Il Mio Frigorifero
Sometimes I think of my fridge as a book, a diary. I open it and leaf through its shelves and drawers.
Right now I am reading a chapter called Animal Kingdom in which the six whole ducks (one with its head and webs still on), the ten confitted duck legs, the two jars of duck cracklings, the three jars of rendered duck fat and half a jar of rendered pork fat, the bit of thawing pork belly, the funky scrap of home-cured pancetta, the four pyramids of way-past-their-prime goat cheese, a small wedge of Parmagiano, the carton of leftover whipping cream, the jar of fermented baby shrimp, and the bottle of anchovy fillets are pushed around to make room for the ceramic kimchi hangari on the top shelf.
Two Ducks Equal…
4 legs
4 (half) breasts
4 wings
2 necks
2 carcasses
4 lbs skin and fat
_______________
17 lbs
Hanging in Harlem
Yes, my friends, it is back in action.
The present contents of my meat humidor: five Moulard duck breast prosciutti weighing 385-500g each.
Stolen Dinner
I stole my dinner from the future: a few outer leaves from a head of napa bound for kimchi; a few slices from a raw duck breast meant to become a prosciutto.
This is my confession:
I pre-sliced the raw breast but kept meat together as though to conceal the deed. Then I placed the duck-slice package skin-side down on a skillet over medium heat and sprinkled salt on top. When the fat rendered and the skin crisped, I pulled the meat apart, quickly seared it, then removed it from pan. In the remaining fat, I browned a few slices of garlic. Then I stir-fried the cabbage with some black pepper. It wept and made a sauce from the pan juices. I like to add a touch of cornstarch and water to thicken the liquid. I make no apologies for this. When the sauce was thicker and once again translucent, I added the duck pieces and shook to coat everything.
I did all this and I freely admit it. I apologize only a little bit to my future self.
No, I did not eat dinner from the pan while standing at the stove. I am a thief not a barbarian.
Preparedness
I’m preparing for the vampire apocalypse by jarring duck legs while watching The Vampire Diaries.
Judge me if you will, but who will have the last laugh when suddenly everyone in high school is either a vampire, werewolf or witch? Where will you get your cured duck then?
Confit Juice
Witness This:
After the legs are poached in their own fat, then packed in the same strained fat and stowed in a cool place to mature, there remains the juices of the salty-garlicky-ducky essences of the process. This is the stuff dreams are made of—very magic dreams you can dip your toast in.
How Do You Say “Confit” in Italian?
Six gargantuan duck legs emerge from a long, warm bath of fat. Io sono stanca.
Each day I try to learn more Italian words, but yesterday it was “cosce d’anatra” over and over again.
Today I learned the words for spoons and stove. I only know two verbs: to be and to have (which is sometimes also to be). I can only be or have a finite number of things–a list of clothing and furnishings, tools and food, colors and temperatures. And I can only be (or not be) and have (or not have) in the present.
Tomorrow brings more ducks and salt for cutting and curing and, one can only hope, more verbs.
First Snow
The first snow of the year demands snow balls: little choux pastry puffs the size of super balls stuffed with custardy chocolate cream and dusted with powdered sugar.
It is customary in Harlem to transport them southwards the length of Manhattan after such a snowfall, preferably by train. Then one should board a boat towards the nearest Ikea. Once ashore find the house with the biggest fireplace. This house will no doubt be owned by an Argentine artist who will produce large pieces of grilled beef from said fireplace accompanied by scotch whiskey and red wines.
The pile of a hundred-or-so snowballs should be pulled from the freezer when the lights lower a bit, the music swells and the milonga begins.
(I can’t talk right now, I’m licking this spatula.)
