Chianti duck with Jerusalem artichoke purée

1.Preheat the oven to 170ºC. Score skin of duck breasts with a criss-cross pattern. Season both sides with salt and pepper.

2.Heat a large, ovenproof frying pan over medium-high heat. Place duck skin-side down in hot frying pan and cook until skin is golden. Remove breasts from pan and tip half the fat into a jar or bowl. Discard or save (see tip). In the remaining fat, saute the onion and garlic until soft. Add red wine and tomatoes and bring to the boil. Add duck to the pan, season well with salt and pepper, then put in oven for 40 minutes.

3.While the duck is cooking, prepare the puree. Place the artichokes in a medium-sized saucepan with milk, water and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer until artichokes are tender. Drain artichokes from pot, reserving the cooking liquid. Return artichokes to empty pot and mash with the butter.

4.Gradually whisk in reserved cooking liquid until you reach the desired consistency. Season to taste. After 40 minutes, remove duck from oven. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.

5.To serve, spoon puree onto warmed serving plates and pick duck meat from the breasts over the top of the puree. Spoon over a generous amount of red wine sauce. Garnish with Italian parsley and shaved Parmesan.