Tagliatelle Porchini Duck Food

PAPPARDELLE WITH MUSHROOMS AND DUCK

Steps:

• Soak the porcini in one cup boiling water for 30 minutes. Trim the stalks from the fresh mushrooms. Wash off any grit under cold running water or use a soft brush or clean towel to clean them (do not soak them or they will become soggy). Slice the mushrooms into one-and-a-half-inch pieces.
• Using a large skillet, soften the garlic and the shallots in two tablespoons butter and the tablespoon of oil.
• Strain the porcini through a paper towel, reserving the soaking liquid. Chop the porcini. Add the mushrooms to the skillet with the thyme, salt and pepper and red wine. Cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes. Add the porcini, cooking liquid and continue to cook over moderate heat until the sauce becomes thick and syrupy.
• Meanwhile, scrape the fat off the duck meat and cut the meat into strips. Then bring six quarts of salted water to a boil for the pappardelle.
• Add the duck meat to the sauce and cook it over moderate heat for 10 minutes. Correct the seasoning and keep the sauce warm.
• Drain the pappardelle and toss with the remaining tablespoon of butter. Spoon the sauce over the noodles, toss and serve.

WILD DUCK PORCINI RAVIOLI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 F degrees.
• Start a large stock pot of water to boil for ravioli.
• For the Filling.
• Rinse duck and pat dry. Season inside and out with salt and pepper. Cut vegetables into wedges. Stuff duck cavity with vegetables and squeeze juice of orange into cavity. Place duck on roasting rack. Roast for 15 minutes on 450. Reduce heat to 350°F and cook until thermometer reads 160 in thigh.
• Remove meat from bone, reserving bones to make a secondary stock. (this could be used in place of the reserved mushroom stock as suggested for the ragu-it would give greater depth to the dish without the mushrooms overpowering the delicate ravioli).
• Shred or dice very fine the duck. Moisten with meat with the juices from roasting pan if necessary.
• For the Pasta Dough.
• Mix dry ingredients, eggs, water and salt in a bowl. Knead dough until it is silky soft (about 25 minutes by hand).
• Roll out on a floured surface to ¼ inch thickness. If dough is sticky, sprinkle with flour.
• Using a biscuit cutter or small glass, cut 3-inch circles from the dough.
• Place a spoonful of the mixture in the center of the circle and top with another circle of dough.
• Crimp the edges with a fork, being sure to completely seal the ravioli. If needed, moisten the edge of the bottom circle with cold water before crimping the top circle over the filling.
• For the Ragu.
• While duck is roasting, place dried wild mushrooms in heat-proof container and add boiling water to cover. Allow to stand until mushrooms are reconstituted, about 1 hours or so. Drain mushrooms, reserving liquid. Chop mushrooms into bite-sized pieces. Reserve.
• Add veal demi-glacé to sauté pan along with reserved mushroom liquid (be sure to strain mushroom liquid to remove any particles and/or residual dirt). Create a sauce from the demi-glace making sure it isn't too thin or too thick. Add mushrooms to the sauce. Adjust seasonings as needed.
• For the Ravioli.
• Make ravioli by filling with desired amount of duck, sealing with egg wash (or water) and removing all air bubbles from each ravioli.
• Cook ravioli in boiling water until al dente, about 6 minutes.
• Drain ravioli, reserving some of the pasta liquid. Quickly add ravioli to ragu. Gently toss to coat ravioli with ragu. Add additional cooking liquid from pasta if necessary. You don't want this too dry.
• Dish into pre-heated, large shallow rimmed bowls. Place a 1/4-1/3' slice of Foie Gras on top of ravioli.
• Serve with parmesean cheese on the side.

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.

DUCK RAGU WITH PAPPARDELLE & SWEDE

Steps:

• Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a large deep frying pan over a high heat and fry the duck breasts for 2 mins on either side until well browned, then set aside. Tip the fat from the frying pan into a dish (keep it for later use if you like), and turn the heat on the pan down to medium, then add the rest of the olive oil. Tip the onion and fennel seeds into the pan, add a large pinch of salt and cook for 5 mins until the onion is starting to soften. Crush in the garlic cloves, then add the bay leaf, parsley stalks and thyme leaves. Stir well and cook for 2 mins more.
• Turn the heat up, then pour in the red wine and cook for 2 mins until it has reduced a little. Spoon in the tomato purée and tip in the can of tomatoes along with the stock, stir and bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to low and return the duck breasts to the pan, cover and simmer very gently for 40-45 mins or until the meat is tender.
• Remove the duck breasts with a slotted spoon, put in a bowl, turn the heat up and reduce the tomato sauce for 10 mins until thick enough to coat your pasta. Use two forks to shred the duck, then tip the meat back into the sauce. Add the red wine vinegar and raisins, then season to taste. Set aside.
• When ready to serve, cook your pasta. Heat a large pan of well salted water, add the pappardelle and cook following pack instructions. For the final minute of cooking time, drop in the swede. Drain, reserving a ladleful of the pasta water to add to the sauce. Toss the pasta and swede through the sauce. Divide between bowls and top with the toasted pine nuts, parmesan and a scattering of parsley.

TAGLIATELLE WITH DUCK RAGù

Steps:

• Heat butter and oil in a deep 10-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until foam subsides.
• Meanwhile, pat duck dry and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.
• Sear duck, skin side down, until golden brown and some of fat has rendered, about 6 minutes. Turn over and cook until browned, about 2 minutes more. Transfer duck to a plate, then add onion to fat in skillet with garlic, rosemary, and 1/8 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened and golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add wine and boil 3 minutes.
• Return duck, skin side up, to skillet, then add any juices from plate, stock, and tomatoes with their juice. Bring to a boil, then gently simmer, covered, 1 hour.
• Transfer duck to a cutting board, then skim off about three fourths of fat from sauce and discard.
• Purée sauce in batches in a blender (use caution when blending hot liquids). Return sauce to skillet and boil, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about 2 1/2 cups, about 8 minutes.
• While sauce reduces, finely chop duck with skin.
• Return chopped duck to sauce and season with salt and pepper.
• Cook tagliatelle in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (3 tablespoons salt for 6 quarts water) until al dente, then drain pasta and toss with duck ragú.