I have a great colleague who is really into cooking, so it is a real pleasure to meet and discuss new cooking ideas. I really like Hungarian food, and he’d been experimenting with confit wild goose leg. So this is where we ended up.
This is a traditional Hungarian recipe, I’m sure there are many versions. I made mine with dried porcini mushrooms, but there are recipes that don’t use them. It takes a while to make, so be prepared.
First of all, when presented with a wild goose, peel off the skin without plucking it. Take off the breast meat and save that for another day, in the freezer. Next, take the legs, trim them and cook them in hot duck or goose fat. The legs should be completely covered, and then put in a covered dish in a very low oven, around 90C for 4 to 6 hours.
Next, while the goose legs are being cooked slowly, make a goose soup.
INGREDIENTS FOR GOOSE SOUP
- 1 goose carcase, including liver, heart, gizzard, if possible
- 2 tbsps goose or duck fat
- 1 large onion, cut into wedges
- 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
- 4 sticks of celery, chopped
- 2 red peppers, chopped
- a couple of bay leaves
- 15g dried porcini mushrooms
- Salt and pepper
METHOD FOR GOOSE SOUP
- In a large stock pot, melt the fat and fry the onion. As it starts to soften, add the celery, carrots and peppers, and cook until they are beginning to brown
- Add the goose carcase, enough water to cover, salt and pepper, bayleaves and the porcini mushrooms.
- Bring to a low simmer, and simmer for four hours. When the soup is made, cool it and remove the remains of the carcase. Strain the soup. Any cooked meat on the carcase, plus the heart and liver can be shredded and reserved.
Now you are ready for the next step. You won’t use all of the strained soup, and it is good in its own right. It also freezes well in case you want to make more of the Orzotto.
INGREDIENTS FOR THE LUDASKASA
- Goose fat
- Hot stock
- Saffron
- White wine
- Confit goose legs
- Shredded goose meat from the soup preparation
- 160g pearl barley soaked in water for 1 hour or more
- Chopped parsley
METHOD:
- Reheat the soup
- Take a cup of hot goose stock and add a pinch of saffron
- In a large pan, heat 2 tbsp goose fat on high, and add the soaked and drained barley. Toast it for a minute or so, and then add a glass of white wine. Let this cook away and then start adding the stock, a ladleful at a time. I started with the saffron stock first. Simmer away the moisture from each ladleful before adding the next, just like making a risotto. Keep adding the stock until the barley is well cooked and tender.
- Serve in a deep bowl, stir in the shredded meat, and top with the confit goose legs and chopped parsley.
I found the barley part of the dish to be the bit I liked the best, and I had plenty of goose soup left at the end, so I can make that again.