Yeah, let's wait and do giant after the holidays. Besides, I haven't even looked at the recipe. I'm going to do the duck this weekend, too. I like parsnips fine, but I'm with maire-louise, the giant ones that you usually see aren't very good. I think turnips would work; even carrots would be OK, though their sweetness seems to run counter to the rest of the dish. I'm up for risotto just about any time; I'll find the right rice and stand by. Seth, if I recall, Craig's recipe calls for brodo, which is not quite the same thing as stock. OK, I haven't looked at the recipe in a while, so I'm not certain. But I know that a deep, rich meaty stock is often not what Italian cooking entails.