DUCK BRAISED IN BANYULS

Makes 6 servings.
Suzanne Goin, chef/owner of four Los Angeles restaurants, created this braised duck recipe using Banyuls, a fortified wine from the south of France. As the duck and Banyuls cook together, the wine permeates the meat and produces a rich ruby broth. You can braise the duck a day ahead; just remember it has to marinate at least 4 hours first.
6 lg duck legs, 8-10 oz each, trimmed of fat
1 TBS thyme leaves plus 6 whole sprigs
1 TBS freshly cracked black pepper
Grated zest of 1 orange
1 TBS coarse salt
2 TBS extra-virgin olive oil
1½ C diced onion
½ C diced each: fennel, carrot
1 bay leaf
2 C Banyuls or port
2 TBS balsamic vinegar
3 to 4 C chicken stock or broth

Season duck with the thyme leaves, pepper and orange zest. Cover; refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Take the duck out of the refrigerator 45 minutes before cooking. After 15 minutes, season the legs on all sides with salt. Heat a large skillet over high heat 2 minutes. Add the olive oil; heat 1 minute. Place the duck legs in the skillet skin-side down in batches if necessary; cook until the skin is deep golden brown and crispy, 8-10 minutes. Turn the legs; reduce the heat to medium. Cook 2 minutes. Transfer to a Dutch oven or other braising pan, skin-side up. (The duck legs should just fit in the pan.)
Discard half of the fat in the skillet; heat skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, fennel, carrot, thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Cook, stirring often to scrape up all the crusty bits, until browned, about 10 minutes. Add the Banyuls and vinegar. Turn the heat to high; heat the liquid to a boil. Cook until it has reduced by half, 6-8 minutes. Add 3 cups of the stock; heat to a boil. Turn the heat to low; simmer 5 minutes.
Add the broth and vegetables to the Dutch oven (the liquid should not quite cover the duck; add more stock if necessary). Cover the pan with foil and a lid. Cook in the oven until the duck is very tender, about 2½ hours.
Carefully transfer the duck to a baking sheet. Turn the oven up to 400 degrees. Return duck to the oven to brown, 10-15 minutes. Strain the broth into a saucepan, pressing down on the vegetables to extract all the juices; discard vegetables. Skim the top layer of fat from the sauce. If necessary, reduce the broth over medium-high heat to thicken slightly, about 5 minutes. Season to taste. Transfer the duck to a serving platter. Spoon the juices over the duck.
Nutrition information per serving: 239 calories, 48% of calories from fat, 13 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 98 mg cholesterol, 4 g carbohydrates, 26 g protein, 614 mg sodium, 1 g fiber

OSSO BUCO

Makes 6 servings.
This elegant dish from Jean Anderson’s “Falling Off the Bone” cookbook is the author’s longtime favorite party recipe.
6 slices (each 2-inch-thick center-cut) veal shanks
1⁄3 C flour mixed with 1½ tsp salt and ½ tsp each crumbled dried leaf thyme and freshly ground pepper
3 TBS each: extra-virgin olive oil, unsalted butter
2 lg each, coarsely chopped: yellow onions, red onions
4 lg cloves garlic, smashed, skins removed
2 sm each coarsely chopped: carrots, ribs celery
2 bay leaves
1 TBS coarsely chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp crumbled dried leaf basil
1 TBS coarsely chopped fresh marjoram or 1 tsp crumbled dried leaf marjoram
1 tsp coarsely chopped fresh thyme or ¼ tsp crumbled dried leaf thyme
2 strips (2-by-½-inch) lemon zest
1 can (14½ oz) diced tomatoes, with liquid
1¾ C chicken or beef broth
1½ C dry white Italian wine
¼ C coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Gremolata:
2 TBS finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1 TBS each: finely minced garlic, finely grated lemon zest

Rub veal shanks well all over with seasoned flour; shake off excess.
Heat 2 tablespoons each oil and butter over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven (large enough to accommodate all shanks in a single layer) until ripples appear on pan bottom, 1 ½ to 2 minutes. Add all shanks; brown well, 5-7 minutes per side. Remove each to a large bowl.
Add remaining oil and butter to pot; as soon as butter melts, add next 10 ingredients (yellow onions through lemon zest); cook, stirring often, until onions are limp and golden, about 10 minutes.
Return shanks to pot along with accumulated juices; add tomatoes, broth and wine. Heat to a boil over moderate heat. Adjust heat so mixture barely bubbles; cover. Simmer slowly until veal nearly falls from bones, stirring occasionally and adding water if needed, 3½-4 hours. Cool to room temperature. Cover; refrigerate overnight.
When ready to proceed, let Dutch oven stand 30 minutes at room temperature. Heat over medium heat until serving temperature, stirring occasionally and carefully so shanks remain intact, about 20 minutes. Discard bay leaves and lemon zest. Taste for salt and pepper, and adjust. Mix in parsley. Arrange osso buco on a heated large deep platter. Cover with juices; top each shank with a sprinkling of gremolata.
Nutrition information per serving: 336 calories, 43% of calories from fat, 16 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 99 mg cholesterol, 22 g carbohydrates, 25 g protein, 915 mg sodium, 4 g fiber