A Duck for Winter's End

The rowan tree (more familiar to us as the European Mountain Ash) is one of the most beloved of Russian trees—perhaps second only to our ubiquitous birches. It has an important place in Russian folk tradition: if the rowan berries are scarlet in the fall, then you should expect hard winter frosts.   

The rowan tree also figures prominently in Russian poetry, with romantic connotations. Our beloved poet Sergei Yesenin began a famous love poem with the words, “Shto stoish, kachayas, tonkaya ryabina?” (Why are you standing there shaking, you thin rowan tree?) And Marina Tsvetaeva, writing of the loneliness of exile, recalled the rowan tree with special nostalgia in her poem “Toska po rodine! Davno.” A favorite Russian folk song (“Ryabina, ryabinushka”) is dedicated to the rowan tree, and, more recently, in the 1970s, the folk-rock group “Pesnyary” (Singers) sang the popular tune: “Vizhu alye kisti ryabin” (“I see the scarlet brushes of the rowan trees”). 

The scarlet rowanberry also has a treasured place in Russian cuisine and culture (as does the duck—see our Dec/Jan 1999 issue).  Celery has not been so fortunate, however, even though some food historians tell us that Catherine the Great fed this “invigorating” vegetable to her “favorites.”

Be that as it may, this recipe—duck stuffed with rowanberries and celery—was featured at the dinner held at the Moscow Kremlin to celebrate the tricentennial of the Romanov Dynasty in 1913. Reason enough to suggest this fine meal as an end-of winter-feast.

Duck, stuffed with rowanberries and celery

Ingredients

1⁄4 cup brandy 

3⁄4 cup rosé wine

1⁄3 cup rowanberries or dried cherries* 

1 duckling, about 5 pounds

Salt, freshly ground pepper to taste 

1 cup cooked rice

8 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

8 ounces spinach, well washed, dried, and shredded

1 plum, pitted and finely chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

Dash of nutmeg 

Preheat oven to 475o.

In a small bowl, mix together the brandy and wine.  Soak the rowanberries or cherries in this mixture for 1 hour, until softened.  Drain, reserving the liquid.

Rinse the duckling and pat it dry.  Season inside and out with salt and pepper.

In a medium bowl, mix together the rice, butter, spinach, celery, drained berries or cherries, and chopped plum.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and a dash of nutmeg.  Stir in enough of the reserved wine mixture to make a moist, but not soggy, dressing.

Stuff the duck with the rice mixture.  Truss it and place it on its side in a roasting pan.  Roast at 475o for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 425o and roast for 15 minutes longer.  Turn the duck onto its other side, and with a baster remove as much fat from the pan as possible.

Roast for another 30 minutes or so, until the cavity juices run clear.  For the last 5 or 10 minutes of cooking, turn the duck breast side up to brown.   

Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 to 20 minutes before carving.  

Serves 4.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Red Square restaurant. 

*Note:  Since rowanberries are not readily available in the U.S., you may substitute dried cherries.