CRISPY DUCK

I'm not a big fan of duck breast - but a crispy leg & thigh I LOVE.

We drove out to Whole Foods in Irvine (or is it Tustin?) on Sunday and they had these beautiful duck legs, and I just couldn't resist! The prep is very easy (in my house anyway) - salt, pepper, a little bit of my house herbs and in a 350 oven it goes until crispy and tender and delicious.



Now, Theo doesn't like beans of any kind, so the traditional fried potatoes and white bean dish I prefer with the duck was not an option. So, back to the eggplant, and then I had a zucchini and half of a potato leftover from a previous dish.


Cooked the potatoes first of course, so they'd be crispy.


Then added the diced zucchini and eggplant and cooked until tender - then mixed it with the potatoes. Oh, I added a few paper thin slices of chorizo to the mix too. Why? Because chorizo rocks, that's why.


Oh yeah, that's crispy! And LOOK at all that delicious duck fat that came off of those two little legs!



Get me a fork...

SALMON FOR DINNER TONIGHT

So, I had a piece of salmon. But I know Theo is probably getting tired of salmon because we eat it once a week now and I always fix it the same way - plain, pan sauteed with a crispy crust a squirt of lemon and then some fresh greens - so I wanted to make it more hearty than the typical dinner that we normally have. Oh, speaking of vegetables, all I had was eggplant. Well, eggplant and celery and we all know the celery doesn't really qualify as a side dish leading role. Salmon and eggplant. Hmmm. Hey, how about I sautee the eggplant with some tomato, add a pinch of oregano, and toss with the salmon over spaghetti? A touch of truffle oil would be nice too? Oh, and a few shreds of cheese. But since parm regg always gets the gig when it coms to pasta - how about guyere this time instead.

And so a pasta dish was born.

The appetizer...


Vegetables cooked...



Salmon is getting it's crust...



THAT'S what I'm talkin' about!


No, dogs can't have salmon. I'm sorry Lulu. You can have a noodle, is that OK?


Ahhhh..... done! And, it was really good. I overcooked the noodles a tad, but I was too lazy and hungry to recook them, but it was still edible. I think a few olives in this would have also been outstanding!