Ingredients
1 teaspoon Salt
¼ teaspoon Pepper
2 ½ tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
1 package Uncle Ben’s Brown Ready Rice
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves Garlic, minced
½ – 1 cup Vegetable Broth
3 tablespoons Tomato Paste
Zest of ½ of lemon
Zest of ½ of lime
1/3 cup loosely packed Cilantro, chopped
1/3 cup slivered Almonds
4 teaspoons Ancho Espresso Spice Mix
4 Maple Leaf Farms duck breast filets, patted dry (8 oz. each)
Dried orange zest, for garnish
Cilantro leaves, for garnish
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook 3 to 4 minutes or onions are translucent, stirring occasionally. Add in garlic, reduce the heat (to avoid burning the garlic), and cook for 1 minute while stirring. Add rice, ½ cup broth, tomato paste, lime zest, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Use a wooden spoon to break up tomato paste, and stir until ingredients are well blended. Increase heat to medium, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more broth (1 tablespoon at a time), if needed, to keep the rice mixture moist. After 10 minutes stir in cilantro and almonds.
3. In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil with the ancho espresso spice mix. Coat and press the mixture onto the flesh of the duck filets. High heat in a sautee pan cook the duck breast skin side down until golden brown and crispy.
Brush the bottom of a baking sheet with ½ tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and place the duck, skin-side down, on the baking sheet. Bake for 9 minutes, or up to 12 minutes for a well-done result.
4. Assemble rice in the center of a plate with the duck filets nestled on top. Garnish with dried orange zest and cilantro.
