Making do and mending ... culinarily
One of the best things about roast chicken at the weekend is the chicken noodle soup, chicken curry or risotto that comes the next day (and, of course, from left-over risotto comes arancini .... yum) However, this weekend, the bird of choice was duck and for me the obvious creation from the left-overs was a duck ragu. In an effort to recreate the memory of a great meal enjoyed in a simple Trattoria in Tuscany, I also made some homemade pappardelle. A wee bit of effort, but REALLY worth it.
Recipe for Duck Ragu
A delicious way to use up left-over duck
Serves 3
3 garlic cloves
1 duck carcass
60g (2oz) E.V. Olive Oil
1 tsp sea salt
fresh ground black pepper
1 small tin of good quality Pelati tomatoes (i.e. Cirio)
Put your carcass at the bottom of a heavy pot on top of a trivet, with about an inch of water at the bottom. Heat until water is boiling, then simmer for 10 minutes - this is to ensure that the duck flesh comes off the bone easier and that you will have the juices from the duck to add to the "sugo".
In the meantime, make a simple tomato sauce or sugo.
Add the chopped garlic to the olive oil in a small pan (ensure that the garlic never burns or even colours too much, by keeping the temperature quite low)
Add the tinned tomatoes, salt & pepper and bring to the boil, then reduce the flame and simmer until the oil rises to the top of the sugo. Crush the tomatoes with a potato masher and add the duck meat and juices - simmer until reduced. Serve with pappardelle pasta - (doesn't have to be homemade) & grated parmesan - delicious!
