Arroz con pato | Spanish rice with duck and saffron

Cut the duck legs into medium-sized pieces and season them generously with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat the olive oil in a deep frying pan or a cast iron pan (paellera) over medium-high heat. Add the duck pieces and brown them on all sides for 8-10 minutes, until the skin becomes crispy and golden brown. Transfer the meat to a plate and keep some of the rendered fat in the pan.

Finely chop the yellow onion, dice the red bell pepper, and crush the garlic cloves. In the same pan, add the onion and bell pepper, sautéing them for 5-6 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and smoked paprika, stirring vigorously for 1 minute to release the aromas without burning the paprika. Add the tomato passata and cook the sofrito for 4-5 minutes, until the liquid reduces and the mixture thickens.

Add the round-grain rice to the pan over the sofrito and stir continuously for 2 minutes, allowing the grains to absorb the aromatic sauce (the nacarar technique). Pour in the warm chicken stock, add the saffron threads and the rosemary sprig, stirring gently to distribute the rice evenly. Return the browned duck pieces to the pan.