Weekend’s Recipes

O.K. Lisa. Here are the recipes….

Rustic Duck Stew with Rigatoni
from The Union Square Cafe Cookbook (1994)

serves 10

3 5-pound ducks, each cut into 8 pieces
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 fresh thyme sprigs
3 bay leaves
1/2 pound pancetta, cut into 1 x 1/4 inch pieces
3 large onions, peeled and coarsely chopped (six cups)
1 head garlic, cloves peeled and minced
1 2 ounce jar or can of anchovy fillets, draned and minced
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch slices
1/3 cup flour
2 cups white wine
1 cup pitted and chopped nicoise or gaeta black olives
1 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 16 ounce can peeled tomatoes, drained and crushed
6 cups chicken or veal stock
1 T kosher salt
2 pounds rigatoni or wide mouthed pasta
1 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano

1. Thirty minutes before cooking, sprinkle the duck pieces with salt and pepper on both sides. Tie the tyme sprigs and bay leaves together with a piece of kitchen string.

2. Heat a large, heavy Dutch oven or saucepan over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain.

3. In the same pot, brown the duck pieces on both sides over high heat, a few pieces at a time. Transfer each batch to drain in a colander. Pour out all but 1/4 cup duck fat and reduce the heat to medium.

4. Add the onions and garlic to the pot and cook, stirring until transluscent. Stir in the anchovies and carrots and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the flour and cook for 3 to 4 miuts, sitrring until the flour absorbs the duck fat. Stir in the wine and olives and increase the heat to medium-high.

5. Return the duck pieces to the pot. Add the crisp pancetta, thyme and bay leaf, cayenne, balsamic vinegar, tomatoes, and stock. Stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a low simmer, cover and cook for 45 minutes. Remove the lid and continue cooking an additional 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the duck is fort tender. Remove from the heat and skim as much duck fat as possible. Remove the thyme and bay leaves and discard. Adjust the seasonging, reutrn th pot to low heat and keep warm.

6. In a large pot, bring 1 gallon of water to a rolling boil and ad 1 tablespoon salt. Add the past and cook until al dente. Drain and pour into a warm serving bowl. Immediately toss with the Parmigiano. Serve the duck with the pasta.

Now I am notorious for not following recipes exactly (you can probably hear my friend Eileen laughing in the distance…). So I made this with what I had. Chicken instead of duck, no pancetta and I forgot the flour. I also just served it with bread from Mirabelle instead of over pasta. It was great—in fact good enough that I actually want to try it again using the right ingredients!!!

The Six Hour Pork Roast is a Gourmet recipe on Epicurious. I LOVE this recipe. It doesn’t exactly use a low fat cut of meat so it’s not something you would want to make often…but once in awhile…..mmmmm

Six Hour Roast Pork
from Mimosa, Los Angeles, CA 1999

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
10 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 1/2 tablespoons coarse salt (I found this a bit too salty the first time I made it–I now use 1 T)
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon dry white wine
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (6-1b) boneless pork shoulder Boston roast (not tied)

Preheat oven to 275°F.
Blend together sage, rosemary, garlic, fennel seeds, salt, and pepper in a food processor until a thick paste forms. With motor running, add wine and oil and blend until combined well.
If necessary, trim fat from top of pork, to leave a 1/8-inch-thick layer of fat. Make 3 small incisions, each about 1 inch long and 1 inch deep, in each side of pork with a small sharp knife, and fill each with about 1 teaspoon herb paste. Spread remaining herb paste over pork, concentrating on boned side, and tie roast with kitchen string at 2-inch intervals.
Put pork, fat side up, in a roasting pan and roast in middle of oven 6 hours. Transfer roast to cutting board and let stand 15 minutes.
Discard string and cut pork roast (with an electric knife if you have one) into thick slices.

I am proud to say I actually followed this recipe—the only thing I did was add some fresh parsley to the sage and rosemary. It’s the easiest thing in the world to make and then you just throw it in the oven and leave it there for six hours….and your house smells amazing…..

Enjoy and let me know if you make either one!