RICE WITH DUCK

George Mendes

2013

INGREDIENTS: (to serve 8)

Rice:
225g Calasparra rice
45g sofrito (see below)
540 ml duck stock
Salt Freshly ground
White pepper
Olive oil

Sofrito:
50g onion
3 cloves garlic
1 tomato, peeled and diced
1 tbsp sweet pimentón
1 pinch saffron
2 tbsp olive oil

Confit of duck:
2 duck thighs
½ onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
1 stick celery, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
675g duck fat
1 tbsp white peppercorns
1 tbsp coriander
2 star anise
¼ sprig thyme
1 bay leaf
Rosemary Kosher salt (coarse) and pepper to taste

Magret of duck:
2 magret of duck, without the skin
1 tbsp duck fat
50 g chorizo, in slices
2 tbsp black olives, stoned and thinly sliced
100g dried apricots
50 ml white wine
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
2 magret skins, roasted in the oven

PREPARATION:

Duck confit: Pre-heat the oven to 150ºC (300ºF). Season the duck thighs with salt and pepper on both sides and brown well in a frying pan or on a griddle with a tablespoonful of fat. Remove and set aside. In the same pan sauté the onion, carrot, celery and garlic and cook well until soft. Prepare a small muslin bag for the flavourings (coriander, white peppercorns, star anise and herbs) and add to the vegetables. Cook for five minutes more. Add the duck fat, melt and transfer the contents of the pan to an ovenproof dish with the duck thighs. Cover with foil and cook for 6 to 8 hours until the meat is coming off the bone. Leave to cool, then remove the meat from the bone, discard the bones and the cartilage. Cut the meat into small pieces (about 1 cm.) and set aside.
Sofrito: Sauté and brown the onion and garlic with olive oil over a medium-low heat. Add the saffron and cook for 2 minutes more. Add the diced tomato and cook over a medium heat until the moisture has evaporated. Add the pimentón and set aside. Apricot purée: Place the apricots and white wine in a pan and bring to the boil. Cook over a medium-high heat until the wine has reduced by half. Add the sherry vinegar, then blend at high speed until smooth.
Pre-cooked rice: In a heavy-bottomed pan, place the sofrito with 60 ml of olive oil and cook over a medium-low heat. Add the rice and fry gently, stirring all the time with a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon. Add 360 ml of hot stock, mix and continue cooking for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring all the time to prevent the rice from sticking. Remove from the heat and spread evenly over an oven pan lined with baking paper.
Magret of duck: Season the magrets with salt and pepper and place in a vacuum pack with the duck fat. Cook in a bain-marie for 20 minutes at 65ºC.

TO SERVE:

Pre-heat the oven to 185ºC (375ºF). Add the confit of duck, chorizo, olives, salt and pepper to the rice. Mix well and spread evenly. Add the rest of the hot stock (180 ml) and place in the oven. Back for 7 minutes until the rice is crisp at the edges and is beginning to stick to the base. Remove from the oven and leave to stand for 5 minutes, covered with foil. Serve the rice and top with the filleted magret, pieces of crispy duck skin and the apricot purée. Alternatively, the pan of rice may be placed at the centre of the table with the garnish and served from there.