Duck & Orange Ragu

• 4duck legs
• salt and black pepper
• 4garlic cloves, minced
• 200 mlchicken stock
• 2carrots, finely diced
• 2celery sticks, finely diced
• 1 tbsptomato purée
• 1 x 400gtin chopped tomatoes
• 1large onion, finely diced
• 1 tspdried thyme
• 200 mldry red wine
• 1orange, zested and juiced
• 2bay leaves
• 400 gpappardelle
• 15 gflat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1lemon, zest and juice
• 30 gparmesan, finely grated (optional)
• 100 gbitter salad leaves (optional)
• 1 tbspred wine vinegar (optional)

Method

1. 1Pat the duck legs bone-dry. Season generously with salt and black pepper on both sides. Lay them skin-side down in a cold, dry heavy casserole, then turn the heat to medium. Starting cold renders the fat slowly so the skin shatters rather than scorches; you want 10–12 minutes until deep mahogany and a pool of golden fat sits in the pan. Flip for 3 minutes, then lift to a plate.
2. 2Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of duck fat (save the rest in a jar for the best roast potatoes of your life). Add the onion, carrots, and celery to the duck-fat slick and cook for 8 minutes until softened and catching gold at the edges. Stir in the garlic and tomato purée. Cook for 60–90 seconds.
3. 3Pour in the red wine and scrape every brown stuck bit off the base. Let it bubble down by half, about 3 minutes, until it smells like wine rather than alcohol.
4. 4Tip in the chopped tomatoes, then the chicken stock. Add orange zest, the orange juice, bay leaves, and thyme. Stir well and bring to a gentle simmer.
5. 5Nestle the duck legs back in skin-side up so the crisp tops sit just above the surface. Cover tightly and cook over the lowest possible heat for 90 minutes, until the meat is falling off the bone and the sauce has deepened to a glossy, dark red. Check once at the hour mark; if it looks tight, loosen with a splash of stock.
6. 6Lift the duck legs out. Pull the meat from the bones with two forks, discarding skin and bone, and shred it back through the sauce. Fish out the bay leaves. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes to thicken; it should coat the back of a spoon and leave a clean trail when you draw a finger through.
7. 7Taste the sauce and adjust the salt and pepper. Add lemon juice a little at a time until it lifts the rich sauce; keep any remaining juice for the table.
8. 8Put the cooking water on before you begin the rest of the dish. Season the pasta itself. Cook the pappardelle until al dente, then drain, reserving a mugful of starchy water. Toss the ribbons through the ragu with a splash of pasta water until every strand is glossy and coated.
9. 9Heap into warm bowls and scatter with the parsley and a little lemon zest. Add parmesan and serve the bitter leaves dressed with the red wine vinegar if using.

Per serving

kcal

408

protein

23.1g

fibre

2.7g

carbs

11.7g

fat

27.8g