Duck Ragu Recipes

SIENNA MILLER'S DUCK RAGù

Steps:

• Get the duck out of the fridge and up to room temperature before you cook it. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4.
• Rub the duck all over with olive oil, sea salt and black pepper. Put into a snug-fitting roasting tray and roast for 2 hours, or until golden and cooked through, then remove the duck to a board and set the tray aside for later.
• Peel the onions, garlic and celery, then finely chop and place in a large, wide pan on a medium-low heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until softened and lightly golden, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, remove the duck skin and keep to one side (wear clean rubber gloves!), then shred the meat off the bones. Pour most of the Chianti into the pan and let it reduce for 10 to 15 minutes, then stir in the shredded duck meat.
• Stir the remaining splash of wine into the roasting tray and scrape all the lovely, crispy bits from the bottom, then pour into the pan. Scrunch in the tomatoes through your clean hands, then add 2 tins' worth of water.
• Stir in the raisins, strip in the rosemary leaves and add the bay leaves, then simmer for 1 hour 30 minutes, or until thickened and reduced - if you've got any Parmesan rind, throw that in too for an added flavour dimension (just remember to take it out before serving!).
• Meanwhile, peel the garlic and place in a food processor with the reserved duck skin. Tear in the bread, strip in the thyme leaves, then blitz until fine. Tip into a frying pan on a medium heat with ½ a tablespoon of olive oil and fry for 3 to 5 minutes, or until golden and crisp, stirring regularly. Decant into a small bowl.
• Make the Royal pasta dough. Once it's relaxed for 30 minutes, roll out on a clean flour-dusted surface into a rectangle roughly ½cm thick.
• Using a sharp knife, cut it into long ½cm strips, then with lightly oiled fingers gently roll each strip into a long thin sausage shape, starting at the middle and carefully rolling outwards, placing them on a semolina-dusted tray as you go.
• When the ragù has around 10 minutes to go, cook the pici in a large pan of boiling salted water for 6 to 10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain, reserving a cupful of cooking water.
• Toss the pici with the ragù, adding a splash of extra virgin olive oil and a little reserved cooking water to loosen, if needed. Divide between bowls, then grate over some Parmesan, sprinkle over the pangrattato, and serve.

VENETIAN DUCK RAGU

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the duck legs and brown on all sides for about 10 mins. Remove to a plate and set aside. Add the onions to the pan and cook for 5 mins until softened. Add the garlic and cook for a further 1 min, then stir in the cinnamon and flour and cook for a further min. Return the duck to the pan, add the wine, tomatoes, stock, herbs, sugar and seasoning. Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat, cover with a lid and cook for 2 hrs, stirring every now and then.
• Carefully lift the duck legs out of the sauce and place on a plate - they will be very tender so try not to lose any of the meat. Pull off and discard the fat, then shred the meat with 2 forks and discard the bones. Add the meat back to the sauce with the milk and simmer, uncovered, for a further 10-15 mins while you cook the pasta.
• Cook the pasta following pack instructions, then drain, reserving a cup of the pasta water, and add the pasta to the ragu. Stir to coat all the pasta in the sauce and cook for 1 min more, adding a splash of cooking liquid if it looks dry. Serve with grated Parmesan, if you like.

DUCK RAGU

Steps:

• In a large saute pan over medium-low heat, heat olive oil and add garlic, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, sage and nutmeg. Saute for 1 minute, then add carrot, onion and celery. Saute until vegetables just begin to soften, another minute or two, then add duck pieces skin side down.
• Raise heat to high, and sear duck pieces, stirring vegetables so they do not burn. Turn duck pieces to sear other side. When duck is lightly browned, add about a cup of wine, and stir gently while wine evaporates. Turn duck pieces again, and add another cup of wine, repeating procedure until all wine is gone and duck is dark brown.
• Reduce heat to medium. Add tomato paste and stock, stirring and scraping bottom of pan. Cook for a few more minutes, then remove from heat. Transfer duck pieces to a platter, and allow to cool. Set aside pan of sauce.
• When duck is cool enough to handle, remove all meat and cut into bite-size pieces. Remove sprigs of herbs and garlic cloves from sauce. Return duck meat to sauce, and place over medium heat. Add plum tomatoes, breaking them with a spoon. Simmer mixture until sauce has reduced and thickened slightly, about 10 minutes. Season to taste. Serve over pappardelle.

GREAT SOUTH BAY DUCK RAGù

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350. Trim excess skin from duck legs and discard.
• Heat a Dutch oven with a tightly fitting lid over medium heat. Add olive oil to the pot, and when it begins to shimmer, add the duck legs, skin side down. Cook until the skin is well browned and the fat has begun to render, approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Turn the legs over and brown the other sides, 5 to 10 minutes more. Remove to a plate to rest.
• Add the celery, carrots, onion and garlic to the pot, and stir to combine. Cook until the onions have softened and have just started to color, approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Clear a space in the center of the pot and add the anchovies, then swirl them in fat until they begin to dissolve. Stir to combine. Add juniper berries, wine, vinegar and duck legs, and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, approximately 15 minutes.
• Add tomato paste and stir to combine, then enough chicken stock so that the combination takes on a sauce-like consistency and just covers the duck. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Put a lid onto the pot and place in the oven. Cook for 90 minutes, or until the legs are almost falling off the bone.
• Remove duck from pot and allow to cool slightly. Peel off skin, dice and reserve. Shred meat off bones and return to pot. Place pot on stove top over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Add duck skin to taste, sage and salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Serve over polenta.

DUCK RAGU WITH PAPPARDELLE & SWEDE

Steps:

• Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a large deep frying pan over a high heat and fry the duck breasts for 2 mins on either side until well browned, then set aside. Tip the fat from the frying pan into a dish (keep it for later use if you like), and turn the heat on the pan down to medium, then add the rest of the olive oil. Tip the onion and fennel seeds into the pan, add a large pinch of salt and cook for 5 mins until the onion is starting to soften. Crush in the garlic cloves, then add the bay leaf, parsley stalks and thyme leaves. Stir well and cook for 2 mins more.
• Turn the heat up, then pour in the red wine and cook for 2 mins until it has reduced a little. Spoon in the tomato purée and tip in the can of tomatoes along with the stock, stir and bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to low and return the duck breasts to the pan, cover and simmer very gently for 40-45 mins or until the meat is tender.
• Remove the duck breasts with a slotted spoon, put in a bowl, turn the heat up and reduce the tomato sauce for 10 mins until thick enough to coat your pasta. Use two forks to shred the duck, then tip the meat back into the sauce. Add the red wine vinegar and raisins, then season to taste. Set aside.
• When ready to serve, cook your pasta. Heat a large pan of well salted water, add the pappardelle and cook following pack instructions. For the final minute of cooking time, drop in the swede. Drain, reserving a ladleful of the pasta water to add to the sauce. Toss the pasta and swede through the sauce. Divide between bowls and top with the toasted pine nuts, parmesan and a scattering of parsley.

DUCK RAGU

Steps:

• Finely chopped fresh parsley, for servingHeat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet or Dutch oven.
• Sprinkle the duck legs with salt and pepper. Sear in the hot pan until golden brown and crisp, 10 minutes. Remove to a plate.
• Add the carrots, celery and onions, and saute until soft, 3 minutes. Add the thyme and garlic, and saute until fragrant, 1 minute.
• Add the red wine. Use the back of a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits from the duck; this will add to the flavor of the finished sauce. Cook for 2 minutes, then stir in the tomatoes, some salt and pepper and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the seared duck back to the pan and cover. Simmer gently until the duck is extremely tender and falling off the bone, 1 hour and 30 minutes.
• Remove to a casserole dish to cool. Remove the skin and bones and discard. Chop the meat finely and add it back into the tomato sauce, adding a half a cup of water if it looks dry, and simmer, covered for 40 minutes.
• Serve over Homemade Pappardelle. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil serve with freshly grated Parmesan and parsley.
• Add the flour and salt to the center of a large wooden board. Use your hands and make a well in the center of the mound. Whisk together the eggs and olive oil in a bowl and pour into the well. Use a fork to whisk the eggs into the flour, incorporating slowly into the rim of the flour until it is completely incorporated.
• Once incorporated, knead the pasta for about 8 minutes, adding just a bit more flour if the board is sticky. If the dough feels too dry, add a drop of water as you go. The dough should feel elastic, smooth and a bit sticky. Shape the pasta dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Let rest for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour at room temperature to let the gluten relax so rolling will be easier.
• Set your pasta machine to the widest setting. Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Roll each piece out from the widest setting to the thinnest. Hand cut the pasta into pappardelle.
• Gather the strands together in your hands and shake loosely so they don't stick together. Toss with some semolina flour. Divide into portions on a sheet tray.
• Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Boil the pasta until al dente and drain, about 3 minutes. Yield: About 1 pound.