Duck with pears

Ingredients

• 4 duck legs
• 4 duck wings
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 3½ fl oz (100 ml) approx olive oil, for frying
• 2 medium onions, roughly chopped
• 1 head of garlic cloves, unpeeled; plus 2 cloves of garlic, peeled & finely chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 10½ oz (300 g) wild mushrooms of a meaty variety
• 1 handful of parsley, finely chopped
• 3½ fl oz (100 ml) white wine
• 7 fl oz (200 ml) chicken stock
• 4 ripe tomatoes
• 4 pears (preferably Conference), peeled, cored & chopped
• 7 fl oz (200 ml) water
• 7 fl oz (200 ml) Moscatel wine

1. Season the duck legs and wings with salt and pepper.
2. Heat 3–4 tbsp of the olive oil in a large saucepan, and add the duck pieces. Brown the duck and then add the onion, the (unpeeled) garlic cloves and the bay leaves.
3. Put 2 tbsp of olive oil in a separate frying pan, and sauté the mushrooms with the two cloves of chopped garlic and parsley until soft.
4. Add the white wine and chicken stock to the duck, along with the tomatoes and the mushrooms.
5. Put a lid on the saucepan, lower the heat and simmer until the meat is tender (about 60–90 minutes).
6. Put the pears, water and Moscatel wine in a separate saucepan. Bring to the boil, and then simmer until the pears are cooked al dente (about 10 minutes). Remove the pears from the juice and set aside.
7. About 10 minutes before the duck is ready, add the pears.