Pappardelle with Duck, Porcini, & Prociutto

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Found this recipe while searching online to replicate a dish Maggie had at a restaurant in the San Francisco Ferry building. She almost didn’t order it because she thought duck was greasy, but she remembered a delicious pappardelle with wild boar ragú that we used to get all the time at an Italian restaurant on Polk Street called Antica. I convinced her that duck would have a similarly earthy flavor so she gave it a try. She loved it so much she talked about it for years. Every time we went to the city she wanted to try to get it again. We never did.

In the Spring of 2020, when covid shut down every restaurant, I got an email from a woman I know, a winemaker whose family raises ducks. They had only ever sold their meats wholesale to restaurants, but in desperation to save their inventory and business, she built a website and offered to deliver fresh duck to anyone in Sonoma County. I ordered a cooler full, and spent an hour searching recipes until I found this one and made a big pot of ragú.

Duck Leg Ragú

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds duck legs ( 3 or 4 legs)
  • 6 shallots, chopped
  • 2 ribs celery, chopped
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 3 ounces prosciutto
  • 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
  • 1.5 cups white wine
  • 3 cups chicken stock
  • 2 tablespoons Parmesan or pecorino
  • 1/2 cup fresh ricotta
  • 1 package pappardelle

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350F
  • In a large casserole on the stove, brown duck legs in olive oil for about 8 minutes. Remove to a plate.
  • Add shallots, carrots, celery, prociutto, thyme, and garlic to the duck fat and cook until soft.
  • Add the wine and porcini and deglaze the pan.
  • Add the stock, bring to a boil, then add the duck legs, cover and braise in the oven 90 minutes, turning the legs once.
  • Remove the pot from the oven, remove the legs to a plate until cool enough to handle. Pull all the mean from the bones into small pieces and return the meat to the pot. Warm on low.
  • Cook the pasta in salted water until not quite al dente; drain and reserve 3/4 cup of the cooking water.
  • Whisk two tablespoons of pasta water with the fresh ricotta.
  • Add the pasta and the rest of the reserved water to the ragú. Stir gently and cook two minutes until hot through.
  • Divide the pasta and ragú among the plates, then top with a dollop of ricotta and grated parm or pecorino.
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