In these days of aviary panic, it's not without a hint of polemics that Three Monkeys Online is proud to propose a hearty and delicious recipe based on duck breast.
The dish originates from Persia, and in Iran is prepared also with pheasant, partridge, chicken (a plainer version, in my opinion!) or fish.

The recipe that follows is loosely based on Diana Henry's one from Crazy water, Pickled Lemons [Mitchell Beazley, Octopus Publishing Group Ltd., 2002], a wonderful and intriguing collection of variously exotic dishes from the Mediterranean area.

It's a great and sumptuous dish to serve on an autumnal night, when the temperature starts to drop and the ingredients are at their freshest.

What you need (for two people):

1 duck breast (approx ½ Kg)
100 gr. shelled walnuts
½ onion
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
seeds of one pomegranate
250 ml chicken or duck broth*
50 gr sugar
mint leaves (or a tablespoon of mint sauce)
salt, pepper, olive oil.

How you do it:

Toast the walnuts – after shelling them, taking care to eliminate all the hard bits – in a dry pan; let them cool and grind them in a mortar until you get a chunky mixture.
Heat some oil in a shallow pan and gently sauté the onion, finely chopped, until it turns soft. Add the ground cinnamon and stir for a minute. Now add the nuts, the pomegranate seeds, the sugar and the broth. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well, bring to the boil, turn down the heat, and let cook until the desired thickness (taking care to add hot water or more broth as it gets too dry).

The duck requires some skill on the part of the butcher (it has to be carved to give you two nice half-breasts). Season the two pieces on both sides and leave to rest. Heat up an ovenproof tin or dish on top of the cooker and slam the meat on, pressing both pieces to the tin with a paddle. The aim is to brown the duck, allowing the fat under the skin to melt in the tin, providing the grease in which the duck will cook. This has to be a quick operation, as you definitely don't want to overcook the bird.
Transfer the pan in a pre-heated oven (180-200°C) and continue the cooking for no longer than 10 minutes.

Stir into the sauce the mint and the fat from the tin and switch off the heat. I serve it with potato puree, steamed Swiss or Irish chard (seasoned with just a pinch of salt and olive oil) and a powerful red wine.

*Broth: I actually use vegetable broth, as the other ingredients are already quite rich themselves.