Duck Leg Paella

I love Duck.  And I love paella.  So I combine the two here.  You can use legs from a recently roasted duck, or just brown some up.  Anci de pepe pasta is wonderful, but can be substituted for orzo, or even broken up angel hair pasta.

2 Duck leg and thighs, ideally from a roasted duck
2/3 cup short grain brown rice
1/3 cup anci de pepe, small dot pasta
1/2 sweet onion, diced, about 1 cup
1 orange pepper, sliced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/4 lb smoked chorizo sausage, diced

2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup pitted kalamatta olives
1 small can marinated artichokes, drained, about 1 cup (I used Trader Joe’s grilled marinated artichokes)
6 large shrimp, shelled, deveined and cut in half
palmful fresh parsley to garnish

If your duck legs are not already cooked, brown them in a non-stick skillet with a dash oil until very nicely browned on both sides. Salt and pepper to taste.

Add a dash of olive oil to a large skillet or paella pan. Add the rice and pasta and cook for about 5 minutes, until the rice turns translucent and the pasta begins to brown up a bit.

Add the onion, pepper and celery and cook another 5 minutes or so, until the veggies soften.

Add the chorizo and heat through.

Add the chicken broth to the pan and bring to a gentle boil. Nestle the duck legs into the broth and add the olives and artichokes.

Cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 20-30 minutes, until all the liquid has been absorbed.

Add the shrimp to the paella and cover again.

Cook for about 5 more minutes, until the shrimp are pink and cooked through. Garnish with parsley. Serve by dividing the leg and thighs and distributing paella among 4 plates. If you wish, you can de-bone the meat while serving.

Serves 4.