Before you get all scared, this photograph is not a soup of any kind, it’s the macaroni and cheese I made as an antidote to the soup, which was odd. Wasn’t it Abraham Lincoln who said, “If you like that kind of thing, it’s the kind of thing you’ll like”? If not, then I said it, because this homily perfectly expresses the way I feel about the soup I invented today (vaguely inspired by a recipe in Hello! magazine, maybe that’s the root of the problem). I think it was good, if only I liked that kind of thing. But I don’t. And neither does John. So I passed it along to Becky, who is the sort of friend who will try something you preface with, “I didn’t really like it, so why don’t you have a go?” The jury is still out with their family, as I fear she may make everyone try it. The more tastebuds the better.
But before I go any further with that, my macaroni and cheese turned out completely wonderful, and I’m…
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2 boneless duck breasts (these usually come vacuum-packed)
sea salt
2 cups tightly packed baby spinach leaves
1 small purple cabbage
1 small white cabbage
2 red bell peppers
1 avocado
1 dozen small tomatoes
handful chives
dressing: juice and pulp of a lemon, 1 clove garlic, finely chopped, 1/4 cup olive oil, dah balsamic vinegar, tasp Dijon mustard, sea salt
Place the duck breasts on a cutting board (NOT the one you will later use for preparing the salad; always use separate boards for raw meat and veggies). Score the skin in four horizontal slices, till you can just see the meat beneath. Sprinkle the skin with sea salt.
Heat a large skillet till nearly smoking, then put in duck breasts skin side down and sprinkle with sea salt. You would be wise at this point to cover the skillet with one of those grease screens, since duck is very fatty and you (and your priceless Armani jacket) will get splattered. Turn heat down to medium and let duck cook for 8 minutes. Resist the temptation to play with it, poke it, and above all DO NOT pierce it.
Meanwhile, pile the spinach on a large platter. Shred the…
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