Risotto with Duck
Region: Italy
Category: Rice, Couscous, and Other Grains
Season: Any
Difficulty: Medium Difficulty

This is a main course risotto. Ideally, you would make this delicious preparation with 4 Muscovy duck legs that are cooked separately. You can order the legs from Grimaud If you don’t have duck legs or access to Muscovy duck, then you will need to cut up a whole supermarket duck, most likely sold frozen. Cut the duck into legs, thighs, wings, breasts, and backbone. Reserve the wings and backbone for making broth. The rest of the duck gets roasted in a 350ºF oven until crispy in about 1 1/2 hours. The gizzards, heart, and liver will become part of the initial soffritto. Although this all sounds complicated, remember that in the future you can put aside various duck part from other recipes and freeze them, using them at will.

[photo: Clifford A. Wright]

Yield: Makes 4 servings
Preparation Time: 1:45 hours

4 duck legs and thighs

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons duck fat

Duck gizzards, heart, and liver, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons very finely chopped onion

1 large garlic clove, very finely chopped

1 1/4 cups short grain rice (Arborio)

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 1/4 teaspoon salt or more to taste

5 to 6 cups hot or boiling duck or chicken broth

3/4 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

1 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

2. Roast the duck legs and thighs. Place the legs and thighs in a roasting pan and bake until crispy golden, about 1 1/2 hours.

3. Meanwhile, in a heavy, 2-quart saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons butter with the rendered duck fat over medium-high heat, then cook the gizzards, heart, liver, onion, and garlic until the onion is soft, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring. Add the wine and cook until it evaporates. Add 1 cup of the boiling broth and the salt and stir. Once the liquid evaporates, pour in another 1/2 cup broth. Continue adding broth in smaller and smaller amounts as it evaporates and is absorbed and cook until the rice is between al dente and tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour, and sometimes less, and sometimes a little more depending on the rice, stirring almost constantly. If you run out of broth continue with water. Do not cover the saucepan while it cooks and do not rinse the rice beforehand.

4. Add the remaining butter, parmigiano, and parsley to the risotto, stir, cook 1 minute and serve with a roasted duck on top.

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Posted: 12/28/2006