Prometheus' Revenge!

Prometheus was punished by Zeus by being chained up and having an eagle come and eat his liver every day. See, cause he was immortal the liver would grow back and the eagle could come back the next day and eat the new liver. Eventually Hercules came and shot the eagle with an arrow and freed Prometheus. Now, Hercules in Aristophanes' play The Birds was willing to trade the scepter and authority of Zeus and the gods for a tasty dish of bird cooked in a delicious sauce, so I find it hard to believe that he would not have said ..
Hercules: Hey Prometheus ...
Prometheus: Wow, is it good not to be chained up.
Hercules: What should we with this dead eagle? I have an idea ...
Prometheus: Whatever, I am so glad I am not chained up.
Hercules: Lets eat the eagle!
Prometheus: Only if we put the liver in the sauce. Revenge!
Hercules: Yay! I love birds and liver!

Prometheus' Revenge!

2 duck breasts

1/4 bulb of fennel

teaspoon of orange zest

shallot

garlic

duck liver

red wine

dried cherries

aleppo pepper (optional)

1) Part out the duck. The best thing to do is buy a whole duck and part it out to get the breasts and the liver. Buying just breasts is really expensive. This step I will make its own post at a later date.

2) Gather other ingredients:

3) Make a series of slices through the fat but not into the flesh of the duck breasts. This will allow more fat to get out which will make the texture better and the sauce tastier.

4) Then, put the duck breasts fat side down in a saute pan. Then turn on the saute pan to a medium high heat. As the pan heats it will start releasing all that wonderful delicious fat from the duck.

5) Sprinkle some salt and pepper on that duck while she cooks! When the fat is all delicious and golden brown, give the breasts a flip.

6) Cook until the ducks are how you like em. Some people like them dry and horrid, some like them still quacking. I like them in the middle. Then set them aside to rest while you make the sauce.

7) To the pan still on the burner and full of hot duck fat but now bereft of duck, add chopped garlic, shallots, duck liver, and fennel. See, Prometheus stole fire in a giant fennel stalk and that was a reason he got punished, so it seems right to put to put fennel in his dish of revenge! Okay, I know, I know: giant fennel is a different plant than this kind of fennel plant ... but who cares! Revenge is also best served cold and this dish is hot! This is Prometheus' revenge dish and he wants fennel in it to symbolize the fennel in which he stole fire! Duck liver tastes so good that at this point in the dish Hercules always cries with joy.

8) Add cherries and aleppo pepper. The aleppo pepper gives the heat that Prometheus feels symbolizes the fire that he had in the fennel stalk. Crushed red pepper works too. Also, add orange zest now.

add wine

 9) Reduce sauce until it is a nice saucy consistency. Then slice your duck breasts and arrange on a plate:

10) Then pour over sauce and eat!

This dish tastes really, really good! And we got to look at Hesiod and Aristophanes to make it! There is a great painting by Rubens at the Philadelphia Museum of Art of Prometheus getting his liver eaten. Go there and look at it and then go make this dish and help Prometheus get his revenge! Enjoy!