Mario Batali's Duck Ragu

People went nuts yesterday over the picture I posted of the Duck Ragu I made in class. The dish is so rich and full of flavor - I think it might just be my favorite recipe of the quarter!

This is a great meal to cook when you are aiming to impress your family and friends. We made fresh pappardelle pasta in class, which is relatively easy and simple if you have the proper space, time and tools for the task. If you don't, try to find fresh pasta at your grocery store. If all else fails, dried pappardelle pasta will suffice. (Apparently culinary school is turning me into a food snob. You know what? I am just fine with that!)




Before I started attending culinary school, I always tossed my noodles in olive oil as soon as they were cooked al dente in order to prevent them from sticking together. I've since learned that doing so actually prevents the pasta sauce from adhering to the noodles. A better way to keep them from sticking is to either add the noodles into the sauce pot after they have been drained, or immediately toss the noodles in a small amount of sauce. This way your noodles will serve as the perfect vehicle for your sauce.


The recipe comes from Mario Batali's collection.

Ingredients:
-3 duck legs and thighs, skin removed
-Olive oil
-1 medium onion, chopped into 1/4-inch dice
-1 medium carrot, peeled and finely chopped
-2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
-1 stalk celery, chopped into 1/4-inch dice
-8 ounces red wine (Chianti preferred)
-1 pound canned tomatoes, peeled whole
-1 cup chicken stock
-1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
-1 lb. fresh pasta



fresh, uncooked pappardelle noodles



Directions:
1. Pat duck legs dry and season well with salt and pepper.
2. In a thick bottomed casserole or Dutch oven, heat olive oil until about to smoke.
3. Add duck legs and cook until brown on all sides and remove, about 10 to 12 minutes.
4. Add onion, carrot, garlic and celery and cook until softened, about 7 to 9 minutes.
5. Add wine, tomatoes, chicken stock and dried mushrooms and bring to a boil.
6. Add duck legs and return to boil, lower heat, cover and allow to simmer for 1 hour.
7. Remove duck legs and allow to cool.
8. Pull all meat off the bones and return to pot, without the bones.
9. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, or until quite thick. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

In a large pot, bring 6 quarts of salted water to boil and add 2 tablespoons salt. Boil pappardelle until cooked, and drain well. IMPORTANT: Put hot pappardelle into pan with duck ragu and toss well. Pour into serving bowl and serve immediately.


il padrone