Arroz de Pato à Antiga: Old-Fashioned Duck Rice

Arroz de Pato à Antiga: Old-Fashioned Duck Rice

Yield: 3 servings
Time: 1 hour

• 1 whole duck, trimmed of excess fat
• 1/2 cured pig’s ear or strip of cured pork belly
• 1/2 pound cured ham
• 1 chouriço (smoked sausage), sliced into rounds, divided
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 clove
• Coarse salt, to taste
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 cups uncooked agulha (long-grain) rice
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

In a large pot set over medium heat, combine the duck, pig’s ear, cured ham, chouriço (reserve a few slices to top the dish), black pepper, and clove. Add salt as needed, since the cured meats add salt already. Add enough water to cover and bring to a boil and cook until the cured meats start to break apart and the duck is tender. Set aside and reserve the broth.

In another pan, add enough olive oil to coat and set it over medium heat until the oil begins to bubble. Add the chopped onion and minced garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until golden. Add the broth and simmer until it thickens a bit.

Remove the duck meat from the bones and discard the bones. Shred the meat and combine it in a bowl with the cured meat drippings.

Cook the rice according to package directions. Transfer the cooked rice into a caçarola do Minho (deep ceramic dish), add the butter, and fold in the onion-broth mixture and the meat mixture. Bake for about 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven. Garnish with parsley and the reserved slices of chouriço. Serve.

Reprinted with permission from “Porto” by Gabriella Opaz and Sonia Andresson Nolasco, Agate Surrey, 2018.