One-Pot Wonders

Rustic muddy duck paella

by:
October 19, 2010
5
2 Ratings
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

Earlier this week after roasting a whole duckling, I was able to make a duck broth and reserve a few pounds of the meat for this dish.In making the sofrito, I combined Hungarian smoked paprika, ground sumac,and heirloom tomatoes with Cornelian cherry jam (fruit from the dogwood). I used a cherry fruit ale (Sam Smith's organic) for the reduction. It turned out to be a beautiful smokey red. To add to the rustic theme, I used cranberry beans, which can be found fresh or canned. They add a creaminess to the recipe. Quality dried beans are sometimes available at Rancho Gordo. I opted to use fresh chorizo, not in any sausage skin. After creating the soccarat, I placed a Cornelian cherry sauce in the center of the pan for serving. Traditionally, this is where the garlic head would go, but this is not traditional. This recipe is sized for a 14 inch paella pan which I have cooked stove top style using a 14" burner. For a 16 inch paella pan you would multiply this by 1 1/4. You can modify this recipe upwards or downwards to size. A larger size can be cooked over two burners. —Sagegreen

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 4 -4 1/2 cups heated, seasoned duck broth
  • 7-9 Spanish saffron threads, toasted and steeped in 1/2 cup of the hot duck broth above
  • 1 1/2-2 pounds succulent cooked roast duck, cut up
  • 3/4 pound fresh chorizo
  • duck skin, optional
  • olive oil for pan
  • 6-8 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
  • 2 red cippolini onions, chopped
  • 2 red heirloom tomatoes, grated, skinned, seeded and salted
  • 2 ounces Cornelian cherry jam
  • 2 teaspoons ground sumac (or more lemon zest)
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 4-6 ounces cherry fruit ale
  • 1 1/2 cups bomba or arborio rice
  • 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch strips
  • 15 ounces cranberry beans (borlotti beans), fresh or canned
  • 2 ounces Cornelian cherry jam
  • a generous splash of cherry ale
  • 1 teaspoon ground sumac
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 bay leaf
  • kosher salt to taste
  • fresh milled black pepper to taste
  • lemon wedges for squeezing on each portion
Directions
  1. Heat the duck broth in a saucepan, bringing to a boil, then a simmer. Take out 1/2 cup of the liquid and add the saffron. After infusing, add this back to the broth. Taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper if needed. Remove from heat until ready to add to the rice.
  2. Heat olive oil in the paella pan. Saute the chorizo and optional sliced duck skin on medium high heat. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Have the remaining roasted duck meat cut into small pieces for later.
  3. Reduce heat to medium and add the red pepper, lemon zest, garlic and onion. Cook until limp, but not brown. Transfer the peppers to a plate and peel off their skin when cool.
  4. To make the sofrito add the salted, grated tomato, Cornelian jam mixed with sumac and smoked paprika to the onions and garlic in the pan Stir often. Cook until this turns burgundy. Add the cherry ale and reduce. Cook until this down to a compote consistency, about 20 minutes or more. Don't rush this. Make sure this is seasoned with enough salt because this is the flavor base.
  5. Set the paella pan over a larger burner on medium high. Add the rice, stirring until it is opaque, 1-2 minutes. Spread the rice out over the pan evenly. Pour in the hot broth. Arrange the duck, chorizo, beans, and red peppers in the pan. Do not stir the rice from this step forward. Vigorously simmer. When the rice reaches the same level as the liquid, about 10 minutes or less, reduce the heat to medium low. Continue to simmer gently rotating the pan if necessary. When the liquid is absorbed test a grain of rice. It should be al dente with a tiny dot in the center. If it is not done, then add a bit more liquid (broth or cherry ale) to the pan and cook a few more minutes. I used all 4 1/2 cups of broth in addition to the ale.
  6. To make the socarrat, increase the heat to medium high and rotate the pan. Cook for 2 minutes until the bottom layer of rice caramelizes. If you smell burning, remove the pan from heat right away. Let the paella rest; remove the pan from the heat (@ 5minutes), and cover.
  7. Simmer the Cornelian cherry jam with sumac, paprika, bay leaf, and reduced cherry ale, in a small sauce pan. Just before serving add this to the center of the paella pan (bay leaf removed) . Set the paella pan in the center of the table. Invite folks to gather to eat, directly from the pan; provide enough lemon wedges for each portion.
Contest Entries

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Sagegreen
    Sagegreen
  • gingerroot
    gingerroot
  • luvcookbooks
    luvcookbooks
  • aargersi
    aargersi
  • Lizthechef
    Lizthechef

15 Reviews

Sagegreen October 24, 2010
A few confessional notes: my largest burner measures actually 12 inches and works really well for my 14 inch paella pan. The photo of the duck basted with a Cornelian cherry mix is during the early roasting stage. Truth be told, I did not remove the seeds from the grated tomato, adding to an "I'm not lazy, I'm rustic" approach.
 
mklug October 20, 2010
My boyfriend is planning on undertaking paella (we're both challenging ourselves to become better and more adventerous cooks--hence my lurking around food52 all the time), and I just saw this--do you think it would be wrong to demand he make this for me? I ask for so little...
 
Sagegreen October 20, 2010
Funny! I hope so!!!! You could get a few meals out of this, if you begin with a roasted duck! Or he could just use duck breast filets! If you can't find the Cornelian cherry jam, a sour cherry jam would work. The ground sumac is easy to source (look up my lassi drink for detailed info on that)...or just use lemon zest. Let me know how this works out!
 
Sagegreen October 20, 2010
By the wat the way I roasted the duck was to cut it in half, brush on Cornelian cherry jam mixed with ground sumac, salt and pepper. On a rack in a shallow pan covered with parchment paper, slow roast at 180 degrees for about 3 hours until the meat falls off the bone. Did you also see that huge, incredibly gorgeous wedding paella?
 
Sagegreen October 20, 2010
....meant to type by the "way," not "wat."
 
mklug October 20, 2010
Thanks for the additional info!

And I did see the wedding paella--that is unreally gorgeous! I cannot imagine coyly slipping him anything that says "wedding", though...I think I wouldn't get any paella at all.
 
Sagegreen October 20, 2010
Ah! Maybe in good time, if all works out!
 
gingerroot October 19, 2010
You had me at duck! I love your interpretation - looks amazing and sounds delicious!!
 
Sagegreen October 19, 2010
Thanks, gingerroot. I just had some leftovers for dinner tonight and it was still good! I have to recommend the cherry ale for a drink with this. I had debated whether to go with white wine, sherry or port, but the ale works well.
 
luvcookbooks October 19, 2010
Sage green, this is like a fairy tale recipe, sounds so delicious. One question: What is a soccarat?
 
Sagegreen October 19, 2010
Thanks. That is the browned crust on the bottom of the pan. When I got an electric rice cooker many years ago, it always made a crust on the bottom. When I complained to customer service, a woman explained to me how people fight over that part! When I later had real paella in Spain, I understood.
 
aargersi October 19, 2010
YUM! I was thinking duck paella thoughts too, but yours sounds so good I think I will let my sleeping duck lay :-)
 
Sagegreen October 19, 2010
Thanks, aargesi! You are very kind. There is plenty of room for more duck paella!
 
Lizthechef October 19, 2010
Isn't this an incredible recipe?!
 
Sagegreen October 19, 2010
Thanks so much, Lizthechef! I really appreciate the compliment. I have been planning this all week during a busy work week.