame oil and stir in the spice paste till it becomes fragrant.

Stir in whole shallots, lemon grass stalks, cinnamon sticks, star anise, cloves, chili and the two types of soy sauce.

Add brown sugar and stir till it has dissolved.

Place the duck in the pan, ‘baste’ by turning it in the liquid, and add 6 dl water and bring to the boil. .

Continuing to turn the duck over every hour, cover and simmer very gently for 3-4 hours or until the meat starts to fall off the bones. In fact, in some cases the entire carcass falls apart when you try to shift it, so don’t expect anything like a traditional, photogenic, roast duck.

I freeze the juices/fat to reuse at least one more time.