Via Carota Pici all’Anatra (Pici with Duck Ragù)
Adapted from Via Carota: A Celebration of Seasonal Cooking from the Beloved Greenwich Village Restaurant, by Jody Williams and Rita Sodi with Anna Kovel. From the “Autumn” chapter of cookbook, the duck ragù is extremely rich when made with duck fat, and delicious. (If you prefer a sauce that’s less rich, use the olive oil rather duck fat to cook the carrot, celery and onion, or try saucing these amazing handmade noodles with our Duck and Porcini Ragù.)
Serves four.
Ingredients
1/2 cup / 120 ml duck fat or extra-virgin olive oil
1 bay leaf
1 large carrot, finely diced
1 celery stalk, finely diced
1 medium onion, finely diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 or 4 duck legs (2 to 2 1/4 pounds / 900 grams to 1 kg total)
1/2 cup / 120 ml red wine (such as Chianti)
1 cup / 240 ml chicken broth or water
1 cup / 250 grams canned crushed tomatoes, or purée
1 tablespoon / 15 grams tomato paste
Freshly ground black pepper
1 recipe (17.5 ounces / 500 grams) Pici
Parmigiano Reggiano for serving
Instructions
1. Heat a large, heavy pot with a lid or a Dutch oven over medium heat and add the duck fat or olive oil and the bay leaf. When the oil is hot, add the carrots, celery, onion and salt, and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Push the vegetables to the sides and add the duck legs to the pan with the fat side down; cook for about 10 minutes so the vegetables continue to soften in the fat and absorb the flavor. When the bottom of the legs are golden, flip them and pour in the wine. Simmer until the alcohol has evaporated (about 2 minutes), then add the stock or water and cook uncovered until reduced by about half (10 to 15 minutes).
2. Add the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste and season with salt and pepper. Turn the duck legs in the sauce once to coat them, and return to skin-side-up. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pot. Cook over low heat until the duck is so tender that the meat can be pulled into pieces, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
3. Remove the duck from the heat and use two forks to pull the meat into strips and small pieces, discarding the bones and fat. Return the duck to the sauce to heat through, about 10 minutes. Taste for salt and pepper, adjusting as needed.
4. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it generously (about 2 tablespoons). Adding the thickest ones to the pot first, cook the pici until they are al dente, 8 to 10 minutes — being sure to reserve about 1 cup / 240 ml of pasta cooking water before draining. Add the pici to the sauce in the pan and add about half the cooking water, stirring to loosen the sauce. Add a little more water if needed to coat the pici. Serve with grated Parmigiano.
Via Carota Pici all'Anatra (hand-rolled thick spaghetti with duck ragù)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup / 120 ml duck fat or extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 large carrot, finely diced
- 1 celery stalk, finely diced
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 or 4 duck legs (2 to 2 1/4 pounds / 900 grams to 1 kg total)
- 1 cup / 240 ml chicken broth or water
- 1 cup / 250 grams canned crushed tomatoes, or purée
- 1 tablespoon / 15 grams tomato paste
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 recipe (17.5 ounces / 500 grams) Pici
- Parmigiano Reggiano for serving
Instructions
- Heat a large, heavy pot with a lid or a Dutch oven over medium heat and add the duck fat or olive oil and the bay leaf. When the oil is hot, add the carrots, celery, onion and salt, and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Push the vegetables to the sides and add the duck legs to the pan with the fat side down; cook for about 10 minutes so the vegetables continue to soften in the fat and absorb the flavor. When the bottom of the legs are golden, flip them and pour in the wine. Simmer until the alcohol has evaporated (about 2 minutes), then add the stock or water and cook uncovered until reduced by about half (10 to 15 minutes).
- Add the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste and season with salt and pepper. Turn the duck lets in the sauce once to coat them, and return to skin-side-up. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pot. Cook over low heat until the duck is so tender that the meat can be pulled into pieces, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
- Remove the duck from the heat and use two forks to pull the meat into strips and small pieces, discarding the bones and fat. Return the duck to the sauce to heat through, about 10 minutes. Taste for salt and pepper, adjusting as needed.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it generously (about 2 tablespoons). Adding the thickest ones to the pot first, cook the pici until they are al dente, 8 to 10 minutes — being sure to reserve about 1 cup / 240 ml of pasta cooking water before draining. Add the pici to the sauce in the pan and add about half the cooking water, stirring to loosen the sauce. Add a little more water if needed to coat the pici. Serve with grated Parmigiano.
