JANUARY 16: SPATCHOCK DUCK WITH CUMIN VEGETABLES AND PHO BROTH
SHOPPING LIST FOR CLASS
For the PHO
FOR THE STOCK 5 to 6 pounds of bones (beef knuckles, lamb, pork shoulder, whole chicken, duck or goose)
10 quarts cold water
3 medium onions, charred and quartered
5-inch piece of fresh ginger,
3 cinnamon sticks
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
6 star anise
6 whole cloves
1 black cardamom pod
1/8 cup each of fish sauce and apple cider vinegar
4” piece of kombu
7 ounces - 1 pound small (1/8-inch wide) dried or fresh “banh pho” noodles - aka rice stick noodles
1/2 pound raw protein: chicken, duck, eye of round, sirloin or tri-tip steak, thinly sliced across the grain
These are all optional- you will need at least 4 ingredients that are placed on top of your soup or PHO
Bean sprouts
Thinly sliced red chilies
Fresh mint
Sprigs of Thai basil
Fresh cilantro
Green onions (scallions)
Sliced white or red onion
Fresh lime wedges
Mung bean sprouts
Sliced Thai red chiles
Cabbage
Bok choy
Sliced Jalapeño
Sriracha or other spicy chili sauce
Hoisin sauce
Fish sauce
FOR THE DUCK
1 whole duck 4-5 pounds
To rub on duck:
Smoky paprika, cumin, salt and pepper
2# new potatoes - boiled and drained
2 tablespoons cumin seeds
Salt and pepper
6-10 red Fresno chiles, stemmed, seeded, and coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons minced ginger
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
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SPATCHCOCK DUCK & CUMIN POTATOES
This recipe uses a 4-5 pound duck which could serve 2-4
First the bird is prepared by removing the back bone and then the bird is rubbed with salt and pepper and smoky paprika. Then the sauce is made. The technique can be made for any type of sauce. If it is summer, consider grapes or fruit reduction as a sauce. And consider cooking this on the grill.
I chose a peri peri sauce for its salty spicy hot and savory flavors for winter.
INGREDIENTS
1 whole duck 4-5 pounds
To rub on duck:
Smoky paprika, cumin, salt and pepper
2# new potatoes - boiled and drained
2 tablespoons cumin seeds
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven 350
I often let the duck rest overnight in the fridge to dry out- this makes for a crispier skin, but it is not necessary.
Place the duck breast side down on a cutting board and with a sharp knife or poultry shears, cut down either side of the back bone from neck to tail. Remove the back bone and save for stock. Gently push apart and push down on the breast bone to flatten.
Turn the duck over so the breasts are facing upwards.
Prick the skin around the legs and then season the duck on both sides with salt, pepper, smoky paprika, and a tablespoon of cumin.
Place on a sheet pan, breast side up and place in the oven. Cook for 1 hr 30 minutes.
For PeriPeri Sauce
6-10 red Fresno chiles, stemmed, seeded, and coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons minced ginger
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
2# new potatoes - boiled and drained
2 tablespoons cumin seeds
Salt and pepper
Make a Periperisauce In a blender, combine the chiles, garlic, ginger, lime juice, oil, salt and puree until smooth. Season to taste with more salt if you’d like. Transfer to a jar and store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Use this sauce to baste the duck 5 or 6 times while it is cooking.
Approx 30 mins before the duck is due to be ready, take a deep sided baking tray big enough to hold the potatoes and pour in the duck fat. Place the tray into the oven and after 10 mins, once the oil is hot, take out and carefully put your potatoes into the tray. Gently sprinkle the cumin seeds plus some salt and pepper over the potatoes and return to the oven. They will be ready in 20 -30 minutes.
Allow the duck to rest for a few minutes, pour over any remaining marinade.
Serve the duck with the potatoes.
Pho pronounced “fuh”—not faux
Pho is a Vietnamese soup. It is a great broth, with noodles, and a protein and lots of mix-and-match toppings. It's comforting, restorative, rich, and refreshing. In Vietnam, pho is a popular breakfast, so consider it with a poached egg on top! This broth can be made with the bones of pork, lamb, turkey, duck, chicken, beef, or vegetables, etc.. A rich broth is made with good vegetables like carrots, celery, fennel, onions, and has been flavored with ginger, anise, turmeric and garlic. This is the foundation for the Vietnamese pho recipe. A good pho recipe all boils down to the quality of a good broth! Good is defined as using animal protein that is raised right: animals outside on pasture eating organic grains and rooting around, or being the animals they were meant to be. Flavorful means so good it can stand on its own with no additional ingredients. Traditional technique is to char the onions and ginger first and roast the bones and vegetables. This is optional. Charing does add flavor and depth. The warm spices of cinnamon, anise, ginger and fresh herbs make it amazing! You can add the protein of choice; beef, lamb, duck, tofu, egg, etc, and noodles along with fresh herbs and you have a complete meal.
FOR THE STOCK 5 to 6 pounds of bones (beef knuckles, lamb hips, pork shoulder, whole chicken, duck or goose)
8 quarts cold water
3 medium onions, charred and quartered
5-inch piece of fresh ginger,
3 cinnamon sticks
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
6 star anise
6 whole cloves
1 black cardamom pod
1/8 cup each of fish sauce and apple cider vinegar
4” piece of kombu
Add beef bones to a large pot that will hold at least 10 quarts. Then, cover bones with cold water. Place the pot on high heat and bring to a boil. Boil for 3 to 5 minutes. During this time, impurities and foam (or scum) will be released and rise to the top. Drain bones, discarding the water. Then, rinse bones with warm water and scrub stockpot to remove any residue that has stuck to the sides. Add the bones back to the stockpot and cover with 6 quarts of cold water.
Meanwhile, move an oven rack to a high position then turn the broiler to high. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place quartered onions and halved ginger onto a baking sheet then broil for 10 to 15 minutes, turning to char all sides.
Add cinnamon sticks, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, star anise, cloves and the black cardamom pod to a dry frying pan. Place onto low heat and cook, stirring occasionally until fragrant. About 5 minutes.
Bring stockpot with parboiled bones and water to a boil then lower to a gentle simmer. Add charred onion and ginger as well as toasted spices. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of salt, a 1/8 cup of fish sauce and ⅛ cup apple cider vinegar. Continue to simmer broth, uncovered, for 3 hours. If at any time foam or scum rises to the surface, use a spoon to remove it.
Use tongs or a wide mesh spoon to remove bones, onion and ginger from broth then strain broth through a fine mesh strainer. Taste the broth and make sure it is delicious. If it is not considered what it needs- salt or fish sauce? The broth will have a layer of fat at the top. You can assemble the broth and skim the fat from the top with a baster or chill the broth and scrape off the solidified fat on top.
ASSEMBLY
7 ounces - 1 pound small (1/8-inch wide) dried or fresh “banh pho” noodles - aka rice stick noodles
1/2 pound raw protein: chicken, duck, eye of round, sirloin or tri-tip steak, thinly sliced across the grain
Bean sprouts
Thinly sliced red chilies
Fresh mint
Sprigs of Thai basil
Fresh cilantro
Green onions (scallions)
Sliced white or red onion
Fresh lime wedges
Mung bean sprouts
Sliced Thai red chiles
Cabbage
Bok choy
Sliced Jalapeño
Sriracha or other spicy chili sauce
Hoisin sauce
Fish sauce
Bring the broth to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
If you are using dried noodles, add noodles to a bowl then cover with hot water and soak for 15 to 20 minutes until soft and opaque. If you are using fresh, add to a colander then rinse with cold water.
To cook the noodles, bring a medium saucepan filled with water to a boil. Place noodles into boiling water and cook for about 10 seconds or until they collapse. Drain noodles then divide between bowls. Fill each bowl by 1/3 with noodles.
Arrange slices of raw meat into bowls, and then top with the hot broth. Serve bowls with a plate of optional garnishes listed above.
Spatchcock Chicken
Any chicken who comes into your kitchen for dinner must have had what I call, ‘a happy life’. This means it should have spent it’s antibiotic-free life roaming around in the grass, under a sky that told it when to go to bed, happily scratching around for food.
The day before you plan to cook your chicken, you’ll season it well with salt and allow it to rest, uncovered, in the refrigerator overnight. This will help create crispy skin without using eggs and flour as coating. It’s a healthier approach to creating the desired crispness, and is so delicious!
Ingredients
One whole happy chicken
1/8 cup salt
1/8 cup olive oil
Directions
The day before you plan to cook the chicken, rub salt all over the entire bird, and allow it to sit in your refrigerator (uncovered) overnight.
The following day, heat the oven to 450 degrees.
Lay the chicken on a cutting board, breast side down, and cut away the back bone.
Heat a 10 to 12 inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat, and add just enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan
As soon as the oil shimmers, place the chicken, breast side down, in the hot oil and sauté for 6 to 7 minutes until it's golden brown.
Flip the bird over and slide the entire cast iron skillet into the oven, immediately turning the oven down to 350 degrees.
After about 20 minutes, rotate the chicken.
In about 20 more minutes, remove the chicken from the oven and test with a thermometer. It should register 150 degrees.
Allow the bird to rest at least 15 minutes before serving.
Serve with lemon salsa or your favorite sauce.