Roasted Duck ala Romania / Rata pe varza

Directions

The most favored way to prepare duck in Romania is on sour cabbage and it is delicious. Singe and clean very well a young fat duck and keep it in the air to dry. Put on a rack over a dripping pan, place in a hot oven and heat until some of the fat will be melted.

Remove from the oven, let cool a little, then dredge in flour and pat in well. Brown the duck in a little butter, in die meantime pouring over it slowly the juice of one orange. Prepare a brown sauce in the pan as follows.

Fry 1/4 pound of smoked bacon cut into small pieces. Add one tablespoonful each of finely chopped shallot and fennel and a little thyme and hy together for 2 or 3 minutes.

Add a tablespoonful of flour, brown well, stirring constantly, then thin with sauerkraut juice (not loo sour) added slowly. Cook for about 10 minutes with continual stirring.

Cut the duck into pieces and place in a casserole, the bottom oi which is rubbed with a clove of garlic. In the pan used for browning the duck add one sage leaf, then the head of one cabbage shredded (or use sauerkraut) and finally a little marjoram.

Brown the cabbage and add it to the duck in the casserole. Pour on the brown sauce, cover the casserole and bake from 2 to 3 hours.

Add a few peppercorns and let brown in the oven uncovered, before removing the duck, add one glass of sherry.