Duck Ragu Over Pappardelle

Ingredients for duck ragu:
2 T olive oil
5 duck legs and thighs
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 red onion, finely chopped
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups red wine
1 28-ounce can whole peeled (pelati) tomatoes, blended

extra virgin olive oil, for serving
parmesan, for serving
chopped fresh parsley, for serving

* * * * * *

Ingredients for pappardelle:
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for rolling
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
semolina flour, for dusting

Preparing the ragu:
Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet or Dutch oven.

Sprinkle the duck legs with salt and pepper. Sear in the hot pan until golden brown and crisp, 10 minutes. Remove to a plate.

Add the carrots, celery and onions, and saute until soft, 3 minutes. Add the thyme and garlic, and saute until fragrant, 1 minute.

Add the red wine. Use the back of a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits from the pan. Cook for 2 minutes, then stir in the tomatoes, \salt and pepper and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the seared duck back to the pan and cover. Simmer gently until the duck is extremely tender and falling off the bone, 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Remove to a casserole dish to cool. Remove the skin and bones and discard. Chop the meat finely and add it back into the tomato sauce, adding a half a cup of water if it looks dry, and simmer, covered for 40 minutes.

Serve over pappardelle. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil serve with freshly grated parmesan and parsley.

Serves 6

* * * * * *

Preparing the pappardelle:
Add the flour and salt to the center of a large wooden board. Use your hands and make a well in the center of the mound. Whisk together the eggs and olive oil in a bowl and pour into the well. Use a fork to whisk the eggs into the flour, incorporating slowly into the rim of the flour until it is completely incorporated.

Once incorporated, knead the pasta for about 8 minutes, adding just a bit more flour if the board is sticky. If the dough feels too dry, add a drop of water as you go. The dough should feel elastic, smooth and a bit sticky. Shape the pasta dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Let rest for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour at room temperature to let the gluten relax so rolling will be easier.

Set your pasta machine to the widest setting. Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Roll each piece out from the widest setting to the thinnest. Hand cut the pasta into pappardelle.

Gather the strands together in your hands and shake loosely so they don't stick together. Toss with some semolina flour. Divide into portions on a sheet tray.

Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Boil the pasta until al dente and drain, about 3 minutes.

Makes about 1 pound of noodles

Read More...

Summary only...

Peking Duck

In our house, we dispense with traditional Mandarin pancakes and get steamed rice from the local Chinese restaurant and add fresh or cooked frozen peas to the rice and serve it the duck with the dipping sauce in individual small bowls.

Ingredients for the duck:
1 5- to 6-pound whole duck
sea salt and freshly ground white pepper
6 T honey
4 T Chinese five-spice powder
2 T dark soy sauce
2 T brown sugar

* * * * * * *

Ingredients for the "bath":
6 cups water and 1/3 cup water, divided
2 T honey
2 T dry sherry
3 T cornstarch
1 T white vinegar

* * * * * *

Ingredients for the sauce:
1 T cornstarch
6 T hoisin sauce
6 T superfine sugar
2 T sesame oil
1 T dark soy sauce

3 scallions, sliced into long thin strips
1 cucumber, cored and sliced into long thin strips
2 carrots, peeled into long thin strips

* * * * * *
Ingredients for Peking Duck rolls:
1 package Chinese/Mandarin-style pancakes

Preparing the duck:
Prick the duck all over with a small knife or fork or bamboo skewer.

In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and 1/3 cup water. Whisk to get out all of the lumps and set aside.

In a wok, combine 6 cups of water, honey, dry sherry vinegar, and bring to a boil. Add the cornstarch mixture, bring back to a boil, stirring until it's translucent.

Slide the duck into the wok and ladle the 'bath' water over the top several times, until the skin goes from looking pinkish white to a yellowish (a couple of minutes). Turn the duck over and repeat the ladle 'bath'.

Remove the duck from the wok and dry all over by patting it with paper towels.

Place the duck on a rack in a roasting pan and sprinkle the duck with salt and pepper and leave it in the roasting pan until ready to cook.

Combine the honey, 6 tablespoons water, five-spice, soy sauce and brown sugar in a bowl and brush this marinade all over the duck all, inside and out. Let dry in from of a fan (about 10 minutes) and then brush again. Repeat this process until you have used all but 4 to 5 tablespoons of the glaze (reserve this glaze). Ideally, let the glaze marinate on the duck overnight, leaving it uncovered in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place one of the oven racks on the lowest rung and the other oven rack on the rung above it.

Place a roasting pan on the lowest rung of the oven and pour about 1 to 3 inches of boiling water into it. Place the rack with the duck, breast side up, directly onto the oven rack above the pan with the boiling water. Roast for 45 minutes. Flip the duck over, baste with the reserved glaze and cook until the skin is crisp and golden brown, another 45 minutes. Make sure you check halfway through that it is not getting too dark. If it is getting too dark before half the cook time is up, turn your heat down and lower the rack in the oven. The duck is done when a thermometer inserted into the breast or leg reaches 165 degrees F. Remove the duck from the oven and rest it while making the sauce.

* * * * * *

Preparing the sauce:
In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water and set aside. Next, heat a pan or wok over medium heat and add the hoisin, sugar, sesame oil and soy sauce. When the sauce starts to bubble slightly, add the cornstarch mixture and stir well to thicken. Set aside and let cool.

* * * * *

If making Peking duck rolls:
Remove the skin and meat from the duck with your fingers, separating into two piles.

Place 1 rice paper wrapper in a shallow bowl of hot water until softened, and then lay on a damp tea towel. In the center of the wrapper, smear a teaspoon of the sauce in the center of each pancake, add a couple slices of duck, crispy skin, garnish with the scallions, cucumbers, and carrots. Fold in the sides of the wrapper, fold up the bottom and then roll. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and duck. Serve immediately with the sauce for dipping.

Serves 4

* * * * * *

If serving with rice:
With a cleaver, cut the duck down the breast bone. With your hands, bend the duck back, breaking the spine. Cut duck into two halves through the spine. Cut off the duck's legs and wings. Cut the remaining carcass (breasts) through the bones (ribs) into 1-inch pieces.

Serves 4

Read More...

Summary only...

Duck Breasts

Ingredients:
4 duck breasts
salt and pepper

Preparing the duck:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Score the duck on the skin side. Remove the excess fat around the breast, and remove the tip, if desired. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place the duck breast, skin-side down, in a room-temperature skillet with no oil. Set the skillet over medium-high heat and cook for 5 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the oven and cook until medium-rare, 8 to 10 minutes. Let the duck breasts rest on a cutting board for about 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with red wine sauce over the top

Serves 4

Read More...

Summary only...

Cassoulet

Ingredients:
3 T olive oil, divided
8 ounces loose or bulk hot Italian sausage
8 ounces slab bacon, cut into lardons
1 medium onion, diced
3 medium carrots, diced unpeeled
2 stalks celery, diced
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 (14 1/2 ounces) can diced tomatoes
1 T fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon torn fresh rosemary leaves 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth or stock
3 cans (15 1/2 ounces) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed or 8 ounces dried cannellini beans, cooked
2 pieces duck confit leg and thigh
1 cup bread crumbs
3 T butter, melted
3 T chopped fresh flatleaf parsley
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparing the cassoulet:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-heat. Add the Italian sausage and bacon to brown on all sides breaking up with the back of a wooden spoon, about 10 minutes. Remove all but 2 tablespoons fat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic and saute briefly, just until fragrant scraping up any browned bits. Add the zucchini, diced tomatoes, thyme, rosemary, chicken broth, and canned or cooked cannellini beans. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Add the duck confit. Remove the Dutch oven from the stovetop and place in a 350 degree F oven for 30 minutes remove and sprinkle the bread crumbs and place back in the oven for another 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Serves 4 to 6

Read More...

Summary only...

TB's Cassoulet

Ingredients for duck confit:
4 duck legs
sea salt
2 cups
black pepper
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
1 garlic clove

* * * * *

Ingredients for cassoulet:
5 cups (1100 g) Tarbais beans or white beans
2 pounds (900 g) fresh pork belly
1 onion, cut into 4 pieces
1 pound (450 g) pork rind
1 bouquet garni
salt and pepper
1/4 cup (56 g) duck fat
6 pork sausages
3 onions, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
4 confit duck legs

Preparing the duck confit, Day One:
Rub the duck legs fairly generously with sea salt, place in the shallow dish, cover with plastic and refrigerate overnight. At all times, keep your work area clean and your ingredients free of contamination - meaning don't allow any other food, like bread crumbs or scraps, to get into your duck, duck fat or confit, as they will make an otherwise nearly non-perishable preparation suddenly perishable.


Preparing the duck confit, Day Two:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Render (melt) the duck fat in the saucepan until clear. After seasoning with the black pepper (not too much), place the duck legs in the clean, ovenproof casserole. Nestle the thyme, rosemary and garlic in with it, and pour the duck fat over the legs to just cover. Cover the dish with foil and put in the oven. Cook for about an hour, or until the skin at the "ankle" of each leg pulls away from the "knuckle." The meat should be tender.

Allow to cool and then store as is in the refrigerator, sealed under the fat. When you need the confit, you can either warm the whole dish, in which case removing the legs will be easy, or dig them out of the cold fat and scrape off the excess. The former is recommended. A nice touch at this point is to twist out the thighbone from the cold confit. Just place one hand on the drumstick, pinioning the leg to the table, and with the other hand, twist out the thighbone, plucking it from the flesh without mangling the thigh meat.

* * * * * *

Preparing the cassoulet, Day One:
Place the beans in the large bowl and cover with cold water so that there are at least 2 or 3 inches of water above the top of the beans. Soak overnight.

Preparing the cassoulet, Day Two:
Drain and rinse the beans and place in the large pot. Add the pork belly, the quartered onion, 1/4 pound/112 g of the pork rind, and the bouquet garni. Cover with water, add salt and pepper to taste, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the beans are tender, about an hour. Let cool for 20 minutes, then discard the onion and the bouquet garni. Remove the pork belly, cut it into 2-inch squares, and set aside. (If you plan to wait another day before finishing the dish, wait to cut the pork belly until then.) Strain the beans and the rind and set aside, reserving the cooking liquid separately.

In the sauté pan, heat all but 1 tablespoon of the duck fat over medium-high heat until it shimmers and becomes transparent. Carefully add the sausages and brown on all sides. Remove and set aside, draining on paper towels. In the same pan, over medium-high heat, brown the sliced onions, the garlic and the reserved squares of pork rind from the beans (not the unused pork rind; you'll need that later). Once browned, remove from the heat and transfer to the blender. Add 1 tablespoon of the remaining duck fat and purée until smooth. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the uncooked pork rind in the bottom of a deep ovenproof earthenware dish. You're looking to line the inside, almost like a pie crust. Arrange all your ingredients in alternating layers, beginning with a layer of beans, then sausages, then more beans, then pork belly, beans, duck confit and finally more beans, adding a dab of the onion and pork rind purée between each layer. Add enough of the bean cooking liquid to just cover the beans, reserving 1 cup in the refrigerator for later use. Cook the cassoulet in the oven for 1 hour, then reduce the heat to 250 degrees F and cook for another hour. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Refrigerate overnight.

Preparing the cassoulet, Day Three:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F again.

Cook the cassoulet for an hour. Break the crust on the top with the spoon and add 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking liquid. (Don't get fancy. Just pile, dab, stack and pile. It doesn't have to be pretty.) Reduce the heat to 250 degrees F and continue cooking another 15 minutes, or until hot through and through.

Serves 4

Read More...

Summary only...

Cassoulet

Ingredients: 1 pound dry white beans 6 sprigs parsley 4 sprigs fresh thyme 4 cloves garlic 3 whole cloves 1 bay leaf 4 ounces thick bacon, cut into small chunks 4 Italian-style sweet sausages, cut into chunks, or smoky sausage like kielbasa 2 to 3 pounds meat: pork, veal, beef, duck or chicken salt and pepper to taste 1 large onion, cut into small chunks 2 tomatoes, chopped 6 T tomato paste 2 cups beef or chicken stock 1 1/2 cups dry white wine 1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs 2 T butter cut, into bits Prepare: Cook the beans as in the original recipe, but after the soaking, place the parsley, thyme, garlic, cloves and bay leaf in a small muslin or cheesecloth bag, and include it when you cook the beans. When the beans are cooked, remove the herbs, and drain the beans but reserve the cooking water. Set the beans and cooking water aside. In a large saute pan, cook the bacon over moderate heat for 5 to 6 minutes, or until lightly browned and crispy. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the sausage chunks to the pan and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the outside is lightly browned. Remove meat and set aside with bacon. Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper. You may use a mixture of meats. Add meat in small amounts to the saute pan, browning the pieces, then removing them to a dish, until all the meat has been cooked. Note: if you use a duck breast, you may roast it whole, then cut it into chunks. Add the onion to the pan and cook for 2 minutes, then add the tomatoes and the meats, but not the bacon or sausage, to the pan. Add the tomato paste, stock, wine and some salt and pepper. Stir ingredients, cover the pan and simmer for 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the sausage and bacon. Place a layer of beans in a large, deep casserole. Spoon some of the meat mixture on top and continue layering until all the beans and meat have been used. Be sure there is enough liquid in the casserole to cover the beans, using the reserved bean cooking liquid, if necessary. Spoon the bread crumbs on top of the meat and bean mixture. Top with the butter bits. Bake at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees F. Bake about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, breaking crust and mixing it with mixture below during first 45 minutes. If mixture below crust seems dry, add stock or bean cooking liquid 1/2 cup at a time when you break the crust. The cassoulet is done when the crust is golden brown. Serves 6

Read More...

Summary only...