A long long time ago I hosted my frist Knock Twice Radio show. In it, I fullfilled my desire to me a soul DJ. When assembling my songs I noticed a four themes that eventually become the title of the episode, Love, Loneliness, Heartbreak and Food.
If you know of any other great songs about food, please visit the forum at Knock Twice Radio and post your suggestions. Thanks.
Continued from Duck prep, 24 hours in advance.
Move oven-rack to lower third and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Pour some water in the bottom of the roasting pan to prevent smoking. Place duck breast side up. Roast for twenty minutes. Flip bird and roast for another twenty minutes breast down.
Reduce over temperature to 350 degrees. While oven cools mix together the following ingredients:
Flip duck breast side up and brush with glaze. Roast for twenty minutes. Flip bird, glaze and roast for another twenty minutes. Flip bird again, glaze, and roast for a final twenty-minutes. Make sure internal is 165 degrees. Let stand for ten minutes, then carve.
Recipe based on the Joy of Cooking for ‘Chinese Roast Duck,’ page 621-622.
related: Sunday’s dinner, Duck prep, 24 hours in advance, and Pickled Green Beans.
For two pounds of green beans I used two and two sixths cups of white vinegar, two sixths cups of soy sauce and rice vinegar. I added around three tablespoons of wasabi, but you should flavor to taste.
Mix liquid ingredients and wasabi in a wide flat pot and slowly bring to a boil. Prepare green beans by removing stemmed tops. One the vinegar base is boiling, reduce to a gentle simer and add enough green beans to cover the bottom of the pan, stirring periodically. Once the bean is tender but not soft** remove from base and set aside to cool.
Once all the beans have been removed make sure the beans and vinegar cool to room temperature. Combine the beans and vinegar and then refrigerate.
Good for about one week.
related: Sunday’s dinner and Duck prep, 24 hours in advance
* The cheaper the wasabi powder you buy, the less real wasabi that will be in it. Horseradish is often substituted for wasabi in most American markets. According to the Food Lover’s Companion, real wasabi is, “sharp, pungent and fiery”, and from personal experience tastes a lot less like Passover than traditional horseradish.
** This took about thirteen minutes for me, but don’t trust the clock. Its important that you closely monitor the cooking. You don’t want the bean to get over cooked and limp.
I’m using the Joy of Cooking’s recipe for ‘Chinese Roast Duck’ (page 621-622), paraphrased:
Mix liquids in a large pot, bring to a boil. Place duck in mixture for one minute, continually coating with liquid.
“Remove the duck from the pot, drain, and pat dry.” Dry uncovered in refridgerator for twenty-four hours.
related: Sunday’s dinner.
There is a lot that Rachael and I must do to get ready for Sunday night’s dinner. Here is the planned menu:
As of now the duck is defrosting in the fridge (I bought it at a farmer’s market in November). We also have to go to at least three grocers and a market to get everything we need, from spices to vegetables and noodles.
Prep will likely start tomorrow. I’ll season the duck and dry out the skin while Rachael makes the dough and preps the pork buns. I may also do a trial run of the pickles. On Sunday, I’ll roast the duck early and once its been carved use the carcass to start the broth.
Throughout the process I will be documenting (with recipes) here, so check back and be sure to comment.
This recipe is special, cause there aren’t any really great Pho restaurants that you can get to without a car in DC. It’s DC’s because I made the recipe in DC wanting for some Pho.
Broth
Coat the bottom of a LARGE stockpot with oil and turn heat on high. Add onions and ginger. When they start to brown add stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer. Tie up the spices with an asterisks* in a cheese cloth and submerge for 20 minutes. Remove the bundle.
the Rest
In a steam basket steam your choice of: broccoli, pea shoots, carrot, baby corn, mushroom, tomato, green pepper, etc.
Add preferred quantity of ‘yellow’, rice or soba noodles to broth for five minutes.
Serve broth and noodles. Add vegetables. Side with basil, cilantro, mung beans and sriracha.
Coming soon: Duck pho.
Put oil and butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions, pinch of salt and sweat. When translucent add three sliced leeks and sweat some more. Add potatos until you can smell the potato cooking. Add broth to cover potatos. Bring to a boil.
In a small tall pot add some oil and heat to medium-high. Slowly add leeks to fry. Remove when the are brown. Salt and let rest on a paper towel.
When the potatos are cooked soft, turn off the heat on your burner. Get out your blender. Laddle soup base into the blender making sure not to fill blender more than half way. Puree. Pour out. Add more soup base and puree again.
Add milk or cream if you like. Serve. Garnish with fried leek.
While listening to Donald Byrd’s album ‘Royal Flush’ on my way to work this morning, I was particularly moved by Pepper Adam’s solo on the song Shangri-la. It was hot and smoky like his name suggests.
Thinking of heat and smoke made me think of how making paprika would be a worthy culinary challenge. I don’t have all the ingredients and tools necessary, right now, but this is what I plan to do:
Next time you buy food and your first reaction to the first bite is, “never again,” it is probably good advice.
Speaking of sriracha. One bag of corn chips, one healthy squeeze of sriracha, shake and voila — making the most out of an office vending machine and condiments.
