Duck Ragu with Pasta

If, like me, you see fresh duck legs, then you'll understand the overwhelming need to buy the lot and confit them. My recipe for easy confit de canard can be seen here which also explains the confit process. But this recipe is duck ragu with pasta.

Having confit duck legs to hand makes it very easy to make duck ragu.

Simply scrape off the fat from the leg and strip it of flesh, discarding the skin; my dogs get a little but tasty treat. Set aside.

Duck ragù rewards patience more than effort. The confit does most of the hard work in advance — by the time you strip the meat from the bone, it is already tender, deeply flavoured, and ready to absorb the wine, tomatoes, and rosemary in the sauce. Cinnamon is the quiet note that lifts the whole thing without announcing itself. Do not leave it out.

Duck Ragù with Pasta Ingredients

Olive oil
One small onion, chopped
One small green pepper, chopped
One small carrot, finely chopped
One garlic clove, crushed and finely chopped
One dried red chilli, crushed
One teaspoon flour
Two peeled tomatoes from a can plus a little juice
Red wine, big splash
Chicken stock
Fresh rosemary, bruised and chopped
Splash milk
Bay leaf
Black pepper, several grinds of a mill
Pinch brown sugar
Pinch celery seeds
Big pinch ground cinnamon

Place a pan with a good glug of olive oil on low to medium heat.
Fry onions until softened.
Add green pepper and carrot and fry for two minutes.
Add flour and cinnamon. Stir.
Add garlic and fry for one minute.
Add chilli.
Add tomatoes and juice; crush tomatoes. Stir.
Add wine. Cook for a minute or so.
Add stock and the remaining ingredients.
Simmer until everything has combined and reduced.
Add the duck meat and a splash of milk. Stir.
Simmer until the meat has warmed through.

Serve over pasta of choice (I used tortiglioni) with grated parmesan and chopped parsley.

Duck Ragu ingredients

This duck ragu with pasta recipe is part of the Game Recipes hub — a collection of wild and seasonal recipes from Casa Adora and the road. It also features in the Pasta Recipes hub alongside a growing collection of pasta dishes — from quick weeknight suppers to slow-cooked ragù and baked Italian classics. Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures – The Flexible Chef.