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Duck legs with pearl barley

Author Lina
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Comforting duck legs with pearl barley

Ingredients

  • 2-4 duck legs
  • 100 g pearl barley
  • 2 medium or 1 large carrot
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1 small red pepper (optional)
  • 2 stalks of celery
  • A few cloves of garlic
  • 5 prunes
  • A glass of vermouth, port, brandy, rum or cherry bitters; or a spoonful of plum or cherry jam
  • Black pepper, coriander seeds, bay leaf, Provence herbs, salt
  • 300 g water for a pressure cooker; 300-400 g for the stew and extra as needed
  • Fresh thyme for serving

Instructions

  1. Wash 100 g of pearl barley under running water and leave to soak while you chop the other ingredients.
  2. Shave and peel a couple of medium or one large carrot. Cut into slices.
  3. Peel one medium onion, chop finely.
  4. Red pepper goes well in this stew, if you like it, and you have it, cut up one small one.
  5. Celery stalks are also delicious, cut a couple of pieces.
  6. Peel a few cloves of garlic.
  7. Wash five prunes.
  8. Put the drumsticks skin side down in the pot and fry them. Duck has a lot of fat, so not only will you not need any extra oil, but even if the drumsticks release a lot of fat, pour off the excess and use it to fry the potatoes.
  9. When the skin is browned, remove the drumsticks to a separate container.
  10. Add the onions to the pan and cook until translucent and caramelized.
  11. Add spices crushed in a mortar, black pepper, coriander seeds, bay leaf. herbs de Provence, garlic, fry for a minute, then add carrots, peppers, celery, lightly fry.
  12. Add the duck legs, plums, salt and a dash of sweeter alcohol (vermouth, liqueur, rum or even brandy), let the pot heat up.
  13. Then add the soaked pearl millet and add water. Cover the pot and simmer.
  14. When cooking in a pressure cooker, the liquid does not evaporate anywhere, so it is important to maintain the right proportions and not to increase the water.
  15. 100 g of lightly soaked pearl barley will absorb 300 g of liquid during cooking. Pour that much. After 30-40 minutes, the stew will be ready. According to the pressure cooker instructions, release the pressure and open the pot.
  16. If you are stewing in a slow cooker, pour 300 - 400 g of water and check every time whether it has evaporated and there is enough liquid. Add a little more if needed. The stew will be ready in an hour and a half.
  17. Serve in convenient bowls, garnish with fresh thyme.

Notes

Count one leg per diner. Below are the proportions for making 2 - 4 duck legs. Here, as in the instructions for loose tea, when an additional amount is indicated for a "teapot", a certain amount of ingredients is needed for the pot in order to have something to brew. The amount of vegetables and grains will be the same for four diners, but if you eat for two and have leftovers, you can make soup or simply reheat to eat the next day.