Duck Ragu
Rich duck ragu for egg pasta. The essential step: blend the sauce and juices from the duck roasting vessel until smooth, then pour into the main ragu for full depth of flavour.
Product list ingredients
- duck
- onions
- garlic
- carrots
- parmesan
- egg pasta
- thyme
- bay leaf
- tomato paste
- chicken stock
- red wine
- celery
Ingredients
Ragu:
- •4 duck legs (or about 1.2kg duck pieces)
- •2 tbsp olive oil
- •1 large onion, finely diced
- •2 carrots, finely diced
- •2 celery sticks, finely diced
- •4 garlic cloves, minced
- •2 tbsp tomato paste
- •200ml red wine
- •600ml chicken stock
- •2 bay leaves
- •1 tsp dried thyme
- •Salt and black pepper, to taste
- •Egg pasta: pappardelle or tagliatelle, to serve
- •Parmesan, to finish (optional)
Directions
Ragu:
Season duck with salt and pepper. Brown well on both sides in olive oil in a heavy pot, then remove.
In the same pot add onion, carrot, and celery. Cook on medium heat until softened and lightly caramelized, then add garlic and tomato paste and cook 1 to 2 minutes more.
Deglaze with red wine and reduce by about half.
Return duck to the pot. Add stock, bay leaves, and thyme. Simmer very gently, partially covered, until duck is tender.
Remove duck and pull meat from the bones. Discard bones and any large pieces of skin.
Important: blend the sauce and juices from the duck roasting vessel with a hand blender until smooth, pour into the main ragu, then fold in the shredded duck.
Simmer 10 to 15 minutes and adjust seasoning. Cook pasta al dente, toss with the ragu and a little pasta water, then serve with parmesan if desired.
Photos from the process.
