Venetian Duck Ragu

Ingredients

• 1 tbls Olive Oil
• 4 Duck Legs
• 2 finely chopped Onions
• 2 cloves minced Garlic
• 2 tsp ground Cinnamon
• 2 tsp Plain Flour
• 250ml Red Wine
• 800g Chopped Tomatoes
• 1 Chicken Stock Cube
• 3 sprigs Rosemary
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 2 tbs Milk
• 600g Paccheri Pasta
• Grated Parmesan Cheese

Quantities are the original recipe’s. The cost is our own estimate — typical own-brand supermarket prices for these quantities, divided by 4 servings. TheMealDB does not state how many a dish serves, so 4 is our assumption, not theirs. Treat it as “about this much a head”, not a shopping bill.

Method

1. Warm the olive oil in a large, heavy-based pan over medium heat.
2. Brown the duck legs on all sides, about 10 mins, then lift onto a plate.
3. Soften the onions in the same pan for 5 mins.
4. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 min, then add the cinnamon and flour and cook for another min.
5. Nestle the duck back into the pan and pour in the wine, tomatoes and stock. Add the rosemary, bay leaves, sugar and seasoning.
6. Bring to a simmer, cover, lower the heat and cook for 2 hrs, stirring occasionally.
7. Lift the duck onto a plate, discard the fat and bones, and shred the meat with two forks.
8. Return the shredded meat to the pan, pour in the milk, and let everything bubble gently without a lid for a further 10-15 mins as the pasta cooks.
9. Cook the paccheri according to the packet instructions, keeping back a cup of the cooking water before draining.
10. Tip the pasta into the ragu, tossing to coat, and cook for 1 min more, loosening with a splash of pasta water if needed.
11. Serve with grated Parmesan, if you like.

These steps were written by StreetOwl from the original recipe, in British English, with every oven temperature and cooking time checked against the source. They are not the original author’s words. If anything reads oddly, the original is linked below and it wins.