Italian Grill - Mario Batali [46]
Carve the duck and serve with the remaining orange sauce.
If you’ve only had oven-roasted duck, this recipe just may change your whole opinion of the bird. It comes out so crisp and delicious, with a deep brown burnished skin, it’s almost like Chinese food duck. But to render the fat, you really have to prick the skin all over—fifty times, in fact (count ’em!).
MEAT
The sizzle, the fragrance, the promise of pleasure and deliciousness: American meat on a grill evokes a million memories and infinite potential whenever you hear it, smell it, and see it through that light veil of smoke anywhere. It is a nearly primordial sensation, universal among grillers everywhere. We all know there’s nothing better than a grilled steak, and there’s no better grilled steak than the Fiorentina, a big, thick T-bone traditionally served very rare, … unless it’s the Tagliata of Bone-in Rib Eye. You will want to find a good butcher when you treat yourself and your guests to either of these steaks—but then why go back to the supermarket for any meat after that? No Italian cook buys meat that comes wrapped airtight in plastic on a little tray (which is a terrible way to treat meat in any case), and today we have many more markets with real meat departments again, with butchers who know all about what they are selling and will be happy to discuss it with you. And, if you haven’t looked recently, you may be surprised to find that you can buy great meat at many green-markets—and can support your local farmers in the process. (But if you don’t have access to either a farmers’ market or a good butcher, you can order high-quality beef, pork, and lamb, including specialty cuts, online; see Sources, page 232.)
There are recipes here for when you want to indulge or celebrate, including the above-mentioned steaks; the Beef Braciole “Pinwheel-Style,” a traditional homey dish turned elegant with beef tenderloin; Veal Chops with Flash-Pickled Mushrooms; and Grilled Arista-Style Pork Loin with Milk Sauce, a big bone-in roast seasoned with a Tuscan spice rub. But there are also dishes made with more economical, and very flavorful, cuts, including the Pork Shoulder Braciole, Ribs Italian-Style, and even an almost traditional Sausages and Peppers. You’ll also find irresistible Grilled Lamb Chops Scottadita and two tasty recipes for leg of lamb: one butterflied and seasoned extravagantly with garlic and rosemary, the other spit-roasted and served with a mint pesto. And then there is one of my all-time favorite dishes, Fresh Ham alla Porchetta, perhaps the supreme achievement of spit-roasting.
T-BONE
FIORENTINA WITH SAUTÉED SPINACH
SERVES 4
HERB MIX
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
One 3- to 3½-pound T-bone steak, about 3 inches thick
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 pounds trimmed baby spinach, washed and spun dry Kosher salt
Grated zest of 1 lemon
Juice of ½ lemon, or more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
Great extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
Coarse sea salt
IN A SMALL BOWL, combine the rosemary, sage, thyme, salt, and pepper and mix well. Pat the steak dry and coat it all over with the herb mix. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over one side of the steak to moisten the herb mixture, and rub it gently into the mixture so it will adhere to the meat. Turn the steak over and repeat on the other side with another tablespoon of olive oil. Place on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and let stand for 30 minutes to 1 hour to come to room temperature.
Meanwhile, preheat