Duck Pasta with Snap Peas and Sweet Peppers
Serving Size:8|Prep Time:25minutes|Cook Time:2hours
Directions
  1. Bring 1 cup of the stock to a boil in a quart pan then add porcini mushrooms, remove from heat, and let soak until soft, about ½ hour. Using a slotted spoon, transfer mushrooms to a colander and squeeze dry; roughly chop and set aside. Pour soaking liquid through a fine-mesh strainer, discarding solids in pan and reserve the liquid.
  2. Purée 1⁄2 cup roughly chopped parsley, the rosemary, sage, garlic, celery, and onion in a food processor until smooth; set aside.
  3. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Season the duck with salt and pepper. Cook until browned, about 4–6 minutes. Transfer duck to a plate and hold. Pour off all but 1⁄4 cup fat from pan, reserve remaining fat for another use. Return pan to the burner on medium-high heat.
  4. Add vegetable purée and cook stirring occasionally, until golden and slightly dry, 2 – 4 minutes. Add reserved mushrooms and duck to pan and increase heat to high. Add the wine and cook until the liquid is almost completely reduced, about 5 minutes. Add reserved mushroom soaking liquid, remaining stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to low and cook covered, until duck is tender when pierced with a knife, about 50 – 60 minutes depending on the size of the duck.
  5. Transfer duck to a cutting board and cool enough to handle. With a fork, pull the meat away from the bone and shred the meat, discard skin and bones. Add the meat to the sauce and return to a simmer. Cook until sauce is slightly thickened, about 10 – 12 minutes.
  6. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt lightly. Cook pasta until al dente, according to manufacturer’s instructions. Drain pasta then add to the skillet with the duck. Add snap peas and sweet peppers. Add half the parmesan, salt, pepper and toss to combine. Transfer pasta to a serving dish; top with finely chopped parsley and remaining parmesan.
Chef’s Narrative
Classic Italian sugo interpreted for the American kitchen. This savory dish is brightly flavored with sweet peppers and snap peas resonant of the coming of spring.
Recipe Substitutions
To make dairy free, remove parmesan cheese.
Ingredients
  • 2 1/2cupsduck or chicken stockdivided
  • 1/4cupdried porcini mushroomsor substitute your favorite dried mushroom
  • 1/2cuproughly chopped parsleyplus 2 tablespoons finely chopped
  • 2tablespoonsrosemary leaves
  • 3large sage leaves
  • 2clovesgarlicpeeled
  • 2stalksceleryroughly chopped
  • 1small yellow onionroughly chopped
  • 1/4cupolive oildivided
  • 2poundswhole duck legs with thighs
  • coarse salt and freshly ground pepperto taste
  • 1/2cupdry white wine
  • 1pounddried pappardelle pasta
  • 1cupsugar snap peasstem and string removed (if not stringless)
  • 1red bell pepperstemmed, seeded and sliced into 1/4-inch strips
  • 1/2cupgrated parmesandivided
  • 1/2teaspooncoarse saltor to taste
  • 1/2teaspoonfreshly ground pepperor to taste
AllergensEgg, Milk, Wheat, does contain alcohol