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Put the tomato sauce and chicken stock in a small saucepan and keep warm over medium-low heat. Season the squid with ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes and 1 teaspoon salt. Heat a large sauté pan over high heat, and drizzle 2 tablespoons of the oil into it. Add half of the squid. Within 7 seconds the bodies will start to curl; quickly add ½ cup of the tomato sauce mixture. Stir to combine, and cook for 30 seconds more—keeping in mind that overcooked squid will have a rubbery texture. Remove the pan from the heat and add 1 tablespoon of the butter. Check the seasoning, and add more salt and red pepper flakes if necessary. Transfer to a serving bowl.

Wipe the sauté pan clean with paper towels, add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, and prepare the remaining squid the same way.

Garnish with the minced parsley, and serve immediately.

Photographs by Sara Remington

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Roasted Duck Breast with Ginger Sauce

Ducks have a much thicker layer of fat under the skin than store-bought chickens, which makes many people think of duck as an inherently greasy bird. But it doesn’t have to be. The secret is to take the time to render the fat slowly and to remove it from the pan as it melts. The result is delicious crispy skin and red, rich flesh that’s not too greasy at all.

Our favorite ducks come from one of our locals, Mary Trotter. She’s the only woman in her hunting club, and at least once a year she stops by the restaurant with some fresh ducks for Phil to cook. It’s a great arrangement: she loves the fact that Phil will cook them specifically to her taste (she likes her meat blood-rare), and Phil is psyched because he gets to keep one for himself.

Our sauces in the restaurant never include flour, but since most people at home have access to canned or packaged beef broth rather than gelatinous veal stock made from scratch, we added a small amount of flour to help thicken your sauce.

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INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons rice bran oil or canola oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 whole scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced

1 thumb-size piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

1 shallot, minced

3 black peppercorns

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

1 cup dry white wine

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

2 cups beef broth

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

4 duck breasts, about 6 ounces each

Serves 4

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 450ºF.

Heat a small saucepan over medium heat and drizzle the oil into it. Add the butter and wait until it melts. Then add the garlic, scallions, ginger, shallots, and peppercorns, and sweat for about 5 minutes. Add the brown sugar and stir until it starts to caramelize, about 3 minutes. Deglaze the pan with ¼ cup of the white wine, scraping any brown bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Add the remaining ¾ cup wine and reduce until almost all the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and stir to form a paste. Add the beef broth and reduce until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes.

Strain the sauce and discard the solid ingredients. Return the strained sauce to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and keep warm over very low heat until ready to serve.

Using a sharp knife, score the skin of each duck breast with three diagonal slashes. Be careful not to cut all the way through the fat—you don’t want to expose the red flesh. Season the skin generously with salt and pepper. Heat a cast-iron skillet that is large enough to hold the 4 duck breasts without overcrowding over high heat. Place the breasts, skin side down, in the skillet and immediately lower the heat to medium so the fat doesn’t burn. It shouldn’t take long before the fat starts to render out; use a spoon to transfer the melted fat to a heat-resistant container as the duck cooks. The skin should be browned in 6 to 8 minutes.

Once the skin is browned, place the skillet in the oven. Roast the duck to your desired doneness. Medium-rare