Duck Soup 🤓

There has been a culling of the Muscovy duck flock in Loch Eport. I am planning on a Persian stew with the jointed duck, made with walnuts and pomegranate molasses. After I jointed the duck, I made a delicious broth from the carcase, and then followed and adapted a recipe that I found online, to cover the ingredients available locally. 

The whole time, I was thinking of this classic film: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duck_Soup_(1933_film) 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 duck carcase, chopped into three to fit into the stock pot
• 2 small onions, chopped into quarters
• Parsley – could be stalks or leaves
• 20g dried porcini mushrooms
• 1/2 head of garlic, cloves chopped across the middle
• 1 sprig of thyme
• 2+ bayleaves – I used 4 small leaves
• 5 black peppercorns
• 3 medium or 1 very large carrot, finely diced
• 2 sticks of celery, finely sliced
• 1 can of flageolet beans (not always available, I used haricot beans instead)
• 40g pearl barley
• 150g chard or spinach, chopped roughly
• 50ml sherry
• salt to taste – about a teaspoonful
• freshly ground pepper
• grated parmesan cheese

METHOD:

• Put the duck carcase, onions, parsley, porcini mushrooms, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, and peppercorns into the stock pot, and fill with water to cover everything. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 hours. 
• Strain the stock, and put in a soup pan. Pick any meat off the carcase and reserve
• Add the barley, and simmer for 45 minutes. 
• Add the carrots, celery, bring to a simmer again for 10 minutes, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Add the beans and spinach, and cook for another 5 minutes. 
• Add the sherry and any duck meat. 

Serve in large soup bowls, garnished with grated parmesan, and with a good bread, such as sour-dough bread. You could also drizzle good quality olive oil on the soup or the bread.