Spaghetti alla Chitarra with Duck Ragù

How to make duck ragù

At home, spaghetti alla chitarra with duck ragù comes together quickly, and you can make the ragù a day ahead and keep it in the fridge. You can swap the duck legs for duck breast fillet, which is just as tasty. Use plenty of vegetables in the duck ragù and it will be delicious. Don’t use too many aromatic spices, since the aroma of braised duck should come through in the finished dish.

1. Prepare the duck: remove the bones and skin from the meat and cut it into pieces that are easy to brown.

2. Brown the duck lightly. In a deep skillet over medium heat, melt a small piece of butter and add a little olive oil. In my opinion, it’s the best and most aromatic fat mixture for frying poultry and rabbit. Fry the duck pieces in the fat on both sides.

   

3. Prepare the vegetables. Peel the onion and carrot. Cut the onion into thin strips and grate the carrot on a coarse grater. It’s better to peel the celery stalks to remove the tough outer fibers, then dice them. Crush the peeled garlic cloves with the flat of a knife.

4. Fry the vegetables with the duck and add the spices. Add all the vegetables to the duck at once and fry, stirring, for 4-5 mins. Add 1-2 bay leaves, a pinch of salt and a little ground black pepper, really just a little. Add a heaping tablespoon of dried soup vegetables: parsley, celery, carrot, parsnip and so on.

   

5. Pour in the wine and cook off the alcohol. Pour half a glass of dry white wine or dry sherry into the skillet and let the alcohol evaporate, stirring.

6. Simmer the ragù, covered, for about an hour. Add vegetable broth or plain water, about 0.5-0.7 cup, no more. The moisture from the vegetables should be enough for properly braised meat with vegetables. Simmer the ragù, covered, over low heat, stirring from time to time.

   

   Make sure there is liquid in the skillet and the ragù doesn’t scorch. After 20-25 mins of simmering, take the bay leaves out of the ragù.

7. Finish the ragù. If there is too much liquid before the end of cooking, take off the lid and let the extra water evaporate. The ragù is ready when the meat is tender. Then add more salt and pepper to taste, but so that the spices don’t overpower the flavor and delicate aroma of the duck.

   

How to cook the pasta and combine it with the ragù

8. Cook the spaghetti alla chitarra until al dente, timed so they are ready when the duck ragù is. In a large pot over high heat, bring 2 l of water with 14 g of salt (7 g per 1 l of water) to a boil and add the spaghetti folded in half. Don’t break them, they will straighten out. Cook for the time on the package. Drain the cooked pasta in a colander.

9. Combine the pasta with the ragù. Transfer the pasta to the skillet with the duck ragù and stir well so everything is evenly distributed. Cover the skillet and keep the pasta with the ragù on low heat for a few minutes so the pasta soaks up the flavor and aroma of the sauce.

   

Serving

10. Divide the finished pasta among plates. You can sprinkle it with a little grated Parmesan and a pinch of finely chopped parsley. Serve while the pasta is hot.

    

    The duck ragù can be made a day ahead, then simply reheated in a skillet and mixed with the cooked pasta. Instead of duck legs you can use fillet. After the ragù is done, shred it into fibers with two forks.