Day 32: Duck Confit, Over Open Ravioli

Done and done! The preparation for our first meal post-restaurant-free month began last night as we rendered about a pound or so of duck fat, and cured four duck legs in a salt, shallot, and thyme mixture. Twenty-four or so hours later, we reheated the rendered duck fat, poured it over the duck legs until they were submerged, and then put those in the oven at 225 for three agonizing hours. To pass the time, Chelsea and I made the pasta for the open ravioli, a much easier task than traditional ravioli, since we only needed two or three big noodles to go under the duck--no cutting or fancy shape-making for us. Once the duck meat started falling off the bone, I removed the legs from the heat to let them cool, and then shredded them with two very lucky forks.

We placed the shredded duck on top of a single noodle and rounded out the meal with a side salad of mixed greens.



I don't know how to describe the deliciousness, so I won't. But what better way to celebrate my "better than low" cholesterol test than to eat cracklings out of the pan...

So that does it for this restaurant-free month. Thanks for reading. We'll of course check in from time to time -- and I imagine we'll have to tell you about our first meal out. "Oh that poor restaurant," says Chelsea. One thing's for certain: we'll have to scrimp again -- we're both writers, after all -- and when we do, we'll be back here for another RFM.

A very special thanks to our dogs, who have taught us everything we know abouth patience.

Day 31: Pork Buns = Heaven

Dear Reader, today is February 1, meaning that January is over, and Restaurant Free Month is over. Wait a minute... what's Jim doing in the kitchen making duck confit? It turns out that we're cooking at home tonight too, and that regular months aren't all that different from Restaurant Free Months. And that's the way we like it.

Last night was the official end to RFM, and we closed on a high note. I've already written about doing the legwork for our steamed pork buns over the weekend. It paid off last night when all I needed to do was slice my chilled pork belly and reheat it in a warm skillet, re-steam a few pillowy buns, and stuff the buns with pork belly, sliced scallions, fresh cucumber pickles, and hoisin sauce. It was pork perfection.

To counteract all that fatty meat, I made a simple green salad dressed in a sweet lime dressing (actually the dipping sauce from our spring rolls a few nights ago) and some jasmine rice. The meal was so good that I dreamed about it all night long and woke up craving it this morning.

Even though our thirty (one) days are over, we'll continue posting our favorite meals here on a less-frequent basis. So stay tuned, and eat well.