Arroz de pato recipe, Braga's oven-baked duck rice

This arroz de pato recipe follows the Braga method: the duck simmers into its own stock, the rice part-cooks in that stock, then bakes under slices of chouriço until the top turns crisp.

Arroz de pato belongs to Braga and the Minho, in northern Portugal, where it shares the Easter table with roast kid. Old regional versions boil the duck with ham and chouriço and finish the rice in a shallow clay dish, served with slices of orange.

The logic is thrift turned into flavour: one bird gives the meat, the fat and the liquid, so every grain tastes of duck. Carolino, Portugal's short-grain rice, absorbs stock without collapsing; arborio is the closest substitute.

One duck gives the meat, the fat and the stock; the oven does the rest.

Ingredients

• 1 duck, about 2 kg
• 150 g Portuguese chouriço, in one piece
• 100 g presunto or smoked bacon, in one piece
• 2 onions, one halved and one finely sliced
• 1 carrot
• 2 bay leaves and 1 clove
• 1 strip of orange peel
• 2.5 litres cold water
• 400 g carolino rice
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 100 ml dry white wine
• Salt, black pepper and chopped parsley

Method

1. Put the duck, chouriço, presunto, halved onion, carrot, bay, clove and orange peel in a large pot with the cold water. Bring slowly to a bare simmer and skim: a cold start lets the proteins rise as foam you can lift off, which keeps the stock clear.
2. Lift out the chouriço after 30 minutes. Simmer the duck for about 1 h 15 min in total, until a leg pulls away easily; a gentle bubble keeps the meat moist rather than stringy.
3. Lift out the duck and presunto and strain the stock. Spoon 3 tablespoons of fat from the surface into a wide pan and skim off the rest, which would make the rice greasy.
4. Shred the duck, discarding skin and bones, cube the presunto and slice the chouriço. Heat the oven to 200°C.
5. Soften the sliced onion and garlic in the duck fat for 8 minutes. Add the rice and stir for 2 minutes until the edges turn translucent; coated grains absorb liquid evenly and stay separate.
6. Add the wine and let it evaporate, then pour in 900 ml hot stock, season and simmer for 6 minutes. The rice should stay firm at the centre, because it keeps cooking in the oven.
7. Fold in the duck and presunto, spread everything 4-5 cm deep in an earthenware or ovenproof dish and lay the chouriço on top. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed and the sausage fat has crisped the surface. Rest for 5 minutes.

Make the stock a day ahead

Chilled overnight, the duck fat sets into a layer that lifts off in one piece and the stock gains depth. Serve with orange slices, as the Minho does, or a young Douro red to cut the richness. Then read our guide to what to eat in Lisbon.