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Venetian duck ragu

Venetian duck ragu with pasta on a white plate

Venetian duck ragu

Name: Venetian duck ragu
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 2 h 30 min
Total time: 2 h 45 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil; 4 duck legs; 2 onions finely chopped; 2 fat garlic cloves crushed; 2 tsp ground cinnamon; 2 tsp plain flour; 250ml red wine; 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes; 1 chicken stock cube made up to 250ml; 3 rosemary sprigs, leaves picked and chopped; 2 bay leaves; 1 tsp sugar; 2 tbsp milk; 600g paccheri or pappardelle pasta; parmesan grated, to serve

Cassie Best

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Serves 6

Easy

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 2 hrs and 30 mins

A star rating of 4.8 out of 5.140 ratingsRate

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Cinnamon adds complexity to this slow-cooked pasta sauce, which goes perfectly with large tubular paccheri pasta, or ribbons of pappardelle

Freezable (sauce only)

Healthy

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Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

1 tbsp olive oil
4 duck legs
2 onions

finely chopped
2 fat garlic cloves

crushed
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp plain flour
250ml red wine
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
1 chicken stock cube

made up to 250ml
3 rosemary

sprigs, leaves picked and chopped
2 bay leaves
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp milk
600g paccheri or pappardelle

pasta
parmesan

grated, to serve

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Nutrition: per serving

kcal505
fat12g

low
saturates2g
carbs62g
sugars8g
fibre2g
protein30g
salt0.9g

Method

step 1

Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the duck legs and brown on all sides for about 10 mins. Remove to a plate and set aside. Add the onions to the pan and cook for 5 mins until softened. Add the garlic and cook for a further 1 min, then stir in the cinnamon and flour and cook for a further min. Return the duck to the pan, add the wine, tomatoes, stock, herbs, sugar and seasoning. Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat, cover with a lid and cook for 2 hrs, stirring every now and then.
step 2

Carefully lift the duck legs out of the sauce and place on a plate – they will be very tender so try not to lose any of the meat. Pull off and discard the fat, then shred the meat with 2 forks and discard the bones. Add the meat back to the sauce with the milk and simmer, uncovered, for a further 10-15 mins while you cook the pasta.
step 3

Cook the pasta following pack instructions, then drain, reserving a cup of the pasta water, and add the pasta to the ragu. Stir to coat all the pasta in the sauce and cook for 1 min more, adding a splash of cooking liquid if it looks dry. Serve with grated Parmesan, if you like.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, March 2014

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A star rating of 4.8 out of 5.140 ratings

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