You will need one whole duck for this preparation. Have your butcher separate the breasts and legs from the bird and de-bone the legs. All the leg and breast meat should still have its skin on. Ask your butcher to grind all the meat for you. You will have approximately 1 3/4 pounds of ground duck. Make sure you collect all the bones from the duck for the broth.
Duck Dumplings
2 boneless duck legs with their skins (approximately 3/4 lb.), put through a meat grinder
2 duck breasts with their skins (approximately 1 lb.), put through a meat grinder
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 medium-sized Spanish onion, minced
1 tsp. ground cardamom
1/2 cup matzah cake flour
3 tsp. salt
Broth
3 lbs. of chicken back bones
The bones of one de-boned duck with its wings
2 tbs. olive oil
2 large onions, peeled and quartered
3 ribs of celery, whole
1 carrot, 1/2-inch-thick pieces
1 head of garlic sliced in half, separating the top from the bottom
1 tbs. turmeric
4 dried Persian limes (lemon omani*), put in a towel and crush the limes open.
1/2 tbs. dried mint
Sea salt to taste
1 cup chopped fresh spinach
Juice from 1 fresh lime
Fresh herbs such as mint, dill and parsley, chopped
Rinse bones with cold water and set aside. In a large stock pot heat olive oil and add the onions, celery, garlic and carrots, and stir while cooking for approximately five minutes until onions become translucent but not brown. Adjust the flame in order to not brown vegetables. Add the turmeric, crushed dried limes and the mint, and continue to sauté for an additional two minutes. Add the chicken backbones, duck bones and enough water to cover the bones by approximately six inches. Bring to a boil and ladle off the coagulated albumin and fat that will rise to the top. Reduce to a low flame and simmer for 2 1/2 hours.
In the meantime, to make the dumplings, mix the ground duck meat with the garlic, onion, cardamom, matzah cake flour and salt. Roll into 1-inch diameter meatballs. Refrigerate until the broth is ready.
When the broth is ready, carefully pour broth through a strainer and into a clean pot. Bring the broth back to a simmer and add the chicken dumplings. Place a lid on to the pot, and let cook for ten minutes or until the dumplings have cooked all the way through.
To serve, place a couple of dumplings into each soup bowl along with some freshly chopped spinach, herbs and, if using, the blanched fava beans. Taste the remaining broth and adjust the saltiness. Add the juice of the fresh lime and ladle the soup into bowls.
To find lemon omani visit these Web sites: www.kalustyans.com and www.sadaf.com
