Duck Ragù with Pappardelle
Slow-cooked and warming, my duck ragù with silky pappardelle pasta is a stand-out dish of ever there was one. The fragrant sauce clings to the pasta and the whole thing feels so luxurious and decadent.
Servings: 6
Calories: 743kcal
Ingredients
- 4 duck legs trimmed of excess fat
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 carrot chopped
- 1 celery stalk chopped
- 3 garlic cloves chopped
- ½ tsp peppercorns
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 cup tomato passata
- 1½ cups chicken stock
- Salt
- 600 g Pappardelle pasta
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven or casserole pan, add the oil. Place the duck legs, skin side down and turn on the heat to medium/low. Let them sizzle and render off their fat for around 8 minutes. Remove the duck and pour out half the oil.
- Add the chopped onion, carrot, celery, garlic, fennel, peppercorns, and bay leaf, and fry gently for 5 minutes until softened.
- Add the red wine and let it sizzle for 1-2 minutes to burn off the alcohol before pouring in the tomato and stock. Let this come to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and partially cover the pan.
- Let this simmer gently for 2½ - 3 hours until the duck is tender. Remove the duck pieces from the sauce to cool.
- Remove and discard the bay leaf, and then using an immersion blender, blend the sauce until smooth.
- Slide the duck off the bone, discarding the skin and bones and chop the meat roughly. Return this to the sauce and stir through.
- Cook the pappardelle to the packet instructions in generously salted water. Drain, retaining about 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
- Add the pasta back to its pan along with around ¾ of the sauce and about ½ of the pasta water. Stir to coat everything, adding more sauce or water if needed.
- Portion into bowls and serve with a little more sauce on top. You can accompany with some finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino cheese to dust over the pasta.
Notes
- Substitute meats: Chuck steak, osso buco, beef short ribs, or lamb shanks all work well.
- Herbs: Tie thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano, and marjoram into a small bouquet garni (remove before serving).
- Wine: Red for a deeper flavour, white for a lighter sauce.
- Tomato-forward option: Omit the wine and use 600 ml tomato passata instead. Add a tied bunch of fresh basil in place of fennel seeds, removing at the end.
- Pasta: Pappardelle is traditional; fettuccine, tagliatelle, or paccheri also work well.
Nutrition
Calories: 743kcal | Carbohydrates: 86g | Protein: 48g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 217mg | Sodium: 267mg | Potassium: 801mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 2195IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 6mg