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Choosing what to order in Italian restaurants is always a challenge. To narrow the field, I tend towards options that seem a bit more exotic – like something I wouldn’t attempt at home. For a time, duck ragu, was one of my favorite dishes that fell into this category. It wasn’t that I was intimidated by the thought of making duck ragu – I just didn’t know where to buy duck (at least at an affordable price). This changed when I discovered one of the large Asian supermarkets around town. With my newly found source of duck, I set out to learn how to make this classic dish. As I suspected, it’s not very difficult – you just need duck and enough time for it to simmer slowly on the stove. If you are looking for a somewhat exotic gourmet pasta entree, I recommend you try this duck ragu with pappardelle.
Cooking Notes for Pappardelle with Duck Ragu
Duck ragu is a thick hearty sauce that requires sturdy pasta. Pappardelle, a long wide flat noodle, is perfect for the job. Tagliatelle or wide tubular pasta such as paccheri also work well. I like to pick up fresh pappardelle from our local Italian Store. You can find dried pappardelle at up-scale grocery stores or online. If you are feeling really ambitious, you can make your own. Here’s a recipe from Michael Chiarello.
Pappardelle with Duck Ragu
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hours 30 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- ¼ lb pancetta, cooked and crumbled – reserve grease for browning duck legs
- 4 duck legs
- 2 yellow onions, dice
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 4 oz shiitake mushrooms, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 ½ cups red wine
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp allspice
- 1 tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped
- 1.5 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 28 can diced tomatoes
- 1 small bunch parsley, chopped
- Parmesan or pecorino cheese for garnish, shredded
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven, brown the pancetta until crispy. Transfer it to plate. Chop when cool.
- Season the duck legs with salt and pepper. Brown the duck legs in the pancetta grease. Place the legs skin side down and cook approximately 7 minutes. Turn the legs and cook another 4 minutes. Transfer to a large plate or bowl. Pour off duck fat until approx. 1 tbsp remains in pan.
- Add onion, celery and carrots. Sautee over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and garlic and cook 5 minutes more or until veggies are soft.
- Add wine and increase heat to bring to a lively simmer. Cook for 2 minutes and then add the tomato paste, and herbs (bay leaf, thyme, cinnamon, allspice, and tarragon). Cook for 1 minute and then add canned tomato.
- Nestle the duck legs in the sauce and simmer over medium low heat for 1.5 to 2 hours.
- Remove duck legs from sauce. When cool enough to handle, remove skin and shred duck meat. Return meat to sauce. Season with salt and pepper and heat through. Stir in ¼ cup parsley and pancetta.
- Serve with pappardelle garnishing with fresh parsley and cheese.
