Duck bolognese over cavatelli
With this weather, there's no choice but to lean into some comfort foods, like low and slow duck bolognese over cavatelli.
Level
Medium with a grown-up
Kids cook with a grown-up. Hot ovens, boiling water and frying are grown-up jobs, and sharp knives need a grown-up’s hands too.
Ingredients
Duck breasts: 2 lbs (duck legs work even better if you can get them)
Soffritto: 1 cup (diced onion, carrot and celery)
Garlic, minced: 4 cloves
Tomato paste: 2 tbsp
Wine: 1 cup (red preferred, we used white)
Whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand: 1 (28 oz) can
Beef or chicken broth: 2 cups
Fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, bay leaf)
Salt and pepper
Pasta of your choice: 1 lb (we used cavatelli)
Parmigiano, for finishing
Method
Score the duck skin.
Season the duck with salt and pepper.
Sear the duck skin-side down until golden and the fat renders.
Flip the duck briefly.
Remove the duck.
Set it aside.
In the duck fat, cook the soffritto until soft and sweet.
Add the garlic.
Cook the garlic for 1 minute.
Stir in the tomato paste.
Let it caramelize a couple minutes.
Deglaze with the wine, scraping up all the brown bits.
Add the whole tomatoes, broth, herbs and the duck back to the pot.
Simmer low and slow, partially covered, about 3 hours.
Pull the duck out.
Shred it.
Add it back to the sauce.
Toss the sauce with your pasta and a splash of pasta water.
Finish with Parmigiano.
