Duck breast with Asian-inspired honey vegetables and polenta

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 200 g polenta
• 4 duck breasts
• 2 red bell peppers
• 1 bell pepper(s), yellow
• 4 carrots
• 1 handful of sugar snap peas
• 2 m.-large zucchini
• 1 onion(s), red
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp, leveled cornstarch
• ½ cup sugar, brown
• ¾ cup water
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 handful of peanuts, unsalted
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 55 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 40 minutes

Crossover recipe for festive occasions

First, bring the polenta to a boil with twice the amount of salted water and cook over low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Then spread it out in a dish about 1 cm thick and let it cool. Wash the vegetables. Peel the carrots, onion, and garlic. Cut the carrots, zucchini, and bell pepper into thin sticks or strips. Cut the onion into half rings. Chop or grate the garlic. Chop the peanuts. Preheat the oven to 80 degrees Celsius (170 degrees Fahrenheit). Rub the duck breasts with salt and then place them skin-side down in a cold, ovenproof, non-stick pan. Heat the pan and fry over medium heat for about 15 minutes to render the fat. If a thick layer of fat is still visible, fry for a few minutes longer. While the duck is cooking, for the sauce, mix the brown sugar and cornstarch in a cold pan and pour in the water. Add the soy sauce, honey, and garlic. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 2 minutes. After about 15 minutes, turn the breasts over and cook on the other side for about 3 minutes. Using a spoon, scoop out about 2 tablespoons of fat and place it in a small bowl. Place the pan in an oven preheated to 80 degrees Celsius (175 degrees Fahrenheit) for 30 minutes, with the skin of the breasts still facing up. Heat the pan with half of the duck fat, fry the onions first, then add the carrots, season with salt, and cook, stirring regularly, until softened but still firm to the bite. Place the carrots and onions in a large bowl. Fry the peppers in the same way and add them to the bowl. Finally, fry the zucchini and finally the snow peas. If the duck hasn’t cooked for 30 minutes yet, remove the pan from the heat. Cut the polenta into squares, triangles, or diamonds and fry in a pan with a little duck fat over medium heat until golden brown on both sides. Add all the vegetables and 3/4 of the peanuts back to the pan, mix with the sauce, and heat briefly until piping hot. Arrange the vegetables and polenta pieces with the duck breast on warmed plates and garnish with the remaining peanuts. Note: Good timing is very important with this recipe so the duck doesn’t dry out. It shouldn’t stay in the oven for too long. If you want to be on the safe side, it’s a good idea to first prepare the vegetables as described above and cook the polenta on one side, then place both in a warm place and then cook the duck. 5 minutes before the duck needs to be taken out of the oven, you can reheat the vegetables and cook the polenta on the other side so that everything is piping hot when served.