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1
Cook the duck legs
60 Mins
Gentle simmer, ~90°C (195°F)
Put the duck legs and bay leaves in a pot with 1 litre of cold water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for about 60 minutes, until the meat is tender and nearly falling off the bone, with an internal temperature of at least 74°C (165°F). Lift the legs out, strain the cooking liquid and skim off the fat to give about 700ml of duck stock. When the legs are cool enough to handle, shred the meat and discard the bones.
Keep the pot at a bare simmer: boiling hard makes the duck stringy.
Done when: Duck tender, meat shredding easily, internal temperature at least 74°C (165°F).
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2
Make the sofrito
12 Mins
Medium heat, ~160°C (320°F)
Heat the olive oil in a wide ovenproof pan or casserole over medium heat. Fry the bacon for 3 minutes until it starts to crisp, then add the onion, carrot and garlic and cook for 5 minutes until soft. Stir in the tomato and cook for 2 more minutes, then pour in the white wine and let it bubble for 2 minutes.
Let the wine bubble until the sharp alcohol smell fades before adding the rice.
Done when: Onion soft and golden, tomato broken down, wine reduced.
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3
Cook the rice in duck stock
18 Mins
Gentle simmer, ~90°C (195°F)
Stir the rinsed rice into the pan with the chorizo, olives and orange zest. Pour in the 700ml of warm duck stock, season with the salt and pepper, and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook for about 18 minutes, until the rice is almost tender and most of the stock is absorbed.
Do not stir the rice once the stock goes in: stirring makes it gluey.
Done when: Rice almost tender, stock mostly absorbed, grains still separate.
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4
Fold in the duck and bake
25 Mins
Oven 200°C (400°F)
Fold the shredded duck meat gently through the rice, level the surface and drizzle over a spoonful of the reserved duck fat or a little olive oil. Bake uncovered at 200°C (400°F) for about 20 to 25 minutes, until the top is golden and crisp in places and the rice is fully tender.
A wide, shallow dish gives more crisp golden top than a deep pot.
Done when: Top golden and crisp, rice tender, edges sizzling.
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5
Rest and serve
5 Mins
Resting, ~60°C (140°F)
Take the dish out of the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes. Scatter the chopped parsley over the top and serve straight from the dish, making sure each portion gets some of the crisp top and some duck.
Resting lets the last of the stock settle into the rice instead of pooling.
Done when: Rice settled, top crisp, parsley bright green.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve straight from the baking dish with the parsley on top and orange slices on the side. The crisp top is the best part — spoon it out with the rice underneath.
Portugal
50m
