https://www.2foodtrippers.com/arroz-de-pato/

Arroz de Pato may be the coastal European nations greatest contribution
to the food world.

In a good Arroz de Pato, duck, rice and a host of aromatic flavor
elements share the food stage in beautiful, heavenly unison. The hearty
stew featuring savory, shredded duck, chunks of smokey bacon, fatty
chouriço and stock-infused rice is Portugals answer to global rice
dishes like New Orleans Jambalaya, Spanish Paella and Chinese Fried Rice.

The dish, which synthesizes all of its disparate ingredients into a
harmonious whole, may even evoke some versions of risotto but without
the Italian dishs starchy sauciness. The starch in Arroz de Pato is
more of a polymer-like building block in the dish than the star of the show.

Arroz de Pato was invented in Portugals northern city of Braga, but the
savory duck and rice concoction is one of the most popular dishes in the
entire country. Locals typically eat Arroz de Pato at home on Sundays or
for special occasions. The Portuguese food favorite can also be found on
restaurant menus throughout the slender Iberian nation.

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First, we prepared a simple, quick duck stock. After coating a big pot
with olive oil, we added two quartered onions, big carrot chunks and
orange peel along with half of the quartered duck.

We didnt stop there and added cured chouriço, hot smoked bacon, leek
chunks, water, salt, pepper, cloves, mustard seeds, cilantro, garlic and
bay leaves. Once the pot was full, we stepped away and waited for the
magic to happen.

We created a refogado, a Portuguese base of flavor similar to the
soffritos found in countries like Italy and Spain, by sauteing a range
of finely chopped ingredients including garlic, onions, carrot and bay
leaf in the bottom in a large, thick-bottomed pot. This refogado would
provide the base of flavor to the rice.

Preparing the dish for a final cook in the oven, we added rice along
with white wine before artfully arranged sliced choriço and bacon on
top. Then we patiently let the mixture bake until it was done.

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We could taste the carrot. We could taste the slight smokiness lent to
the dish by the bacon and chouriço. We could taste the essence of bay
leaf and, of course, we could taste the rich, fatty duck and the
memorable savoriness it brought to the rice.

We smiled at each other after tasting the first bite and didnt stop
smiling until the last bites were gone. We all agreed that the Arroz de
Pato was a tasty success.