Oh, no! Duck confit again??

You can imagine my dilemma. Having a couple of pesky duck confit legs left over from my confit project a couple of weeks ago (from this recipe; worked beautifully, maybe even better than the first time). Maybe "dilemma" isn't the right word. A dilemma would be having duck confit legs that your dog dragged off the counter and wolfed down, like "what a dilemma, I like my dog but now I'm going to have to kill him". How about "opportunity"? Much more positive.

So in the long list of ways to take advantage of this opportunity...risotto, salad, sauce, etc....a simple seasonal pasta sounded perfect, especially since w had picked up a rather large bag of fresh favas at the farmer's market. Of course as we all know a large bag of favas quickly becomes a small dish of favas (and every time I shell them, I can't help but feel sorry for the poor prep bitch at any restaurant who has to do a dinner service's worth. That would so quickly suck). In keeping this simple and light, yet really focus on the duck and favas, I only added some fennel to the mix, a little garlic, a sprinkle of parma and that was it. Obviously this recipe is endlessly adaptable with what is available at the markets right now. It's all about being a vehicle for the glory that is duck confit. If you haven't been inspired to make this duck confit before, hopefully this will spur you on. It really is SO incredibly easy. And maybe you'll find yourself with the same "dilemma" as I did!
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Duck Confit Pasta with fresh favas and fennel
an E.D.T. original
(click here for printable recipe)

ingredients:
2 duck confit legs with meat shredded off
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds fresh favas, shelled and with outer skins removed
1 large fennel bulb, chopped in half, removing fibrous cores at bottom of bulb, and sliced thinly crosswise (with some chopped fronds reserved if attached. This is optional)
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Parmigiano-Reggiano for sprinkling
1 pound dry pasta (it doesn't really matter what kind. I liked how the fusilli worked)

method:
Put large pot of water on to boil. When water comes to boil, add small handful of salt and pasta and cook until desired doneness.

While water comes to boil, add olive oil to sauté pan over medium-high heat. When pan is hot add sliced fennel and sauté until softened, about 8-10 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes, turn heat down to medium-low, add favas and duck ad briefly until heated through (you don't want the duck to cook any further).

Drain pasta and combine with duck-fava mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Plate immediately, top with chopped fennel fronds and a drizzle of olive oil. Pass grated parma for sprinkling.

Duck Confit: works better than a government bailout!

The great duck confit deed has been done, and like the government's bailout of the American financial system, it was an unqualified success! What...what's that? The bailout isn't working? And I soon won't be able to afford to eat duck legs? AND I won't have a home to cook them in?? Hmmm, better rethink my definition of success........

Well, even if the government doesn't get everything right, I did when I followed Michael Ruhlman's duck confit recipe (with a couple of adjustments) he posted on his blog. As I stated in a previous post about this very recipe, duck confit is one of the greatest of God's inventions. Moist, succulent meat, a cap of crispy skin around it with that meltingly tender layer of fat underneath. Mmm, just thinking about it makes me have that certain......yearning. And before last week, to satisfy it I always had to go and have someone else take care of my needs. No longer, though, as all I found I needed was a few duck legs (I got mine in Portland at Nicky USA), a whole lot of olive oil, and plenty of time. Luckily, I was fat in all three categories.

Ruhlman's method was to poach the legs in olive oil rather than the traditional duck fat. Which was good, because going to Trader Joe's and grabbing a liter of olive oil was much easier than buying a tub of duck fat. Although I have always wanted to have a tub of duck fat. Just because. Actually it took about a liter-and-a-half to cover the legs (I did two legs in this initial attempt), which is why I used regular oil rather than EVOO. Never having done it, I was worried that the legs might somehow become too infused with the oil flavor after nine hours of poaching (I told you it takes time), but they didn't pick up any oiliness at all. In his recipe he recommends roasting them in the oven to crisp them up after the poaching. I don't know if his oven is different than mine, but that didn't work at all. After keeping them in the oven and seeing no such crisping of skin and worrying about my labor of love drying out, I yanked them out and crisped them in my cast iron fry pan, which is what I should have done in the first place. And I have to say they turned out spectacularly. The meat was very tender, there was this nice layer of fat under the dark, crisp skin. With each bite I knew my life had somehow just changed for the better!
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Olive Oil Poached Duck Confit
adapted from Michael Ruhlman

ingredients:
6 duck legs, about 5 pounds/2.25 kilograms
Salt as needed (or if you’re unsure use .3 ounces of salt per pound/8 grams per 500 grams of duck)
4 whole cloves
6 peppercorns
3 cloves/25 grams garlic
3 bay leaves
olive oil as needed

method:
1. Trim excess fat from duck legs and reserve. Sprinkle duck pieces all over with salt, a generous amount, the way you would a roast chicken or thick steak before you cook it.
2. Roughly chop cloves and peppercorns with a knife and distribute evenly over the duck pieces
3. Slice garlic and press slices onto each piece of duck
4. Break bay leaves in half and press one half leaf onto each piece of duck.

the legs after application of flavoring agents
before they went to rest in the cold confines of the fridge

5. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to 48 hours.

6. Rinse ducks under cold water, wiping off all garlic and seasonings. Pat dry.

the legs right before they get their poach on

7. Take reserved duck fat, if you have any, and place in poaching pot. Place legs in a pot and cover with olive oil. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat, then place uncovered in a low oven (180 degrees F./80 degrees C. is optimal for 6 to 10 hours or until the legs are completely tender, the fat has become clear, and the legs rest on the bottom of the pan.
8. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature then refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Be sure the duck is completely submerged. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to a month.

out of the oven, ready for the pan

9. The day you plan to serve the confit, remove it from the fridge several hours before reheating to allow fat to soften. Remove the legs from the fat. Place them skin side down in a preheated sauté pan (preferably cast iron) that has been over medium-high heat. Fry until the skins is crisp, but be careful not to burn. Turn over, and fry for another minue or two. Serve immediately.

bb's cook's note: I took some advice I saw from a similar recipe that Emiril did on FoodTV and strained and refridgerated the lightly duck leg-infused leftover olive oil for future use lke roasting potatoes, sautéing vegetables, etc. He said the oil should last, covered, for up to a month in the fridge.
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one year ago @ E.D.T: an unusual, and unusually delicious recipe for Bucatini with Raw Nut Pesto and Tomato Sauce

"Oh, how I love duck confit."

Those words in the title, written by Michael Ruhlman on his blog, totally echo my own sentiments. I eat it just about every time I see it on a menu, but have never made it at home. I'm one of those who are somewhat daunted by the, as he writes, "quarts of duck fat to poach it in". But then to my astonishment, my utter delight, my soon-to-be-satisfied craving, he follows that up with "But I’m here to say, olive oil is just as good." OLIVE OIL? The stuff I have by the gallon at home? And then...AND THEN....he follows it up with about the simplest to follow recipe to make your own duck confit at home. OMFG!! Memo to my next dinner party invitees: you get one guess as to what we might be having!

photo from flickr