Recipes by Diane Cilento: Roast Duckling with Fruit Dressing; Tagliatelle Verde

Diane Cilento's Roast Duckling with Fruit Dressing

For the stuffing:
Duck liver, heart and gizzard, chopped
1/3 cup chopped celery
3 cups bread crumbs
3/4 cup apricots (soaked or blanched a few mins. in boiling water) cut in strips
1 egg, well beaten
1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper
About 3/4 cup orange juice (or enough to moisten stuffing)
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup pitted prunes (soaked or blanched a few mins. in boiling water)
3 tbsps. chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp. salt
Thyme and sage to taste

Saute duck liver, heart and gizzard with onion, celery and butter until vegetables are softened. Toss lightly over bread crumbs in mixing bowl with remaining ingredients.

To roast:
6 pound cleaned duckling

Season inside cavity with salt and freshly ground pepper. Fill cavity with stuffing being careful not to fill too full as stuffing swells during roasting. Secure closing by sewing with string (or with skewers). Place duckling breast side up on a roasting rack in a roasting pan. Roast in preheated 325 degree oven until tender (allow about 30 minutes per pound). Basting is unnecessary, since duckling is fat. Prick several times to release fat; pour off excess fat from roasting pan. Turn several times to insure even browning. Serve on bed of watercress and pass gravy (made from skimmed pan juices, thickened with flour and flavored with orange juice and seasonings to taste). Serves 4.

Diane Cilento's Tagliatelle Verde

1 pound green noodles
1/2 pound cleaned button mushrooms (caps only)
2-3 pound minced uncooked veal
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup dry white wine
Pinch nutmeg
Boiling salted water
1/2 stick sweet butter
1/2 clove garlic, pressed
1/2 chicken cube
1 pint sour cream

Cook noodles in boiling salted water until barely cooked (al dente). Drain. Saute mushrooms in half the amount of butter until lightly browned; set aside. Sear veal quickly in remaining butter in separate skillet with pressed garlic. Season to taste. Add chicken cube (dissolved in white wine) to veal. Simmer about ten minutes. Add mushrooms, sour cream and nutmeg. Heat through, stirring, but do not boil (mixture will curdle). Spoon over hot cooked noodles. Serves 4.