Smokey Duck and Sweet Potato Soup

After my husband came home with some wild duck breasts I was left trying to figure out how on earth I was going to cook it. I was in the mood for soup and sweet potatoes so I rolled it all into one. My husband loved it and my oldest went back in for a second helping. I added a bit more hot sauce to mine because I love my food with a good kick to it but my husband liked it as is. I made extra rices so everyone (but me) served their soup over extra rice. If you use store bought duck your breasts would be larger then wild game that I had so you would have to adjust the amount. You could also use this recipe with any meat (chicken, pork, beef, etc) and I think it would taste just as good. I would stick to 1-2 pounds of meat though depending on how meaty you want your stew and how many you are feeding.

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• Marinade

• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 1  teaspoon ginger, minced
• 1  tablespoon cumin
• 1  tablespoon  smoked sweet paprika
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1  teaspoon adobo sauce (from can of chipotles in adobo sauce)
• 3  tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1  tablespoon dark brown sugar
• 1  tablespoon olive oil

• Soup

• 12  boneless skinless wild duck breasts (marinated)
• 1  tablespoon olive oil
• 1  tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2  onions, diced small
• 4  carrots, peeled and dices small
• 2  celery, diced small
• 2  tablespoons tomato paste
• 2  bay leaves
• 1  tablespoon  smoked sweet paprika
• 1  tablespoon cumin
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1  teaspoon dried thyme
• 3  cloves garlic, minced
• 1  tablespoon ginger, minced
• 1  chipotle chili in adobo sauce, minced
• 1⁄2 cup dry white wine
• 4  cups beef broth
• 4  cups chicken broth
• 3  tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 4  medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced small
• 1 -1 1⁄2 cup  frozen peas
• 1 -1 1⁄2 cup cooked rice
•  salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Mix all the ingredients for the marinade. Toss the duck breasts with the marinade (It will be more of a paste) and allow to marinade several hours or overnight.
2. Heat the oil and butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over high heat. Remove breasts from the marinade, use fingers to wipe off excess, and add meat to the pot (discard the leftover marinade.) Sear meat well on both sides, a few minutes for side. Meat should be well browned. Be sure not to crowd the pan or the meat will not brown correctly.
3. Transfer the meat to a plate and set aside.
4. Toss the onions, celery, and carrots into the pot and cook until softened and the onions are turning translucent. Add the tomato paste and continue to cook 3 to 5 minutes to toast the paste.
5. Add in the cumin, paprika, bay leaves, cinnamon, and thyme. Cook 2-3 minutes. Toss in the garlic, ginger, and chili and cook until fragrant 30 seconds to a minute.
6. Pour in the white wine and allow to simmer a couple minutes. Dump in the chicken broth, beef broth, and Worcestershire sauce. Add the sweet potatoes and cover, bring to a boil.
7. When the soup bowls reduce to a hard simmer (gentle boil) and cook until the sweet potatoes are tender. 20 -25 minutes depending on how tender you like your veggies.
8. Add the frozen peas and cook until heated through, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile cut the duck into bite sized pieces.
9. Add the duck and any liquid that gathered in the plate they were sitting in to the pot. Dump in the rice, cover, and allow to cook 5-10 minutes more to finish cooking the duck and heating the rice.
10. Remove the bay leaves before serving. Taste the soup and add salt and pepper to suit your taste. Can be served over extra rice if desired. Add sriracha sauce (or other hot sauce) if you like more heat.