Slow Roasted Duck Ragu with Fresh Tagliatelle

This is probably one of my favourite meals. It is a bit of a labour of love, not difficult but takes a bit of time.. a dish to make on a lazy Sunday when you have all the time in the world! We made fresh pasta, but mildly regretted it half-way through when the kitchen was covered in flour and we had metre –length sheets of pasta draped over our arms... It was delicious but not completely necessary!

For the Duck:

1 Whole Duck

1 Onion, 1 Carrot & 1 stick Celery all roughly chopped

Any herbs – thyme, rosemary etc. A few sprigs.

Sea Salt & Black Pepper

Preheat your oven to 140 celcius (fan). Season the duck & place on a high-sided roasting tray (a lot of fat will come out of the duck while its roasting so high sides are necessary!) Stuff the mixed onion, carrot, celery & herbs into the cavity of the duck. Pop it in the oven for 3 hours. Prepare the ragu base while the duck is in there.

For the Ragu:

2 onions, chopped

2 carrots, grated

2 sticks celery , finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 sprigs rosemary, leaves picked

1 Bay Leaf

1 large wineglass of red wine

3 Tins Chopped Tomatoes

1 tsp Sugar

To serve

1 bag of fresh Tagliatelle

Parmesan Cheese

Basil (probably not traditional with this but we liked the freshness!)

Fry the onions in butter & olive oil until they are very soft and a bit caramelised. Add the carrot, celery, garlic & rosemary and cook until softened. Pour in the wine and allow to bubble and reduce a bit, then add the tomatoes & bay leaf and the teaspoon of sugar. Season. Turn the heat down to a simmer and let it carry on cooking for as long as the duck is in the oven.

After 3 hours, remove the duck from the oven and place on a board to cool down. Once it’s cooled, pick off all the meat, discarding the skin and bones. Add this to the ragu (you might want to add the sauce to the meat rather, so that you get the ideal ratio between meat and sauce!) Check the seasoning again.

Cook the pasta until al dente and stir it through the ragu, twirl onto a bowl and top with the parmesan & basil. Enjoy!!