Roasted Duck Risotto

Copyright 2007 by Cooking With The Single Guy

Ingredients:
1 cup roasted duck meat (remove bones and chop into small pieces)
1 8-oz. can water chestnuts, diced
½ sweet onion, diced
1 cup Arborio rice
1 cup baby bok choy, chopped (or other Chinese greens)
½ cup shiitake mushrooms
1 small glass of dry white wine
1-1/2 cans of chicken broth (14-oz can) or 2 cups chicken broth
1 t Chinese 5-spice
¾ cup shredded parmesan cheese (or parmigiano reggiano)
2 T unsalted butter
olive oil
sea salt to taste

In a medium saucepan, warm 2 tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat and add onion. Cook for about two minutes until translucent, making sure not to brown the onions. Add rice and stir with onions, letting the heat toast the rice for about a minute. Turn heat to medium and add wine and cook until most of it evaporates. Add broth, about 1 cup, and continue cooking for about 15 to 20 minutes, adding 1/2 cup of broth at a time along the way, until rice is al dente, or almost done.

Slice your mushrooms and saute them in a separate pan to sweat them. When your risotto is almost done, add the mushrooms along with the duck meat, water chestnuts, bok choy and 5 spice. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes. (You may need to turn up the heat a bit after adding all these items to your pot.)

Remove saucepan from the fire and stir in butter and cheese. Add salt to your taste. Let it sit for about a minute, then plate up your risotto. Garnish with more parmesan.

Makes two servings. Serve with small green salad.

Pair with a Pinot Noir.

TIP: For this recipe, I buy my roasted duck already made from the butcher stands in Chinatown. If you don’t have a favorite spot to buy cooked duck, then you can buy duck breast and pan sear them with salt, pepper and Chinese 5-spice and then finish off in the oven at 375 degrees for about 20 to 30 minutes. When done, cut into slices and fan over the top of your plate of risotto.

(I’m repeating this tip about picking your risotto rice.)
CHOICES: Risotto rice makes this dish unique with its short grain and creamy texture. So you can’t substitute it with the typical long-grain rice or even Japanese sushi rice. But you do have choices. There are three main Italian rice to make risotto: Arborio, Carnaroli and Vialone Nano. Arborio is the one most widely available outside of Italy and can be easily found in any grocery store. It consistently cooks in 15 minutes and produces a nice cream. But don’t be afraid to experiment with Carnaroli and Vialone Nano if you spot them on a gourm et store shelf. They both cook a bit longer, but Carnaroli grains keep more of their shape so it’s a nice choice if you don’t like your risotto too mushy. Vialone Nano is creamier if you want to go the other direction.