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Pan-Seared Honey Orange Duck Breast

9/29/2014

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by Len Boccassini
Pan-Seared Honey Orange Duck Breast • Foodidude.com
Photography by Len Boccassini
        Let's face it, cooking duck can be somewhat intimidating to even the most hardened home cook. After all, it's not an item commonly found on the shelves of your local grocery store (unless frozen), and in most cases, even after you returned home with your frozen block of duck, you're lost. My recommendation for beginners is if you don't happen to stumble across a duck breast at your local supermarket, opt for purchasing it from a butcher in your neighborhood who can break down the bird in the proper manner. It can be an invaluable lesson in how it should be done correctly.

        Okay, let us assume that reading the paragraph above has induced you to pick up a duck breast or two and give it a whirl. Now what? Well, it's in actuality it is far easier than you would think.

        Let's begin by saying that Duck is indeed an oddball among its feathered brethren; red-meat poultry that can be served rare without fear of contracting Salmonella or some other dreadful disease. In fact, it is best eaten rare - pinkish to dark-red in color - and anything else can be described as overdone. This makes it a quick and easy meal to prepare even on a weeknight.

        For this recipe, cooking time is perhaps ten minutes, rest time is twenty. In a half hour, you're ready to eat. When finished, the outer skin is crispy and can be almost deemed poultry bacon, while the meat inside is as moist and succulent as the finest ham you've ever encountered.
Pan-Seared Honey Orange Duck Breast • Foodidude.com
Pan-Seared Honey Orange Duck Breast • Foodidude.com
INGREDIENTS:
  • 2 Duck Breasts
  • Salt & pepper
For Marinade:
  • 1 cup Riesling wine
  • 3-4 shallots, minced
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1 tbsp honey 
  • 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2-1/2 cups chicken stock
  • 3 tbsp chilled butter
  • salt & pepper
Whisk first 6 ingredients in heavy medium saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until mixture is reduced to 1/2 cup, about 12 minutes. Add stock and simmer until sauce is reduced to 1 1/4 cups, about 20 minutes. Whisk in butter 1 piece at a time, allowing each piece to melt before adding next. Season with salt and pepper.
PREPARATION:

1. Prepare marinade as shown above. Marinade duck breast for several hours. Cut a criss-cross pattern in skin of duck breast, being careful not to pierce the meat beneath the skin. You can do this either before of after marinading (as shown above).

2. Sprinkle duck breasts with salt and pepper and set skin side down within a dry, unheated skillet (I prefer cast iron) on the stove top (as shown below). Turn up the heat to medium/high and once they begin to cook, allow the breasts continue cooking undisturbed for at least 5 or 6 minutes.
Pan-Seared Honey Orange Duck Breast • Foodidude.com
3. You will shortly hear a crackling sound similar to bacon frying, and in much the same manner, see the skillet beginning to fill with bubbling pools of melting fat (as shown in the photo below). Resist all urges to move the breasts about and allow it to cook undisturbed as those five or six minutes tick away. After the time has elapsed, you may lift edge of breast to check on the crispiness level. If it's not crispy, allow it to cook a minute or so longer. When its texture is similar to that of bacon, carefully tilt pan to remove most of the oil (save it!) and turn breasts over. Allow to cook another 2 to 4 minutes, depending on your desired level of doneness. Remove breasts from pan and LET REST for 15 to 20 minutes. Cut it any sooner and you will lose all of the moistness within.
Pan-Seared Honey Orange Duck Breast • Foodidude.com
4. After the breasts have properly rested, thinly slice on the bias and garnish with crispy-fried red onions cooked in the oil you previously set aside from the skillet. You can do this while the duck rests.
Pan-Seared Honey Orange Duck Breast • Foodidude.com
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Orecchiette with Caramelized Butternut Squash, Brussels Sprouts & Pancetta

9/22/2014

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by Len Boccassini
Orecchiette with Caramelized Butternut Squash, Brussels Sprouts & Pancetta • Foodidude.com
    For the first day of Autumn, I could think of no better way of celebrating the onset of my favorite season than by combining my favorite seasonal vegetable (butternut squash) with one of my favorite pastas (Orecchiette). To be quite frank, this recipe was inspired by my friend Pete Konikowski who just happens to be a fellow cooking enthusiast and musician who makes an incredibly delicious cold Orecchiette and Butternut Squash Salad. His flavor sensibilities inspired me to expand his earthy pasta salad into a heartier dinner offering that celebrates the Fall harvest with undertones of my Italian heritage.

    My family hails from Molfetta, Italy, so Orecchiette is no stranger to us. In fact, it is a pasta typical of the Puglia region of southern Italy, and is a variety we often opt for when preparing it with broccoli rabe, garlic and olive oil. Its shape resembles a small ear, hence the name - "
orecchio" (ear) and etto (small). Either way, its translation spells delicious to me. I hope you enjoy this Autumn offering.

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INGREDIENTS:
  • 1 butternut squash, cut into 1/2" cubes
  • 4 oz. pancetta, finely diced
  • 8 oz Brussels sprouts, cleaned and quartered
  • 1 tbsp fresh Italian parsley, chopped
  • 1 tbsp fresh sage, chopped
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 
  • 4-5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 1/2 small onion, finely sliced
  • 1 lb Orecchiette
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PREPARATION:
  1. Cut Butternut Squash in half and remove seeds. Peel. Cut into 1/4" to 1/2" cubes.
  2. Clean Brussels sprouts and cut into quarters.
  3. Combine squash, Brussels sprouts, onion, garlic, sage, parsley and olive oil in large bowl and mix thoroughly. Season with salt & black pepper.
  4. Pour into 9" x 13" baking dish.
  5. Dice pancetta into small cubes and spread on to of mixture.
  6. Bake for 1 hour in 375º oven until sprouts and squash begin to brown and caramelize.
  7. Prepare Orecchiette as per directions.
  8. Mix with Brussels sprouts, squash and pancetta.
  9. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and serve with a sprinkle of Locatelli Romano cheese.
Orecchiette with Caramelized Butternut Squash, Brussels Sprouts & Pancetta • Foodidude.com
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Orecchiette with Caramelized Butternut Squash, Brussels Sprouts & Pancetta • Foodidude.com
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Recaito Pork & Broccoli Rabe Sandwich

9/14/2014

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by Len Boccassini
Recaito Pork & Broccoli Rabe • Foodidude.com
Photographs by Len Boccassini
        This Recaito Pork & Broccoli Rabe Sandwich is a delicious hybrid of Latin and Italian cuisine. It combines succulent, tender pork slow-cooked with the aromatic and zesty flavor of my own Recaito (Green Sofrito) with broccoli rabe sauteed to savory perfection in garlic and olive oil. Topped with a slice or two of provolone and resting upon a crusty artisan roll, it is the perfect remedy for the "same old, same old". So whether it's "mangia" or "comer" makes little difference as long as you enjoy!
Recaito Pork & Broccoli Rabe • Foodidude.com
Recaito Pork & Broccoli Rabe • Foodidude.com
Recaito Pork & Broccoli Rabe • Foodidude.com
Recaito Pork & Broccoli Rabe • Foodidude.com
INGREDIENTS:
  • 2-1/2 to 3 lb pork shoulder
  • 1 cup Recaito
  • 1 lb broccoli rabe 
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 or 4 garlic cloves, chopped
  • salt & black pepper to taste
  • Approximately 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • Several slices Provolone Cheese
  • Artisan rolls or crusty Italian bread
PREPARATION:
  1. Rub Roast with Recaito and set in slow-cooker. Pour remaining Recaito over roast and add 1/2 cup of water. Set on low and cook for 7 to 8 hours.
  2. Wash broccoli rabe thoroughly and pat dry. Cut away and remove the thickest stems.
  3. Bring 3 to 4 quarts of salted water to a rolling boil.
  4. Add broccoli rabe leaves and stems and cook about 6 or 7 minutes. (I also steam them from time to time until tender)
  5. Remove broccoli from boiling water and drain, but reserve about 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid.
  6. Heat olive oil in a deep skillet over medium heat, and add red pepper flakes and garlic.
  7. Once the garlic begins to sauté, add the broccoli rabe to skillet. Add salt & pepper.
  8. Sauté the broccoli rabe about 5 minutes, then add the cooking liquid from the pot.
  9. Remove cooked pork and shred with a fork.
  10. Cut a slice in the front of the roll, leaving the sides in tact to create something similar to a "pocket".
  11. Insert two slices of provolone into the roll's pocket (I like to do this before adding the hot meat so the cheese can melts thoroughly).
  12. Add shredded pork and top with a generous portion of broccoli rabe.
Recaito Pork & Broccoli Rabe • Foodidude.com
Recaito Pork & Broccoli Rabe • Foodidude.com
Recaito Pork & Broccoli Rabe • Foodidude.com
Recaito Pork & Broccoli Rabe • Foodidude.com
Recaito Pork & Broccoli Rabe • Foodidude.com
Recaito Pork & Broccoli Rabe • Foodidude.com
Recaito Pork & Broccoli Rabe • Foodidude.com
Recaito Pork & Broccoli Rabe • Foodidude.com
2 Comments

Recaito (Green Sofrito)

9/14/2014

1 Comment

 
by Len Boccassini
Recaito (Green Sofrito) • Foodidude.com
    Recaito is essentially a green blend of herbs and spices that is used to season an endless array of dishes throughout the Caribbean, but particularly within the islands of Puerto Rico, Cuba and the Dominican Republic, as well as throughout Latin America.

   
Most often, Recaito is traditionally cooked with olive oil or annatto oil, onions, garlic, bell peppers, cubanelle peppers, poblano peppers, cilantro, culantro and other aromatics, and once thickened, it is the foundation upon which hundreds of recipes are built. It is frequently referred to as Sofrito; the only difference separating the two being the omission of tomato in the former.

   
Sofrito/Recaito can range in color from green to orange to bright red, and the flavor profile can run the gamut from mild to pungent to spicy. And although it is immensely prevalent in Latin cuisine, it is also widely utilized in a number of Spanish, Italian and other Mediterranean dishes.

    The popularity of Sofrito in Europe should come as no surprise to anyone as its origin is by no means indigenous to the Caribbean region. In fact, "Sofrito" - a Spanish term which means to saute or lightly fry - is a technique first brought to the Caribbean by Spanish colonists in the late Fifteenth-century. To emphasize this point, we find the first mention of this very technique referenced as "sofregit" in one of Europe's oldest cookbooks - the “Libre de Sent Soví” (circa 1324) from the Catalan region of Spain.

    Today, the number of dishes prepared using Sofrito/Recaito is only exceeded by the vast array of ingredients used in its preparation - ajies dulces, tomatillo, tomato, tomato paste, jalapeno, habanaro, annato, sazon, vinegar, paprika, ham, pork, shallots, recao leaves, ngo gai, olives, capers, cumin, adobo, lay leaves and pimiento are but a few of the ingredients employed in its creation.

    Here is a recipe for Recaito, or Green Sofrito, that is not only easy, but one that adds the perfect flavor for one of my favorite sandwiches - Foodidude's Recaito Pork and Broccoli Rabe Sandwich.
Recaito (Green Sofrito) • Foodidude.com
INGREDIENTS:
  • 1 white onion
  • 2 lbs tomatillos
  • 2 cubanelle peppers
  • 2 jalapeño Peppers
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 cup Olive Oil
  • 1/2 cup dried oregano
  • 2 tbsp salt
  • 1 tbsp ground white pepper
  • 1 bunch cilantro
PREPARATION:
  1. Preheat oven to 350º.
  2. Quarter the onion and the tomatillos. Halve the chile peppers.
  3. Toss the cubanelle and jalapeno halves, garlic cloves, onion quarters and tomatillos with olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper, then spread them out on a sheet pan.
  4. Roast for 30 minutes, turning once.
  5. When done, allow to cool then put into a blender. Add chopped cilantro and blend until smooth.
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