Carnitas - Or "Confit," If You're Fancy

This week in the Transplant Kitchen, Alannah and Omid are making taco and burrito filling royalty: Carnitas. This slow-cooked, shredded pork dish is, simply put, the BEST. Just mentioning it invokes drooly daydreams of delicious tacos or stuffed-to-the-brim burritos with melting meaty flavor. But say you don’t have a taqueria nearby to satisfy that demand? Or if, like much of the world, you don’t eat pork? Their uniquely French workaround is easy as can be. 

Recipe for duck carnitas: 
Serves 4-6 

4 confit duck legs*
1 orange
1 or 2 fresh chili peppers
1 tsp ground cumin 
 
Seriously, that’s all.
 
Additionally you’ll need:
A roasting pan
A citrus juicer
Some aluminum foil
 
Preheat oven to 180ºC/350ºF

Unpackage the confit duck legs into your roasting pan, fat and all. Cut an orange in half and squeeze all over the duck. Tuck the orange carcasses in between the pieces of duck. Tuck your chili or two (split them in half vertically if you wish) in between the pieces of duck, as well. Sprinkle liberally with ground cumin. Cover with foil and place in oven for 30-40 minutes, enough for the duck to heat through and the fat to have liquefied and start bubbling. Remove the foil and return to the oven uncovered for another 30-45 minutes, ‘til the top of any flesh sticking out of the fat is nicely browned and the citrus hulls look a bit charred. Once your duck is looking nicely browned, allow to cool enough to remove from the roasting pan and peel off the now falling-off-the-bone flesh and skin into another pan or mixing bowl, breaking it up into small pieces.
 
Serve on a corn tortilla with the traditional salsa verde – or whatever floats your boat. It’s also great on top of a salad, a bowl of rice, beans r of course in a burrito.

*If you’re not in France and don’t have easy access to duck confit (which should be a crime) listen to the episode for further alternatives!


Find Us Online
Website: https://www.parisundergroundradio.com/thetransplantkitchen
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parisundergroundradio
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parisundergroundradio/


Credits
Host: Alannah McPherson Tavallai; https://www.parisundergroundradio.com/alannahmcphersontavallai; @hannala
Host: Omid Tavallai; https://www.parisundergroundradio.com/omidtavallai; @tavallai
Nortion of Paris: @nortonofparis
Producer: Jennifer Geraghty. https://www.parisundergroundradio.com/jenniferfoxgeraghty; @jennyphoria; Website: http://jennyphoria.com


Music Credits
Theme music is “Leave” by Omid Tavallai


About Us
French cuisine is magnifique. It has a well-deserved reputation around the world. But when you're a transplant from another country living in France, sometimes you want to trade in that croissant for a cinnamon roll. Or a tartine for a taco.
 
Join us at The Transplant Kitchen as we share recipes, stories, and tips on how to make the capital of gastronomy feel a little more like home.