Borscht with Duck

This borscht calls for using duck bones, skin and fat. If have bought the whole duck, cut the meat off of the bones and save it for another dish. Cut the duck fat off and save it for frying the vegetable liaison.
Wash duck bones and skin under warm running water, place into a pot and quickly bring to a boil. Skim off the foam thoroughly. Cut 1 carrot lengthwise and celery root into big chunks and fry them a little on a dry skillet. Watch them closely so they don’t burn! Place your carrot and celery root into a pot only after you skim off all the foam. Then add leeks, celery greens, parsley, thyme and sage, 1 star anise, bay leaves, ginger, whole yellow onion, garlic cloves, one whole hot chili pepper, peppercorns and salt. Bring everything to a gentle boil, turn the heat down to low and simmer the broth for 1 ½ hours. Take the duck out and strain the broth. If there is some meat left on the duck bones, cut it off and save in a tightly sealed container.
Carefully wash the beetroot, place it into the foil package, springle with white vinegar and coarse salt, add a few drops of olive oil and close the package. Heat oven to 350 degrees and the beetroots in the oven for one hour. When the beetroot is soft and cooked through, take it out, peel and cut into strips.
Cut a shallow X at the bottom of tomatoes. Place fresh tomatoes in a strainer and put them into a boiling water for 1 minute. Then transfer them into ice cold water for 2 minutes. The skin will peel right off. Then cut peeled tomatoes into cubes.
Melt duck fat on a skillet and add shredded carrots, cubed onion (save ⅛ of the onion for later) and fry everything together on a medium low heat for 15 minutes. Then add cubed tomatoes and cook for a few more minutes.
Cut cured pork belly fat, garlic and parsley into small cubes and place into a mortar. Add the onion that you saved and crush and mix everything together so it becomes a paste.
Bring the broth to a boil and add cubed and peeled potatoes. After it cooks for 10 minutes add fresh shredded cabbage and in 5 more minutes add baked and cut beetroot, pieces of duck meat, fried vegetable liaison, a piece of a hot red pepper. Taste for salt and add more if needed. Add crushed garlic and pork belly paste, cook for 2 more minutes and turn the heat off. Cover the pot with a lid and let the borscht stand for 30 minutes. When serving, add sour cream and cut parsley into bowls.
 

You will need:

For broth:  

• Water – 8 cups
• A 2-pound duck
• 1 carrot
• ½ celery root
• 1 yellow onion
• 1 medium leek
• 1 celery stalk
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Thumb-size piece of ginger
• 1 spring of parsley
• 1 spring of fresh thyme
• 2 sage leaves
• 1 star anise
• 1 hot chili pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 4-5 peppercorns
• 1 ½ teaspoon salt

For borscht:      

• Beetroot – 10 oz
• Fresh green cabbage – 10 oz
• 3 medium potatoes
• 1 carrot
• 1 yellow onion
• 2 fresh tomatoes
• Olive oil – 2 tablespoons
• Duck fat – 2 tablespoons
• Cured pork belly fat – 2 tablespoons
• Garlic – 2 cloves
• White vinegar – 1 tablespoon
• ¼ hot red pepper
• Cut parsley – 4 tablespoons
• Salt – to taste

To serve:       

• Sour cream
• Chopped parsley