Trim extra fat and skin flaps from 4 duck legs, pat them dry and salt and pepper all around. Put them skin side down in a hot skillet or braising pan (no need for fat since they quickly render fat) and brown them for about 7 min. Turn and brown flesh side for just 3 or 4 min. and remove. Pour off the fat, add 1 Tbl olive oil, and braising aromatics (1 medium yellow onion, 2 carrots, 1 celery stalk -- all cut into 1/2-in. pieces) and saute over medium heat for 7 or 8 min. Add 4 thinly sliced garlic cloves, 1-1/2 Tbl chopped rosemary, and 1/4 tsp ground allspice and cook for another min. Add 2/3 c. white wine and reduce for 6 min., then add 3/4 c. chicken broth and reduce again for 6 min. Add chopped tomatoes and juice from 14-oz. can and simmer for 3 or 4 min.
Return the browned duck legs to the braising pan, tuck in 2 bay leaves between the legs, cover with parchment paper, pushing it down to nearly touch the legs and overlapping the sides of the pan. Cover tightly and put in preheated 325-degree oven. Check within first 30 min. that is not simmering too vigorously and let cook 2 hours altogether. Remove from oven and let cool in braising liquid for 20 min. to 1 hour (or overnight in fridge). When ready to serve, bring pasta water to boil, remove the duck legs and take off the skin, break up the meat into bite-size chunks with your fingers, and return meat to sauce (skim fat off sauce if needed). You can either cut up the skin and add to sauce or cut into 1/2-inch pieces and fry 6 to 8 min. in a separate skillet and remove to drain to make cracklings. Boil the pasta (we used perciatelli, a tubular spaghetti they have been selling at Whole Foods), drain, and serve some ragu on top of each portion, with cracklings on top of that.
This has everything we like -- braised meat, flavorful sauce, pasta -- so it was a big hit. It's nice to be able to add duck to a more workaday repertoire.
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