Healthy dinner ideas: duck breast with chestnuts and prunes

Red wine and prunes bring out the richness of duck, seasoned with robust rosemary and juniper, while chestnuts and a hint of orange add extra flavour. Read on for a delicious recipe and some expert tips to help you get started.

• Preparation: 10 minutes.
• Cooking: 15 minutes.
• Serves 4.

Ingredients:

• 1 onion
• 6 juniper berries
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) olive oil or canola oil
• 4 boneless, skinless duck breasts, about 120 g (1/4 lb) each
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 16 pitted prunes
• 150 g (2/3 c) peeled cooked chestnuts
• Pared zest of 1 orange
• 350 ml (1 1/2 c) red wine
• 8 orange slices, to garnish

Instructions:

1. Slice the onion and crush the juniper berries. Heat a frying pan over high heat. Add the oil and the duck breasts and pan-fry for one minute on each side, pressing the duck on the hot pan to brown evenly.
2. Reduce heat to medium, add the onion and rosemary, and cook for two minutes. Turn the duck and onions, cover and cook for another two minutes. Transfer them to a plate.
3. Add the crushed juniper berries, prunes, chestnuts and orange zest to the pan. Pour in the wine and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for three minutes to reduce the wine.
4. Return the duck and onions to the pan with any juices and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for three minutes, stirring now and then. Divide the duck, chestnuts and prunes among four plates. Spoon the sauce on top of each portion and garnish with orange slices.

Each serving has:

• 338 calories
• 13 g fat
• 3 g saturated fat
• 32 g carbohydrates
• 26 g protein
• 5 g fibre

• Try venison leg steaks or pork loin steaks instead of duck.
• Use dried peaches as a change from prunes. Cut the peaches in half and again widthwise to form chunks.
• Substitute cranberry juice or pomegranate juice for the red wine.
• Replace the chestnuts with small button mushrooms.

• Don't worry about cooking chestnuts yourself. Cooked chestnuts are conveniently sold vacuum-packed or in cans.

• Prunes have the highest antioxidant score of all fruit, helping to protect the body against cancer.
• They also provide a concentrated source of valuable nutrients, including fibre, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients — essential nutrients found in plants that help to keep us healthy.

This dish is particularly good served with zucchini and mashed potatoes. Give this flavourful recipe a try and create a healthy meal that's sure to please.