The autumn salad: Lebanese seven-spice roasted duck with plum salad

This is one of our favourite spice mixes as it immediately gives your food an injection of warmth. Use it in any Middle-Eastern lamb or beef dishes. It’s especially good with kofte and rubbed into rich duck breasts.

Lebanese seven-spice roasted duck with plum salad. Photograph: Yuki Sugiura for The Guardian

Serves 4-6
For the spice mix
1 tbsp allspice seeds
1 tbsp black peppercorns
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tsp cloves
1 nutmeg, ground
½ tbsp ground cinnamon

For the salad
2 heaped tsp spice mix (above)
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
A large pinch of salt
2 duck breasts
3 raw plums, thinly sliced
6 roasted plum halves, sliced in half
1 small cucumber, thinly sliced
1 large handful parsley leaves, roughly chopped
1 large handful mint leaves, roughly chopped
1 large handful coriander leaves, roughly chopped
A large pinch of sumac, plus extra to serve
A squeeze of lemon

1 Make the seven-spice mix first. In a spice grinder or pestle and mortar, grind all the whole spices individually, then mix them in a bowl along with the cinnamon and ground nutmeg. You will make more than enough for this recipe so keep the remainder in an air-tight container for another day.

2 Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Combine the spice mix with 2 tbsp olive oil and a good pinch of salt, and rub well into the duck breasts, covering both the skin and the flesh.

3 Place the duck breasts skin-side down into a cold, ovenproof frying pan and place it over a medium-high heat. Leave to cook for a few minutes to allow the fat to render out of the skin.

4 Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, gently combine the raw and roasted plums, cucumber and herbs. Then dress with a pinch of sumac, the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice. Season to taste, adding a little more the juice or oil if needed.

5 By now, the duck skin should be golden and should have rendered most of its fat. If not, leave to fry for a further minute or two until the desired colour is reached. Turn the duck over and place in the oven for 6 minutes.

6 Remove the duck from the oven and leave to rest for 6 minutes. Arrange the plum salad on a large platter or plates. Thickly slice the duck and sit it on top of the salad. Finish with a little pinch of seven-spice and sumac.