Warm Rice Salad With Smoked Duck

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a handful of kosher salt. Stir the rice into the water and gently boil until the rice is al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain well.

2. Step 2

   Meanwhile, soak the shallots in the vinegar, adding a two-fingered pinch of salt.

3. Step 3

   Peel the oranges and separate into sections, cutting the sections in half and squeezing out the seeds. Or, if you are feeling ambitious, remove the peels with a chef’s knife and carve the sections away from the membranes with a paring knife, creating naked little crescents. If you do this, squeeze the juice from the membranes and from any peel pieces with bits of orange still attached into the vinegar and shallots. Add all the spices to the vinegar, and then the olive oil, stirring it quasi-energetically with a fork. Taste for salt; the dressing should be highly seasoned.

4. Step 4

   As the rice is draining, heat the duck breast in the microwave just long enough to warm it but not long enough to cook it, around a minute or so. (Microwaves are idiosyncratic, so you be the judge.) Slice it into strips about half an inch thick, and slice those strips again into bits about half an inch thick. Toss the duck into a bowl with the rice and the olives. Add the dressing and stir well. Adjust the seasoning. Turn the rice salad onto a platter. Scatter the oranges over the top and dust the platter with the cilantro.