It's all in the game: Cod, Duck and the Fliegender Hollander

Mamtas Apron adorning me

Well this past weekend I had a half way decent run up to Kiel and arrived at about 16:00 and Linda had not finished cooking (well I should say the Slow Cooker had not finished cooking) she had made a smashing beef stew, it can be seen that winter is setting in!

Saturday was our trip to the market; it has moved for the duration of the Baltic Horse show and was now situated just at the bottom of Linda’s street.

I was actually out just as the stall holders where setting up as but we needed some rolls for breakfast from our local French bakery (wonderful place).

We then watched a bit of TV (rugby) and then set off to do our Saturday shop, we had agreed that a bit of fish would be nice for Saturday evening and Sunday would be roast duck (Linda had bought a one a couple of weeks ago and it had been languishing in the freezer.

For Lunch Linda made a very nice butternut pumpkin and carrot soup. (own concoction)

We bought a nice piece of cod filet and then plodded around the stalls buying our vegetables, it was a chilly but bright day as it was to be all weekend.

I decided to do the cod in Panko bread crumbs served with sautéed potatoes and minted peas, Linda was going to make a Nathan Outlaw sauce tartar from the Great British Menu
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/turbottartaresaucean_91137

The egg, panko crumbs and cod

Alas when we had all of the ingredients together found when I looked at the recipe that it took far too long and needed quite a bit of time to marinate.

So the menu changed to Panko crumbed cod on a bed of lentils, minted peas and sautéed potatoes

The breaded cod ready for frying

Sauté potatoes witha bit of speck

The lentils, simmered in a vegetable stock with a few shards of veg and some herbs

The finished meal

Sunday we had decided to go out to Schilksee and Strande, this is where the Olympians of 1972 resided and was the centre of the sailing regatta. The Olympians lived in a long and for that time architectially advanced building. This was called "Die Fliegender Hollander" The Flying Dutchman, it could be after the sailing class or after Wagners Opera?

Though it no longer has the hustle and bustle of that summer, it is still a very busy tourist area in the summer, complete with the typical beach chairs.

Looking out across the Förder towards Laboe

We had our breakfast, it was a Brathering roll for me and a smoked salmon roll for her hee hee! (end of the Two Ronnies).

We had a nice walk along the prom, we visited the small inshore fishing fleet on the jetty, that was selling the weekend catch, in the main Plaice (Goldbutt) and Codling.

The fleets in Town

Gutting his catch

The end of the sailing season

On returning home it was time to prep the duck and get the veg on the go. I had decided it would be red cabbage, sprouts and peas and Pommes Boulanger. The red cabbage was easy it was a case of opening the packet and placing in a pan to warm through, the peas where left over from yesterday.

layer the spuds, onions and pepper

pour over a splash of duck fat

The finished dish ready for the oven

I thinly sliced some potatoes and onions and put them in a dish in alternate layers, pouring a bit of duck fat (I had reduced the fat that is always left inside of the body cavity) over the individual layers along with some stock and fresh ground pepper.

The finished dish out of the oven

This went into the oven under the duck, covered with a layer of aluminium foil, this was removed after the duck has been taken out of the oven to rest and the Boulanger is moved up to the top shelf. Wonderful crispy topped dish.

The duck was washed inside and out, dried and then salted and peppered inside, inside the cavity went ½ of a lemon, cut into 4 and an onion cut into chunks, also a sprig each of Thyme, Rosemary and Sage,

this was bound and trussed, pricked under the legs and wings

and into the oven on a bed of chopped vegetables and stock at 210°C breast side down to brown the back skin and release the fat,

in the mean time I put the giblets into a pan with some vegetable stock and a couple of slivers of lemon rind and on to simmer.

After 30 minutes I turned the duck and ladled the breast with stock from the pan,

after another 15 minutes I reduced the heat down to 180°C and continued to ladle the stock over the breast,

It is ready when you prick the breast at it thickest part and the juices just run clear. (I like my ducks a little rarer, but you have to take other folks tastes into account, don’t you??)