Pork with Wine and Garlic &
Duck with Rice

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            FOOD FUNNY
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Here's a funny one from my favorite reader in Uppsala, Sweden:

A young man asked an old rich man how he made his fortune. The old guy
fingered his worsted wool vest and said, "Well, son, it was 1932, the
depth of the Great Depression. I was down to my last nickel. I invested
that nickel in an apple. I spent the entire day polishing the apple and,
at the end of the day, I sold the apple for ten cents. The next morning,
I invested those ten cents in two apples. I spent the entire day
polishing them and sold them at 5:00 PM for 20 cents. I continued this
system for a month, by the end of which I'd accumulated a fortune of
$1.37. Then my wife's father died and left us two million dollars."

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            TODAY'S RECIPES
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Of the thousands of recipes I have published over the years, I believe
this is the first that has you cook the meat before browning it. As
unusual as the technique is, I'm sure you'll agree that the results
prove that it's a technique that works very well. Be sure to allow a
couple of days for the meat to marinate before you begin making this
popular dish from Portugal.

Pork with Wine and Garlic (Carne de Vinho e Alhos)

2-3 lbs (900-135- g) boneless pork loin, cut into 1/2-inch (1 cm) slices
1 bottle (750 ml) Portuguese vinho verde or other dry white wine
1 cup (250 ml) cider vinegar
6 whole cloves
4-6 whole cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
4 bay (laurel) leaves
1/2 tsp (2 ml) dried marjoram
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 long loaf French bread (baguette) sliced 1-inch (3 cm) thick
4 Tbs (60 ml) olive oil
4 Tbs (60 ml) butter
1 naval orange (with peel), thinly sliced for garnish
Sprigs or parsley or watercress for garnish

Combine the pork, wine, vinegar, cloves, garlic, bay leaves, marjoram,
salt, and pepper in a non-reactive bowl or plastic bag and marinate in
the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Transfer the meat and marinade to a
large non-reactive skillet and simmer over low heat for 1/2 hour.
Transfer the meat to a platter and pat dry with paper towels. Moisten
the slices of bread by dipping each side quickly into the hot marinade
and place on paper towels. Let the marinade continue to bubble gently
and reduce while you proceed. Heat about half the oil and butter in a
separate heavy skillet over moderate heat and brown the slices of pork
on both sides. Transfer the meat to a platter and keep warm. Brown the
bread on both sides in the same skillet, adding more oil and butter as
needed. Arrange the bread on a serving platter, top with the pork, and
spoon some of the reduce marinade over the top. Garnish with the orange
slices and parsley sprigs, and serve the remaining marinade on the side.
Serves 4 to 6.

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This dish is popular all over Portugal, and there are as many recipes
for it as there are cooks. The slab bacon and air-cured "presunto" ham
are easier to come by there than in many countries, but you should be
able to get them just about anywhere with the aid of a helpful butcher.

Duck with Rice (Arroz de Pato)

1 duck, 4 - 5 lbs (1.8 - 2.3 Kg) with its giblets
6 cups (1.5 L) water
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 large carrots, thinly sliced
10 whole black peppercorns
1/2 lb (225 g) Portuguese chourico, Spanish (not Mexican) chorizo, or
Italian pepperoni in one piece
1/4 lb (110 g) presunto, prosciutto, or other air-cured ham, in one piece
1/4 lb (110 g) slab bacon in one piece
2 cups (500 ml) raw rice
4 Tbs (60 ml) melted butter
1 egg yolk beaten with 2 Tbs (30 ml) water

Remove and discard all the excess fat from around the neck and cavity of
the duck, and prick all over with the tines of a fork to pierce the
skin. Place the duck, giblets, and remaining ingredients except the
butter and egg yolk in a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
Reduce the heat and simmer, skimming off the foam that rises to the top,
for 1 hour. Remove the duck and strain the broth, reserving the giblets
and meats and discarding the vegetables. Skim and discard as much fat
from the surface as possible (there will be a lot of it). When the duck
has cooled enough to handle, cut the legs and wings from the body, cut
the breast in half, and cut each half into 2 to 3 pieces. Place the duck
pieces skin side up in a large, shallow baking pan and bake uncovered in
a preheated 450F (230C) oven until the duck is lightly browned, about 15
minutes. Remove from the oven, set aside, and reduce the oven
temperature to 350F (180C). Meanwhile, remove as much meat as possible
from the duck neck and discard the bones. Coarsely chop the giblets,
ham, and bacon and thinly slice the sausage. Combine 4 cups (1 L) of the
reserved duck stock (save the rest for another use), the neck meat,
giblets, ham, and rice in a pot and bring to a boil over moderate heat.
Reduce the heat and simmer covered until most of the liquid has been
absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, saute the chopped bacon in a
small skillet over high heat until crisp, about 5 minutes, drain on
paper towels and stir into the rice mixture. Spoon the rice into the
casserole, completely covering the duck, and drizzle the melted butter
over the rice followed by the egg yolk mixture. Arrange the slices of
sausage decoratively on top. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake
for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the rice is very lightly
browned, about 15 minutes. Serves 4 to 6.
Received on Thu Mar 22 19:44:27 2007