The ingredients are earthy but the effect is divine in chef Mark Morrow’s rustic anitra arrosto, or roast duck. Morrow’s recipes from Mi Piaci in Dallas (14854 Montfort) do a turn on traditional Italian fare: fresh fowl brushed with honey and balsamic vinegar and slow-cooked creamy polenta, made from simple cornmeal.
The accompanying wine sauce, which doubles as a warm dressing for the arugula garnish, balances pungent green olives and sweet raisins. “If you’re hunting duck and you’re able to knock a wild one down and bring it to the table, great,” says Morrow. In a pinch, a frozen Long Island duck from your neighborhood market will do.
Duck
2 ducks
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup honey
Salt and pepper to taste
Rinse ducks thoroughly. Remove and discard wings; separate legs and thighs from body.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine balsamic vinegar with honey and brush on duck; sprinkle duck with salt and pepper.
Roast duck in baking pan with a rack for 1 1/2 hours. Remove breasts from oven. Reduce heat to 250 degrees and roast legs for an additional 1/2 hour to ensure tenderness. Let breasts rest for 10 minutes, then cut from carcasses with sharp knife. Just before serving, slice into 1/4-inch pieces.
Sauce
1/2 cup Pinot Grigio
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup sliced pitted green deli olives
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 stick butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine first 4 ingredients in saucepan and reduce volume by two thirds over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Remove saucepan from heat but keep mixture warm. Shortly before serving, thoroughly whisk butter into sauce over high heat and season with salt and pepper.
Polenta
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup cornmeal
Salt and pepper to taste
1 stick butter
4 bunches arugula, for garnish
Bring broth to boil in saucepan and add cornmeal. Cook on low heat for 25 minutes, stirring constantly to achieve a creamy consistency. Season and then stir in butter.
To serve, spoon some polenta onto each warmed plate; arrange duck slices on top and one leg alongside. Ladle sauce over duck and garnish each plate with a generous bunch of arugula. Serves 4.
