Duck Ragu

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Ingredients

1 large organic duck about 5 pounds split in half

4 oz pancetta 

1 medium onion finely minced 

2 stalks of celery finely minced

2 medium carrots finely minced 

1 pound wild mushroom ex. oysters, trumpets ect..

2 peperoncini 

3 garlic cloves finely minced and paste like 

1 tbs. fresh minced rosemary

a bunch of fresh parsley

fresh basil 

28 oz canned  tomato

2 cups red wine

duck stalk (recipe below)

2 pounds pasta (I did paccheri but pappardelle would be nice too)

1 oz dried porcini (recipe below)

olive oil

salt 

topping- more fresh parsley and freshly shaven pecorino romano cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Trim off any extra fat on the ends. Make the stalk (below). Rub both halves and all sides of the duck with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn the duck on its back every once and a while but keep it primarily on the breast. Take out the duck and let it sit on a plate to cool. KEEP THE FAT from the roasting pan! You can use it during this meal or save it for a rainy day! Meanwhile add the pancetta to a big pot with olive oil. Let it get crisp. Add the onion, celery, carrots, peperoncini, salt and pepper. After the veggies sweat and break down, add the garlic and rosemary. Give this a couple of minutes so that the garlic can cook up. Next add the wine, duck stock, porcini stock and tomatoes. Add parsley and basil and let it boil then simmer and reduce. According to the kind of mushroom thinly slice them and roast at 400 with olive oil salt and pepper until golden. Next take the skin and any fatty parts of the duck off. Now here is a job best suited for your hands and knife! Take all of the flesh from the duck and cut/shred it. Make sure to get it all off the bone! Then add any juices that were released on the plate and duck to the sauce. Also add the roasted mushrooms and hydrated porcini. Cook it for about 35-45 minutes or until it reduces. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water. After it is finished cooking, drain it and add it to some of the sauce, reserving some extra on the side. Top with more fresh parsley and freshly shaven pecorino romano cheese. Enjoy!

Duck Stock and Dried Porcini- 

Put all the duck heart, neck, kidneys on the stove with water, half an onion, 2 stalks celery, salt and pepper. Save the liver and sear it later. Liver will make the stock bitter so do not add it. While this is cooking, add the dried porcini to a bowl with hot water and let it sit there for a while. 

Duck Ragu and Paccheri 

Seared Duck Liver

Potatoes roasted in duck fat with rosemary

Happy Eatings!