Arroz de Pato #SundayFunday

This week the Sunday Funday writers are sharing recipes made with rice.

Stacy of Food Lust People Love, Sue of Palatable Pastime, Rebekah of Making Miracles, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm, and I coordinate this low-stress group; we only participate when we are inspired.

The Rice Line-Up

• Arroz de Pato by Culinary Cam (you're here)

• Bhuga Chawal by Mayuri's Jikoni

• Cheesy Rice by Amy's Cooking Adventures

• Crab Sushi Bowl by A Day in the Life on the Farm

• Crispy Rice Cereal Brittle by A Messy Kitchen

• Easy Tava Pulav by Sizzling Tastebuds

• Fried Rice with Crab and Peas by Karen's Kitchen Stories

• Hubble Bubble Pumpkin Rice Pot by Food Lust People Love

• Varicha Bhat by Sneha's Recipe

Arroz de Pato

Arroz de Pato is a combination of rice and duck that's popular all over northern Peru. Muscovy duck was domesticated there by pre-Inca civilizations and it benefited from long, slow cooking. The dish is perfumed by a purée of cilantro and spinach that's used to cook the rice. While Muscovy duck breasts are traditional, I opted to just top my rice with braised duck legs.

I made this dish after a morning at a local dahlia U-Pick with Pia and D.

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Back to my dish...

Ingredients

Duck Legs

• 4 duck legs

• 1 large onion, peeled and thickly sliced

• 1/2 red bell pepper, thickly sliced

• 1/2 green bell pepper, thickly sliced

• salt and pepper

• 2 cups chicken stock

Rice

• 2 dried guajillo peppers

• 1 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

• olive oil

• 5 garlic cloves, peeled and pressed

• 1 onions, peeled and diced, approximately 1 cup

• 1 green bell pepper, cored and diced, approximately 1/2 cup

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup water

• 2 cups chicken stock

• 1 cups baby spinach

• 1/2 cup organic cilantro, rough chopped + more for garnish

• 1-1/2 cups rice

• 1 cup trimmed green beans cut into 1-inch lengths

• 1 cup diced zucchini

Procedure

Duck Legs

Season duck legs on both sides with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a Dutch oven, place duck legs, skin side down. Turn heat to medium. Cook for 6 to 7 minutes until the fat is rendered and the skin golden and crisped. Flip to the other side and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.

Remove the duck to a plate. Place the onions and bell pepper in the same Dutch oven with the rendered duck fat in the bottom. Lay the browned duck pieces on top.

Pour in the stock and brewed tea. Bring to a boil, cover, and place in the oven. Braise for 90 minutes.

Raise the temperature of the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Return the duck to the oven, uncovered and roast for 15 to 20 minutes until the duck is browned and the skin on top crispy.

Rice

Destem and deseed the dried peppers. Place them in a small saucepan with 2 cups of water and bring to a simmer. Cook the peppers until softened, approximately 15 minutes.

Place the peppers, red wine vinegar, and enough of the soaking liquid into a blender so that it will blend nicely. Puree until smooth. Set aside.

Add olive oil into the bottom of a pot. Add garlic. Stir and sauté for 1 minute. Add the onions and cook until beginning to soften, approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Add in the bell pepper and cook until it soften, approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Season with cumin, salt, and pepper.

Pour in the water, chile mixture, and stock into the pot. Bring to a simmer. Add the spinach, cilantro, and one generous ladle-full of the hot broth to a blender. Process carefully and pour back into the pot.

Rinse the rice and drain or pat dry with paper towels. In a large pan, add olive oil and the rice. Stir to coat with the fat. Let the rice cook for a few minutes until the grains look dry and a little toasted.

Add the toasted rice to the hot broth. Bring to a low boil and simmer, uncovered, until most of the liquid has been absorbed, approximately 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add the green beans and zucchini to the top of the rice, cover the pot, and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, uncover, and fluff the rice with a fork, incorporating the beans into the rice. Cover and let steam, off the stove, for 10 more minutes.

To serve, top the rice with the braised duch legs and garnish with more cilantro. Serve hot.

That's a wrap on my rice offering. The group will rerurn next week to share recipes using Winter squash. Stay tuned!