Braised Duck and Rice

Pull all excess fat from the neck and body cavities of the duck and discard; prick the bird well all over with a sharp-pronged fork, then refrigerate until needed.

Place the water, duck giblets and neck, onion, carrots, peppercorns, prosciutto, bacon, and chourico in a large heavy kettle, and bring to simmer over moderate heat. Adjust the burner heat so that the mixture bubbles gently, cover, and simmer for 1 hour.

With a slotted spoon, lift the duck giblets and neck, prosciutto, bacon and chourico from the kettle and reserve.

Now place the duck in the kettle, breast-side up, bring the liquid to a gentle simmer, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes; turn the bird breast-side down, re-cover, and simmer for 30 minutes longer.

Remove the duck from the broth and cool until easy to handle. Strain the broth, discarding the solids. Now skim as much fat as possible from the broth there will be plenty of it!

Preheat the oven to very hot 232C, gas mark 8, 450F. With poultry shears, cut the legs and wings off the duck. Divide the breast in half by cutting down the middle of the breastbone, then cut each half crosswise into three chunks. Remove as much meat as possible from the back of the bird.

Place all pieces of meat skin-side up, in a shallow 6pt/3.6l earthenware casserole. (It should measure about 12x9in, or 11-12in in diameter, and be 2in deep.) Place the uncovered casserole on the middle shelf of the oven and bake the duck until lightly browned, about 15 minutes.

Remove the casserole from the oven and set aside; reduce oven heat to moderate 177C, gas mark 4, 350F. Pour 4cups/2pt/1.12l of the skimmed duck broth (reserve any extra to use in making a soup, sauce, or stew) into a large heavy saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat; add the rice and pepper, bring to a simmer, adjust the heat so that the mixture bubbles gently, then cook uncovered for about 10 minutes until the level of the liquid is below that of the rice.

Meanwhile, cut as much meat from the duckling neck as possible and reserve; discard the neck. Also, coarsely chop the giblets, and dice the prosciutto. Add all to the rice, cover, and cook for 5 to 8 minutes longer until most of the liquid has been absorbed.

Meanwhile, dice the bacon and brown in a small heavy skillet, over moderately high heat until most of the drippings have cooked out, leaving crisp brown bits about 5 minutes. YouÕll have to stir the bacon frequently to keep it from burning. With a slotted spoon, lift the crisp brown bits to paper toweling to drain; discard the drippings or reserve to use another time. Slice the chourico 1/4in thick and reserve 20 slices to use in garnishing the dish.

Stir the remainder into the rice along with the bacon bits Spoon the rice into the casserole, covering the duck completely. Drizzle the surface first with the melted butter, then with the egg yolk mixture.

Now arrange three rows of chourico rounds decoratively on top, down both sides and down the center.

Cover snugly with foil and bake for 15 minutes; uncover and bake for 10 to 15 minutes longer, just until the rice is faintly golden. Serve at once, directly from the casserole.