A one-pot duck dinner

You’re lucky if you live near a shop like Roy Fox’s which has all you need to cook these recipes

THERE'S A RECURRING foodie theme in the political film, The Contender, that I'd love to avail of in real life. Jeff Bridges, playing a president of the US, likes to show off to whoever he's with by ringing up the kitchen in the White House and ordering something obscure to eat at odd hours of the day.

Each and every time, the kitchen is able to accommodate his requests, for duck à l’orange or coq au vin, at a moment’s notice. He marvels throughout the film at the chef’s ability to provide everything he could possibly want to eat and, with each phone-call, he is sure that if his request is odd enough, they will eventually be forced to say: “Sorry sir, can we offer you something else?”

Finally, they do fail. Ironically, they’re caught out by a simple request for cheese for his hamburger. It’s a cute theme, and one that always springs to mind when I go into Roy Fox’s vegetable shop in Donnybrook in Dublin. If I were the nation’s boss, one of the things I’d love to see is that every town and village across the country had a little “Roy Fox’s” in it. I know there are loads of very good food shops and delis throughout Ireland, but I am especially fond of this one because it’s unpretentious and utilitarian, good-value retailing. When I go in there, it’s a bit like shopping in Aldi or Lidl. You clutch a €20 note, convinced you’ll leave with no change and nothing for dinner, but in fact it’s the opposite. I’m regularly amazed at what I can buy and at what seems to be very good value prices.

Things are so crammed and over-crowded in the shop that you sometimes can’t find what you need. But each and every time you ask, a little like the White House chef, they seem to be able to provide. Mango powder? No problem. Pomegranate molasses – here you go. Finally, I fell upon an ingredient, moong dal, and thought, that’s it! I bet they’ll never have it. But sure enough, there it was. It’s a split bean that comes from mung beans and I can’t stop eating it. I’ve made this recipe a million times, but I usually ditch the duck and eat it with a big salad. It’s healthy comfort food in a bowl.

Duck dal (serves two, very generously)

2 duck legs

Salt and pepper

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

6 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced

1 tsp ground cumin

Pinch of chilli flakes

40g butter (optional)

300g moong dal, rinsed well

500ml vegetable stock

Rind of two lemons, chopped

Big bunch of mint

Pre-heat an oven to 180 degrees/gas four. Fry the duck legs with a splash of olive oil to get them going, in a heavy-based saucepan that can also go into the oven, and that you have a lid for. Fry them well on all sides till golden brown, then season well. Remove the duck legs from the pan, set aside and chuck out all but a tablespoon of the fat. Fry the onions and garlic in this till just starting to colour, then add the cumin, chilli and butter. The butter gives it great richness, but if you want to leave it out, do.

Add the rinsed dal and mix well so it gets coated with the flavours. Add the stock (or water plus extra salt), bring up to the boil, then add the zest and mint. Stir well then sit the duck legs into the pan. Cover with the lid and cook for 40 minutes in the oven. Remove from the oven, but keep the lid on for 10 minutes before opening up, and mixing the dal lightly. Check the seasoning and serve.

Purple sprouting broccoli with lemon and hazelnuts (serves two as a side dish)

50g butter

1 tbsp hazelnuts, chopped

Juice and zest of one lemon

Salt and pepper

250g purple sprouting broccoli

Melt the butter over gentle heat. Add the hazelnuts, turn up the heat and when they are just starting to brown, add the zest, juice and season well. Beware of splashes of hot fat. Keep warm. Trim any stalky bits off the broccoli. Blanch it in boiling water for a minute, drain and serve immediately with the hazelnut butter spooned over.

See also www.itsa.ie

Food cooked and styled by Domini Kemp and Maisha Lenehan.