Smoked Duck Stew with Smoked Duck Dumplings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
6 tablespoons finely chopped onions, in all
1/4 cup small diced potatoes, blanched
1/4 cup small diced celery
1/4 cup small diced carrots
1/4 cup small diced parsnips
1/4 cup small diced turnips
12 ounces finely chopped smoked duck meat, in all
1/4 cup chopped tomatoes, peeled and seeded
2 tablespoons finely chopped basil
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon minced garlic
3 cups duck stock
1 cup red wine
salt and black pepper
1 large egg
1/4 cup beer
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoon chopped green onions
small loaf of crusty bread
Essense

Instructions

In a large pot, heat the olive oil. When the oil is hot, sauté 4 tablespoons chopped onions, the potatoes, celery, carrots, parsnips, and turnips and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the 1 1/2 cups of the duck meat, the tomatoes, basil, and 1 tablespoon minced garlic. Stir in the stock and red wine. Season with salt and black pepper. Bring the liquid up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. In a mixing bowl, combine the egg, beer, remaining garlic, 2 tablespoons onions, 1/2 cup duck meat, flour and baking powder together. Season the batter with salt. Whisk until smooth. Turn the heat up to high under the stew. When the stew starts to bubble, place spoonfuls of the dumpling batter into the stew. Cover and cook the stew cover for 3 minutes or until the dumplings are cooked through.

Yields: 4 servings