Animal Flesh Recipe of the Day.

Since I did not get to this yesterday, we'll pull an Ernie Banks.

If you have a day or two, you might want to try this recipe featuring the flesh of that vicious anti-human, the duck. (Thanks to Emeril Lagasse and Food Network.)

Duck Rillette with Crostini

1 recipe Duck Confit, recipe follows

1/4 cup minced onions
1 tablespoon minced parsley
10 garlic cloves, reserved from the Duck Confit
1 tablespoon cognac
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) butter
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fat reserved from the Duck Confit
20 Homemade Crostini, recipe follows

Pull duck meat from the bones and shred. Discard skin and bones.
Combine the pulled meat, and all of the remaining ingredients, except for the crostini, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook. Beat at medium speed for about 1 minute, or until everything is well mixed. Or use a food processor, taking care not to puree the mixture or let it turn into a paste. The texture should be like finely chopped meat.
Serve rillette with crostini.

If not using immediately, spoon rillette into ramekins and cover with reserved fat from the duck confit. Store in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Duck Confit:
4 duck leg portions with thighs attached, (about 2 pounds) excess fat trimmed and reserved
1 tablespoon plus
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
10 garlic cloves
4 bay leaves
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon table salt
4 cups olive oil

Lay the leg portions on a platter, skin side down. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the kosher salt and the black pepper. Place the garlic cloves, bay leaves, and sprigs of thyme on each of 2 leg portions. Lay the remaining 2 leg portions, flesh to flesh, on top. Put the reserved fat from the ducks in the bottom of a glass or plastic container. Top with the sandwiched leg portions. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt. Cover and refrigerate for 12 hours.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.

Remove the duck from the refrigerator. Remove the garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and duck fat and reserve. Rinse the duck with cool water, rubbing off some of the salt and pepper. Pat dry with paper towels.

Put the reserved garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and duck fat in the bottom of an enameled cast iron pot. Sprinkle evenly with the peppercorns and table salt. Lay the duck on top, skin side down. Add the olive oil. Cover and bake for 12 to 14 hours, or until the meat pulls away from the bone.

Remove the duck from the fat. Strain the fat and reserve. To store the duck confit, place the duck leg portions in a container, cover with the reserved cooking fat, and store in the refrigerator. Alternately, pick the meat from the bones and place it in a stoneware container. Cover the meat with a thin layer of some of the strained fat. The duck confit can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one month.

The excess oil can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and used like butter for cooking. The tinge of duck taste in the oil is wonderful.
Homemade Crostini:
20 slices (2 to 3 inches in diameter) French or Italian bread, about 1/4-inch thick each
Olive oil
Coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Arrange bread slices on a baking sheet and brush generously with olive oil on both sides. Sprinkle lightly with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Bake for 2 to 4 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp. (Watch carefully while they are baking to make sure they don't burn.)

Yield: 20 crostini

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Yeah, I know what's going through your head: I wonder what Chinese Crested tastes like? (Your secret is safe with me.)

From my paisan Mario Batali comes the following recipe that exploits those cute little baby cows.

Veal Roasted for Fest: Veal Farsu Magru

1/2 of 1 breast of veal, 1 side only, boned and partially de-fatted
2 tablespoons plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound Swiss chard, cut into 1-inch ribbons, washed and drained
1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino
1/2 cup chopped sundried tomatoes
2 eggs, beaten
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups dry white wine
1 cup basic tomato sauce, recipe follows
Chopped parsley, for garnish
Chopped marjoram, for garnish
Chili flakes, for garnish
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Have a butcher remove the bone from the veal breast and butterfly the breast open.
In a 12 to 14-inch saute pan, heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil until smoking and add the Swiss chard. Cooked until wilted but not fully cooked, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the greens to cool completely. Add the grated cheese, sundried tomatoes and eggs, and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Season the veal. Spoon the stuffing on the inside of the veal pocket and gently roll the veal up like a jelly roll. Using butcher's twine, tie the veal roll securely and season the outside with salt and pepper.

In an oven-ready thick bottomed casserole over medium heat, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil until smoking. Gently add the rolled veal breast and brown on all sides, turning frequently for about 10 minutes. Drain the oil from the pan, add the white wine and tomato sauce, and bring to a boil. Cover pan with a lid or with foil and place in the oven. Cook 1 to 1/2 hours (??? My guess is it should read "1 to 1 and 1/2 hours. But you can't go wrong with "or until fork tender". - F.G.) or until fork tender. Remove and allow to stand for 10 minutes. Carve and garnish with chopped parsley, marjoram, chili flakes and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Serve immediately.

Basic tomato sauce:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 Spanish onion, chopped in 1/4-inch dice
4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves, or 1 tablespoon dried
1/2 medium carrot, finely shredded
2 (28-ounce) cans peeled whole tomatoes, crushed by hand and juices reserved Salt

In a 3-quart saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and cook until soft and light golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the thyme, carrot and cook 5 minutes more, until the carrot is quite soft. Add the tomatoes and juice and bring to a boil, stirring often. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes until as thick as hot cereal. Season with salt and serve. This sauce holds 1 week in the refrigerator or up to 6 months in the freezer.

Yield: 4 cups