Duck Pomegranate and Mint Salad

The combination of rich duck meat, a salty dressing, the sweet tang and texture of pomegranate seeds and the hit of freshness from the mint and coriander make this salad particularly special. You can easily make this recipe with pan fried duck breasts, but I have cheated slightly and used those wonderful Silverhill duck breasts, which simply need to be crisped up in the oven. This is a super little winter salad which is wonderfully aromatic.   Serves 2 1/2 Silverhill crispy aromatic duck 4 spring onions, finely sliced 2 large handfuls of winter salad leaves A good handful of fresh mint leaves A good handful of fresh coriander leaves 1 pomegranate, halved   For the dressing: 1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce 1 tablespoon of rice wine 1 teaspoon of sesame oil 1 small thumbsized piece of ginger, finely minced Zest of 1 orange   Cook the duck in a hot oven, until crispy, remove and shred the meat.   Whisk together the ingredients for the dressing.   Hold the pomegranate cut side down and bash the skin with a wooden spoon to remove the seeds to a large mixing bowl.   Mix all the ingredients for the salad and the duck with the dressing in bowl with the pomegranate seeds.   Pile onto large serving plates and serve straight away.  

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Tune in to Four Live on RTÉ One today!

This week on Four Live I'll be cooking one of my favourite fish dishes and Martin McLoughlin from Nicky's Plaice will be on to give his top tips of which types of fish to buy and what to look for!

Make sure to tune in from 4pm today onwards, and remember to tune in to Kitchen Hero tonight! :)

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Pea, Mint and Pancetta Soup

A true classic, but it never fails to get me excited. The combination of mint and peas is unique and it’s a really fresh flavour for a soup in the summer. You can, of course, make this with frozen peas, and unless you can pick some from your own garden, the frozen pea route is actually the better option. I add pancetta to my soup for a salty kick.   Serves 4 1 tablespoon of olive oil 200g of pancetta pieces 1 onion, roughly chopped 1 clove of garlic 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed 1 litre of vegetable stock 500g of frozen or fresh peas 1 small bunch of mint, about a handful sea salt and ground black pepper to season Crème fraîche to serve   Place a medium-sized pot over a high heat and fry the pancetta in a drop of olive oil for about 4 minutes until crispy. Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon and place on a plate lined with kitchen paper.   You should be left with enough oil and pancetta fat in the pan, if not, add a little more olive oil and fry the onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes. Then, add in the potato and vegetable stock. Bring to a steady simmer and cook until the potato is tender when pierced with a fork. It should take about 10 minutes.   Add the peas and mint and simmer for a further 3-4 minutes. Then, blitz with a hand blender until smooth.   Taste and season with sea salt and ground black pepper as required. Serve with a dollop of crème fraîche and crispy pancetta pieces.    

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Harissa Fish with Carrot, Mint and Spring Onion Salad

This is a snappy little dish dish with a nice hit of spice. Harissa paste is a super handy storecupboard ingredient which really adds an extra kick to dishes like this. You should be able to find it most supermarkets close to the spices.  It goes really well on fish, poultry and meat.

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Pea Mint and Feta Pasta

This is a super simple little supper which can be thrown together in the time it takes to cook the pasta. To be honest, if you can't get peas straight from the garden it's almost better to use frozen here, as peas begin to loose their natural sugars as soon as they're picked, so even fresh ones in the supermarket probably won't be as good as you will get frozen. This recipe is easily adapted with most leftovers you might have in the fridge. I love a little bit of chorizo added here or maybe some freshly chopped basil with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese.

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