Not Healthy: Duck Stock

Every Valentine's Day I cook duck for my wife and I. It started with just duck breasts but I realized I could buy an entire duck for slightly more than what I was paying for duck breasts. Granted, the breasts coming off the whole bird are slightly smaller than the plump breasts I was buying but I end up with a much larger amount of delicious meat. Since I ended up with a pile of bones at the end of the meal, I decided the duck was too delicious to just toss the bones. I wanted to make stock for future use.

Stock is really easy to make. It's probably the easiest thing you can make. It's just boiling water, bones, herbs and vegetables (optional). It doesn't require a specific recipe and it's very flexible. Duck stock is no different. The only thing you have to worry about with duck stock over say chicken or turkey stock is duck is a fatty meat and no matter how much skin and fat you remove from the carcass the stock always ends up with a thick layer of fat. No matter how much fat I skim off I always end up with extra fat in the stock. So it's not the healthiest stock out there but it is the most delicious.

Below is my really easy recipe. Most stock recipes call for using vegetables. You can add cut up onion, carrots, celery and other root vegetables if you want. I don't think it's necessary. If you plan on using the stock for soup, you're going to get those vegetable flavors from the vegetables in your soup. If you plan on using it for other reasons, you may not want the vegetables. So I don't use any myself.

Ingredients:

One duck carcass with as much skin and fat removed as possible (hopefully you have removed the meat for dinner or left overs)
Water
Salt
Pepper
4-5 tbsp of herbs (I prefer thyme, sage and oregano, but you could use bay leaf, rosemary, peppercorns, etc.)

Equipement:

Slotted spoon
Stove
Large pot with lid (I use a 1.5 gallon stock pot)
Wire mesh strainer (optional)

Step 1: Fill your pot 1/2 with water. Add the carcass. You can break it up if you need to but I would try to avoid small splinters of bone. If the pot can support more water, add more water, leaving 2-3 inches from the top.

Step 2: Add the pot to the stove burner and turn the heat to high. Add your herbs, salt and pepper. Add a pinch of salt. As the stock concentrates you don't want it to be too salty so start small. You also don't want it too peppery so start with a half teaspoon.

Step 3: Once the stock reaches boil, turn the heat down to medium-low. You don't want it to simmer too gently because I find a slight rolling boil helps soften the bones and release the collagen that adds body to the stock (which is why you don't need to add celery for body).

Step 4: Let it boil down for 1-2 hours (or more). You may need to adjust down the heat as it concentrates. You want it to have a good chicken soup-like color and not taste watery. If I start with a gallon of water I usually try to boil down to half a gallon but I let taste make the decision. Periodically you will want to skim off the layer of fat on the top. Try not to scoop up the herbs if you can.

Step 5: Once you decide it has boiled down enough, really try to get the layer of fat skimmed out. Remove from the heat. I pour it through a wire mesh strainer to capture any small bones and herbs. I pour it into a tupperware container and put it in the freezer. You may want to freeze it in smaller containers where you can use it in smaller amounts. You really don't want to have to thaw half a gallon, scoop part out and then refreeze.

After it freezes, you will probably see a thick layer of fat on the top. You can scoop most of that off while it is frozen with a regular metal spoon. You have to do this while it's frozen because it's a lot easier to scoop out solid fat than try to capture it when the stock thaws. I don't like the stock to stay fatty so I scoop it off before using the stock. Another option for you is to scoop off the fat to use in place of butter in recipes. It adds richness to food that butter doesn't. It's particularly good in mashed potatoes. Just keep in mind that it is fat and adds calories to your food. You can scoop off the frozen fat and dethaw it for a few seconds in the microwave or add it to a hot dish and it will melt easily. If you don't like that idea just discard the fat.

Duck stock is good for a lot of purposes. It makes great soups and classes up a chicken soup with deeper flavor. It's best use, in my opinion, is in risotto. Instead of using chicken stock, I always whip out the duck stock. It makes risotto infinitely better. Since you usually can't buy duck stock at the store it will make your risotto something special.

Healthy: Bay Scallops Sauteed with Rosemay and Lemon

Bay scallops are the cheap relative of sea scallops that appear on the menus of nice restaurants everywhere. Bay scallops are tasty but do not stand in comparison to sea scallops in getting that buttery texture. In fact, they are very easy to overcook into a rubbery disaster because they are so small. However, they are cheaper than sea scallops and make for some tasty dishes themselves. When prepared well, they can produce a nice looking and tasting dish without a lot of work or cost.

The worst part about buying bay scallops is, at least for me, they only come frozen. When you buy them frozen they seem to come with an enormous amount of hidden liquid. I don't know where it comes from but it's like the second they hit the pan there's a lake of white liquid in the bottom of the pan that means you're going to poach them instead of sauteing them. So the recipe below assumes you have frozen bay scallops. If you are able to buy them fresh, skip step 1.

Ingredients:

1.5 pounds bay scallops
1/3 cup of olive oil (1/4 cup if you have unfrozen scallops)
2 medium garlic cloves (or 2 tsp minced garlic)
1.5 tsp fresh rosemary leaves (or 0.75 tsp dried)
Salt and pepper to taste
1.5 tbsp lemon juice.
2 tsp butter or margarine (optional)

Equipment:
One medium skillet
One large skillet
One spatula/big spoon/slotted spoon -- whatever you have handy
Stovetop

Step 1: Thaw your scallops. It's best to thaw them in the fridge and once they are soft, try to drain as much liquid as you can. Pat them dry but do not crush them. You may need to start the thawing process early in the day. Due to all the hidden water, they tend to take longer to thaw than fish.

Step 2: Add 1/4 cup of olive oil to a large skillet. Add the remaining oil to the medium skillet. Put both on the stove over medium heat. Once the olive oil is hot (rolls around the pan easily), add the garlic to the large skillet. Cook for one minute.

Step 3: Add the scallops to the medium skillet. Cook for two minutes. You should see a tidal wave of white-purple liquid flow out of the scallops. While it isn't bad to consume, it won't give you a good saute.

Step 4: After two minutes, remove the scallops from the medium skillet, leaving behind the liquid and turn off the heat to that skillet.

Step 5: Add the scallops, salt, pepper and rosemary to the large skillet. Turn the heat to high and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes until the scallops are opaque but not yet rubbery. They may leak out more liquid. It's ok, just let it go.

If you are using fresh scallops, ignore the medium skillet instructions and add the scallops to the large skillet with the seasoning. Turn the heat to high and cook 2-3 minutes until opaque.

Step 6: Remove the scallops and set aside in a bowl.

Step 7: Add the lemon juice to the skillet and let the liquid cook down to a syrupy consistency.

Step 8: Return scallops to skillet and mix to coat scallops with the sauce. Once covered and the scallops are hot again, remove from heat and serve. The scallops should only be back on the heat for 30-60 seconds at most. You do not want to continue cooking them because they get rubbery fast.

Optional: if you want to make the recipe slightly less healthy but more savory, when you add the scallops back in the skillet, add two teaspoons of butter or margarine (your preference). The butter will give the sauce a more creamy and rich flavor. However, you can leave it out and still enjoy the dish. I usually add the butter.

That's it. A simple recipe. Good flavor, easy and fast to cook. You can play around with adding other herbs with the rosemary, such as sage, parsley, oregano, or thyme. A very dry white wine could be used to add a little flavor as well. I often pair the dish with saffron rice. Risotto would be a nice companion. Works well with lots of vegetables as a side. Corn on the cob, green beans and asparagus each pair well.