{Pasta} Duck Ragu

Another favourite pasta sauce, perfect for your homemade pasta. The recipe comes from a fantastic little pasta restaurant in Surry Hills, Sydney called Il Baretto.

Duck Ragu
serves 4
This makes a meaty sauce in a rich gravy. To make it go a bit further or for a more traditional tomatoy sauce add a tin of tomatoes.

1 duck, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 stick celery
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp plain flour
3-4 L water
salt and pepper
800 g tin tomatoes (optional)
150g baby spinach

fresh pappardelle

Preheat the oven to 230C. Place salted duck in a reoasting pan and bake for 45 minutes. Turn the oven down to 190C and bake for another 60 minutes. Allow duck to cool, then take the meat off the bones. Save the juices from the pan and the bones, discard the skin. Chop the duck meat into small pieces.

Place the juices in a saucepan. Add carrot, onion and celery. Saute, then add bones, tomato paste and flour. Saute for 10 minutes. Cover with water and cook, uncovered for 2 hours on low heat until stock is reduced. If its too thick add more water. Season to taste. When sauce is reduced to a creamy consistency, strain throu a sieve, pressing down to get out all the liquid. Place the sauce and duck meat in the pan and gently heat.

Fold duck and baby spinach through cooked pasta until the spinach is just wilted.