Duck Rice

Start by cleaning the duck. Remove the skin and all excess fat and break it into chunks.

Cover the bottom of a big heavy pot with olive oil and heat it over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, put in the onion, letting it cook for 5-7 minutes, or until golden brown.

Add in the duck chunks, and stir them around until lightly browned on all sides. Then gradually add some water (I don’t have a very precise amount of water, but about 1/3 to 1/2 of the pot should be good). Add in the chorizo, the garlic and the bay leaf, and some salt at your own taste. Do not over salt because you’ll use this broth later to cook the rice. Let it cook at medium heat, partially covered, until the meat is cooked through and tender.

Remove the duck and the chorizo from the pot and drain the broth to a bowl. Discard the onions, garlic and bay leaf. Let the meat cool. Tear the meat off the bones, disposing all the bones and any skin or fat. Slice the chorizo.

Meanwhile, bring about 3 to 4 cups of the duck cooking broth to a boil (at this point, if you don’t have enough broth complete with water). When it comes to a boil add the rice. Let the rice cook, with the pot partially covered, just until the rice is al dente but still kind of loose and creamy (a little like risotto). Use your package instructions for timing specifics but make sure to cook to al dente. Once the rice is done, turn the heat off. It will dry out and cook completely in the oven.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Cover the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch pan with half the cooked rice, top with the torn duck meat, and cover it all with the remaining rice.

Top with the chorizo slices and shredded cheese and pop in the oven for just a few minutes until it reaches a nice golden color, and you’re done.

Bom apetite!

PS: I will post a picture as soon as I can, but meanwhile, you can Google for “arroz de pato” pictures, to get a nice idea of how it should look.