Lord luv a duck! Duck ragu pasta

I think I’ve eaten more duck in the past few months than I have in my entire life. Duck breast here, duck breast there, Peking duck legs everywhere. I had thought that my duck-eating phase was over, but then some duck that had been lurking in the back of the refrigerator somehow waddled its way to the front…

For this duck ragu pasta recipe, I used some overlooked duck shanks from the Luv-a-Duck people that I’d picked up at the Good Food and Wine Show (note to self: must write about that fine event *I am super bad!*). Yes, there are things called duck shanks – they are like a smaller, cutdown drumstick (on the bone), and they do have a bit of meat on them. The Luv-a-Duck ones are marinated and pre-cooked, and just need to be microwaved before using.

If you don’t have pre-cooked duck on hand, you can pan-fry some duck breast or duck legs in some butter and olive oil until cooked, then shred the meat off the bones for this tasty recipe.

Duck Ragu with Pappardelle

serves 2

Ingredients

200g cooked duck meat, shredded
1 tblsp olive oil
3 slices pancetta, chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
10g porcini mushrooms, soaked, drained and chopped
2 tbs tomato paste
1/2 cup (125ml) dry red wine
400g canned diced tomatoes
1 cup (250ml) chicken stock
Pappardelle pasta and grated parmesan, to serve

Method
1.  Heat 1olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add pancetta, onion, garlic, carrot, celery and bay leaves to the pan and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until they start to colour.
2.  Add the duck to the pan together with the porcini, then add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the red wine and cook for 2-3 minutes until the liquid has reduced slightly.
4.  Add the diced tomatoes and chicken stock, bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low, cover and gently simmer for 45 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly.
5.  Season the sauce to taste, then serve the ragu with the pappardelle and parmesan.

Recipe adapted from taste.com.au

Ingredients, including pappardelle, pancetta, dried porcini, bay leaf, onion, celery, carrot, tomato paste and diced tomatoes

Very rich and tasty duck pasta, with grated parmesan cheese

 

And it has some vegetables as well, for the vege-conscious.