Italian Style Duck Food

ITALIAN RED-WINE BRAISED DUCK WITH OLIVE GREMOLATA

Steps:

• Trim duck legs of extraneous fat with a sharp knife, leaving a thin layer on top. (It is best to do this straight from the fridge, while fat is still firm.) Save duck fat for rendering. If you don't wish to render fat immediately, freeze for up to 2 months
• Season each leg generously with salt and pepper, then sprinkle with ground coriander and fennel. Massage seasoning into meat and leave at room temperature for 30 minutes, or wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• Roast duck legs in a 400-degree oven for about 45 minutes, until nicely browned. Pour off fat accumulated in roasting pan and reserve for another purpose.
• Meanwhile, make the sauce: Pour olive oil into a wide heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and let them cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to color. Add carrot, celery, thyme, bay leaf and orange peel. Season with salt and pepper and continue cooking until the carrot and celery are softened. Add garlic and tomato paste and stir to coat. Add chopped tomato and red wine and bring to a brisk simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, until slightly thickened. Add chicken broth and return to a simmer. Taste sauce for salt and adjust seasoning, adding a pinch of cayenne or red pepper flakes if desired. Finally, add duck legs, put on the lid, reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook for about 45 minutes, until meat is tender when probed with a paring knife.
• Transfer the duck legs to a low baking dish, all in one layer. Skim any fat from surface of sauce. Ladle sauce over duck legs and bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes, until sauce is bubbling and legs have browned a bit on top. (Duck may be prepared up to 3 days in advance, then reheated.) Sprinkle olive gremolata evenly over dish. Serve with wide ribbons of buttered egg pasta or polenta, if desired.

VENETIAN DUCK RAGU

Steps:

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.