Italian Duck Ragu from Friuli: An Autumn Classic
Duck ragu (ragu d’anatra) is a deliciously rich dish of gamey duck meat from the Friuli region. It is slow cooked with vegetables and wine. Then served over a bed of thick pappardelle or tagliatelle. It’s a real autumn treat.
The Friuli region boasts many diverse waterways such as the Canal Novo Valley and the Stella River Mouth. These areas provide the perfect habitat for wild duck. So unsurprisingly duck is an popular food in this region.
Autumn marks the beginning of hunting season in Italy. For this reason, duck dishes feature heavily on the region’s menus during October and November. And duck ragu is a particular autumn favourite.
Ingredients
To make this delicious duck ragu, you’ll need a few key ingredients. Many of which are staples in Italian cuisine:
- Duck meat: The meat should be tender, and legs work best because they are full of flavour and shred beautifully after a slow-cooking.
- Onion, carrot, and celery: Known as soffritto, this classic base provides a savory foundation for many Italian sauces. The trick is to chop them very finely so they disappear in the ragu. If you can’t chop the vegetables very finely with a knife, then you can grate them with a box grater.
- Herbs: Seasonable herbs, including fresh bay leaves, thyme, sage and rosemary all can be added for aromatic complexity. Use what you have available. And remember, fresh is best.
- Wine: Friulian wines are tremendous, and so Friuli recipes don’t shy away from adding wines to their dishes. Regional recipes include both red and white wine versions. I prefer red wine to stand up to the mildly gamey taste of the duck. But white wine works well too for a subtley different taste.
- Fresh pasta ribbons: Wide pasta noodles work fantastically with the ragu sauce, holding onto each bite of shredded duck. Parpadelle and tagliatelle both work well.
Buon appetito!
If you would like to enjoy more flavours from the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, check out some of my other Friuli recipes here.
How to Make the Perfect Duck Ragu
Equipment
- Chef Knife
- Chopping Board
- Saucepan
- colander
Ingredients
- 4 duck legs (skin on)
- 1 medium onion (very finely sliced or grated)
- 1 large stick celery (very finely sliced or grated)
- 1 medium carrot (very finely sliced or grated)
- 2 large cloves garlic (minced or crushed)
- 1/2 tbsp thyme (leaves picked and finely chopped)
- 1/2 tbsp rosemary (leaves picked and finely chopped)
- 1/2 tbsp sage leaves (finely chopped)
- 250 ml red wine
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 500 ml chicken stock
- 300 grams parpadelle
- parmesan (grated)
Instructions
- Heat a cast iron pan over a high heat and add the duck legs in batches, skin side down until the skin browns, then brown on all other sides (the fat from the skin will render, and so you wont need any cooking fat), then set aside the browned duck legs.
- Lower the heat then add the onions, celery and carrots to the same pan, and cook very gently over low heat for 10 minutes, then add the garlic and herbs and cook for a further 4-5 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste and cook for a further minute, stirring the whole time.
- Raise the heat and add the red wine, and then reduce the wine by at least half, then return the browned duck legs to the pan, and add enough chicken stock just to cover the duck legs.
- Cover and allow the pot to simmer on a very low heat for 2+ hours, stirring occasionally.
- When the duck meat is very tender, remove the legs from the pot and allow to cool, before shredding the duck legs with a fork and returning the duck meat to the pan and mix well.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta in salted water, and drain well, reserving a ladle full of the pasta water.
- Put the pasta into the other with the ragu and stir well to coat the pasta with the duck sauce, then serve in a large serving bowl.
- Serve with generous helpings of grated parmesan cheese.
