Don't get fooled again: duck with grapefruit salad

Ragazzi, we're all trying to be healthy and eat that way, aren't we?    And as a result, we all have foods that we KNOW aren't any good for us.  And we avoid them.  You have your list, don't you?  And pork is on it.  Well, we dispelled the pork myth earlier this week, didn't we?  And now, we're going to dispel another one:  duck.

Ok, carini, without looking:  how many calories are there in duck breast, with the skin (which is the only reason to eat it).  Any guesses?  Any numbers?    Ok, get ready:  there are about 1000 calories in a one pound duck breast (which is really half a breast.  Duck breasts are huge, and what you're sold, is a half a breast).  Now, before you start saying AHA ANNALENA!  I TOLD YOU!, as Annalena's grandmother used to yell at her  ASHPETT (which, her Italian American paisani will recognize as "WAIT A FREAKING MINUTE STUPID).  Ok, enough of that.  How many of you think you can actually EAT a whole duck breast?

That many, huh?  Hmmm. Well, Annalena wagers you're wrong.  And now, do the math:  if you take that 1000 calories in a pound and decide you're eating, say, 5 ounces of it, you're putting away 333 calories.  Yes, you are getting  a substantial amount of your cholesterol and fat for the day, but darlings, it is all about balance.  Balancia, balancia, balancia.    So, here, ragazzi, Annalena is going to give you a recipe for a salad that will satisfy your craving for red meat by way of duck, and will not feel ridiculously unhealthy.  Annalena and the Guyman just ate this for lunch. The Guyman removed all the fat from his duck, which meant he ate healthier than  Annalena.  How nice for him.

We have a few components here, and we have variations.  The original recipe called for two cups of cilantro stems (with their leaves), and a cup of mint leaves. Rest assured that Annalena  would be knocking on your door for a place to sleep if she served that salad to the Guyman, who cares not much for mint or cilantro.  Annalena, however, addressed this by using the mixed greens from the greenhouse of the Davester (his favorite post apocalyptic farmer), micro cilantro, and a few mint leaves.  You should vary the greens here as you see fit, but for three people, plan on a good four cups of them, and try to get some cilantro and mint in there in some way.  Add a few sliced scallions as well.  Put them aside for now.

Next, get yourself two nice sized grapefruit.  Annalena prefers the ruby reds, but if you want a nice color contrast, use a white one and a red one.  Cut away the peel, and do the best job you can in cutting them into segments (Annalena has bored you all to death on how she will not do citrus supremes.  If  you can, then please do some and go forth and prosper.  Those can go right into the greens.

Let's now make our dressing.  Get two cloves of garlic, and one of your raspers, or graters, and grate the garlic into a bowl.  Add to it two tablespoons of olive oil, a tablespoon of fish paste,  a tablespoon of grated ginger,  and a tiny amount of sugar, or honey or something along those lines. Also, add a few teaspoons of citrus juice. Annalena was fooled by a bergamot sent to her by the  Citrus Bomb,  and then used lime (since the salad as written was called "Thai duck salad" yet called for lemon).  Use what you got .  That applies to the grapefruit too, ragazzi.  If you have only one grapefruit, use a blood orange, or a cara cara or whatever you have.  You do want one grapefruit though.

Let's cook the duck.  As Annalena said, half of a full duckbreast, of any breed.  She used maillard.    Cut a cross hatch pattern in the fat, trying not to cut the meat.  Then salt it, and let it sit as long as you can.  When you're ready to cook, put the duck, skin side down, in a cold pan.  Turn the heat up to medium, and watch the miracle, as you push the fat out.  After four minutes or so,  hold out the duck and drain the fat.  Then cook for another four minutes.  The skin will get very dark, which is fine.  Now, remove all fat, turn it around, and cook with skin side up, for 8 minutes or so.

Notice how you get almost NO fat.  That's because the meat of the duck is ridiculously lean - and if you look up the nutrition on duck, you'll see that.  After the sixteen minutes, let the breast sit for 5-10 minutes, or even longer.  Then cut it on long, thin slices.  You may be worried, because it will appear very rare.  Don't worry.

When you are ready to eat, toss the duck with the salad dressing.  VOILA.  Those rare spots disappeared, didn't they?  The miracle of citrus cooking:  this is how ceviche works, ragazzi, and it works with meat, too.  Now, stir all of this together, and toss it into the greens.  Annalena finds her God given tools (her hands), work best.  Taste a leaf of salad, because notwithstanding the fish sauce, and the salted duck,  you may find this needs salt.  Add it if you do.

And you have a good lunch for three people, four if you're serving something else.    And you can play with this, ragazzi.  Vary the greens. Vary the MEAT:  Annalena plans to use this model for a steak salad later this year.  Vary the dressing components. Those of you who are hoarding your sricha, or have some hot peppers, and like a spicy salad, might add that.  How about some toasted peanuts or cashews at the end?

Play with the salad.  You'll love it.

Next time around, we will have another round of how to adapt, when you buy the wrong thing.  For now, though, Annalena wants you all to make this duck salad.