Duck Risotto

For those of you following my recipe series on summer foods (which will be amended to include some no-carb stuff for various folks who need that), I would like to use this next one as an example of frugality in the kitchen. As you know, the other night I cooked a duck with a pluot sauce. It was a lot of food for the two of us (Amália had eaten something earlier, so it was just Melanie and I), so we had leftovers.

Last night Melanie picked the meat off the carcass and made stock from the bones. Tonight I will make a duck risotto:

Finely chop about 1/4 of a pound of thinly sliced pancetta and all of the duck skin that is left. The finely dice a carrot, a celery stalk, and an onion (or shallot). Finely chop a few dried porcini mushrooms. Peel two cloves of garlic.

In a large saucepan (or whatever you use to make risotto) heat up 2 T of the duck fat leftover from cooking the duck to begin with, 2 T butter and 2 T extra virgin olive oil. Gently fry the pancetta and chopped duck skin. Add the garlic cloves and fry for a minute. Add the onions and fry for a few minutes. Add the carrot and celery and fry until aromatic.

Add two cups of arborio rice, a generous pinch of fresh time, and the chopped mushrooms. Cook for about four minutes until the rice starts to get translucent. Pour in a cup of white vermouth and cook off.

Lower the heat and add hot duck stock, ladle by ladle, stirring occasionally, until the rice is cooked al dente. Take it off the heat. Salt and pepper to taste, finish with 2 T butter and a generous helping of freshly grated reggiano parmeggiana.

Serve with a pinot noir and a green salad.