photo by Trevor H

The trend of food trucks using Twitter as a marketing and tracking tool is getting plenty of press.  Kogi BBQ in LA is the big winner - they have been mentioned throughout the press covering interweb trends.  The press is well deserved - it’s a creative use of technology and a good match for an entire new market.  Some of these trucks are serving food that is a vast departure from the standard taco trucks that lure workers off construction sites.

One of the trucks that garners local press is Kung Fu tacos in San Francisco.  The tacos that consistently make the news are their duck tacos, although not always with positive results.  I really don't believe this is how they prepare their duck, but this is how I do it.

This is my second and last of the duck season recipes.  Not that I am tired of duck, but I don't want to use up my small and valuable stash.  I had to experiment and learn with these, so I made a dent in the little corner of my freezer that is storing these little treasures.

These are a great weekend lunch.  Just start the marinating process first thing in the morning and they'll be ready to go by lunch time.  I add a leaf or two of cilantro, but the tacos are just as good without.

Don't underestimate the importance of good corn tortillas.  I live in a town high in tortilla density, and I can only find one good source (Fiesta).

Duck tacos

Skinless Duck breasts

Corn tortillas

Mango salsa

Brine:

1 cup water

1 cup orange juice

1/2 cup salt

10 black peppercorns

1 clove garlic, smashed

Marinade:

1/2 cup mirin rice wine

1/2 cup light soy sauce

1/2 cup strong brewed tea

2 Tbsp honey

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp ground red pepper

1/2 tsp ground clove

1 garlic clove, minced

Directions

1. Combine the brine in a bowl and brine the duck for 2 hours.


2. Rinse the duck in cold water and pat dry. 


3. Combine the marinade and marinate the duck for another 2 hours.


4. Heat some olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat.


5. Add the duck breasts and baste with the marinade. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.


6. Turn the breasts over, baste with more marinade, cover and cook for 5 minutes.


7. Remove from heat and let the cooked breasts rest, covered, for 10 minutes.

The marinade is a variation in the basic James Beard marinade.

photo by minishorts

If you have read this blog at all, you've noticed a few areas where I take some liberties:

• Street food can have many definitions and variations.  It's good enough for me if I think something should be a street food.


• I am heavily influenced by ingredients.  It would be pretty easy to throw up a recipe for tacos, but if there is something in season its usually a good time to talk about it.

This is one of those times.  It’s the time of year that if you are lucky enough to have a friend that hunts, or time to get out there yourself, you are getting ducks.  I was recently lucky enough to get the golden cooler filled with fresh teal duck breasts, and this recipe is the first thing I thought of. 

Since you can pretty much get any noodle dish in Bangkok, I feel like I can take some liberties with noodles.  This a great way to cook duck breast and its even better on noodles.

Duck can get pretty gamey, so it’s a great idea to brine it first.  This recipe takes some time to brine and marinate the meat, so I recommend you do the marinating overnight if you want to serve this for lunch. 

It would not be accurate to call this asian, but you don't see many noodle bowls on ranches in Texas.  The noodles vary in time and texture, so you are on your own for cooking soba the way you like.   In the next couple weeks I'll do duck tacos while ducks are still in season. 

Soba noodles with wild duck

2 lbs duck breast

Soba noodles, cooked to your liking

Brine:

1 cup water

1 cup orange juice

1/2 cup salt

10 black peppercorns

1 clove garlic, smashed

Marinade:

1/4 cup brandy

1 cup red wine

2 onions, minced

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp marjoram

1/4 tsp allspice

1 bay leaf

The rest:

3 Tbsp butter

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced

3/4 cup chicken stock

1. Rinse the duck and pat dry.


2. Mix the brine in a bowl until the salt is dissolved.


3. Put the duck into a glass bowl and cover with the brine.  Cover and refrigerate.


4. Brine the duck for 2 hours.


5. Rinse the duck, clean the bowl and return the duck to the glass bowl.  Cover with the marinade.


6. Marinate overnight or for 5-6 hours.  Stir when you can.


7. Strain the marinade into a bowl.  Reserve both the solids and liquids.  Remove the bay leaf and discard.


8. Heat the oil and butter in a cast iron skillet over medium heat.  Brown the duck for 10 minutes.


9. Add about half the reserved onions from the marinade.  Cook for another 7-10 minutes.


10. Add the garlic, mushrooms, stock and 1/2 cup of the marinade liquid.  Bring to a slow boil.


11. Reduce the  heat to a slow simmer, cover, and cook for 1.5 hours.


12. Spoon over the soba noodles.