Light Bites Supper Lunch

Warming Duck Soup

This fragrant soup is a fantastic way of using up the leftover meat and carcass from a roast duck - or any roasted bird for that matter

20 prep, 2 hours 20 min cook

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 Freedom Food duck carcass and any spare bones from a roast whole duck, all fat pulled off & discarded

Any spare duck meat picked off and reserved

2 small brown onions, split in half

1 bunch parsley stalks

1 small handful of dried porcini mushrooms

1/2 head of good garlic split horizontally across the middle

1 small sprig of thyme

2 bay leaves

5 peppercorns

3 medium carrots, peeled & finely diced

2 sticks of celery, de-strung & finely sliced

1 tin of flageolet beans, drained

40g pearl barley, cooked for 45 minutes or until tender & drained 3 large chard leaves, washed, rolled & shredded

3 tbsps medium sweet sherry

2 tbsps sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Sourdough bread

Handful of grated Parmesan (or similar British hard cheese)

Good olive oil, to dress

Method

Break up the duck carcass into 3 pieces and add it to a large pot with any remaining bones. Fill with water until the carcass is covered, then add the onions with their skin, the parsley stalks, porcini mushrooms, garlic, thyme, bay leaves and peppercorns.

Heat the pan to a very gentle simmer, cover and leave to cook for two hours, occasionally skimming the scum from the top.

Strain the stock carefully through a colander and then through a sieve before adding the stock back into the pan with carrots and celery. Bring up to a mild simmer again and season generously with salt. Cook for 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender, then add the beans, pearl barley and chard. Cook for a further 5 minutes.

Add the sherry with any reserved duck meat and cook for 2 more minutes. Divide between serving bowls and serve with sourdough bread, grated Parmesan and olive oil.