SERVES 4

2 handfuls of bitter salad leaves, such as mâche, watercress, chicory, radicchio
2 tablespoons French dressing, made with walnut oil
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 duck breast, skinned and halved horizontally
55 g | 2 oz pinenuts

1. Wash and pick over the bitter salad leaves and pull them into small pieces. Dry well. Toss in the French dressing and arrange on 4 individual plates.
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the duck breast pieces and fry fairly fast to brown on both sides – about 3 minutes in all. They are done when they feel firm when pressed and are pink, not blue, when cut. Lift out on to a board.
3. Put the pinenuts into the frying pan and shake over the heat until pale brown and crisp.
4. Cut the duck diagonally into thin slices and scatter over the salad with pinenuts. Serve immediately

Wine: LIGHT/SOFT RED

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Excerpt from Leiths Cookery Bible

[Leith, P., and Waldegrave, C., (2003), Leiths Cookery Bible, 3rd edition, Bloomburys, UK]