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"The Italians have always liked Texas, and we talked them into going into Houston," says Garry Olah, the 26-year-old business man who brought a little electricity to Houston retail last year with the opening of the first Fiorucci Italian boutique in Texas. For this fashion ambassador -- first-generation American of Italian-Hungarian parentage -- cooking is of preserving his ethnic heritage. And the kitchen is a good place to meet up with his wife, Kari, a fashion model, after a long day of setting trends. "We're so busy now, eating in is more special than it used to be," he says. "Ninety-eight percent of what we cook at home is Italian. We've got a baby on the way, and we don't want our child to lose that culture."

Of course, clay-pot orange duckling is not exactly Italian. But it was handed down by Garry's Hungarian grandmother, Louise, and italianized a little by Garry. "I'm betraying my Italian ancestry with this recipe," Garry admits, "but the Italians do use clay pots. And it's so simple, we make it all the time. You just throw it together, put it in the oven, and walk away. It's perfect for an intimate dinner."

Clay-Pot Orange Duckling
Serves 2 - 4

1 three-to-five-pound duckling
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 or 4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 or 3 medium oranges, peeled and sliced (reserve rind)
1 tablespoon bottled orange-peel spice
3/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground allspice
5 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons arrowroot

Soak clay pot and lid in water for 15 minutes. Wash duckling inside and out with cold water. Cut away excess skin and fat. Rub salt, pepper, and garlic inside duckling. Sprinkle orange slices with more pepper, and stuff duckling with them. Put duckling in pot, breast down. Grate reserved rind over duckling, then sprinkle with orange-peel spice. Mix juice, soy sauce, ginger, allspice, and sugar in bowl; pour over and around duckling. (Duckling should be half covered by sauce; add more juice and soy sauce as needed.)

Place covered pot in cold oven, and set temperature at 480 degrees. Cook for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and pour juices into saucepan. Return pot to oven, uncovered. Brown duckling, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Bring sauce to a boil and thicken with arrowroot, 1 tablespoon at a time. (If sauce separates, add a little hot water.) Add more brown sugar if desired.

Note: A 3-to-5-pound chicken may be substituted for duckling.