Rachel Khoo: Feeling Saucy

My holidays this year took me to northern Italy and, despite the heat, I couldn’t resist indulging in some slow-cooked pasta dishes in the various trattorie where I dined.

While the Italians enjoy their pasta dishes as a primo — the carb-loaded precursor to the protein course — this is a hearty meal in itself to be savoured slowly on a Sunday afternoon. The succulent meat will slide off the bone leaving behind a flavoursome tomato-enriched sauce. This is the ultimate souvenir for me and a tribute to the delicious simplicity of a good ragu.

Duck Ragu with rigatoni

Serves 4-6

1 celery stick

1 carrot

1 red onion, peeled

4 tbsp olive oil

4 duck legs

4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

4 sprigs of thyme

2 x 400g tins cherry tomatoes

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Pinch of sugar

375g rigatoni pasta

Parmesan and basil leaves to serve

Finely chop the celery stick, the carrot and the onion. Heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a large cast-iron lidded pan. Season the duck legs on both sides with plenty of salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, add the legs skin side down and brown in the oil. When they are golden brown, flip them over and brown the other side.

Add the chopped vegetables to the pan with the garlic and thyme. (If there isn’t room in your pan, set the legs aside on a plate, and return to the pan later.)

Add extra oil if needed. Sweat until the onion is translucent, and then add the cherry tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and a pinch of sugar. (Return the duck legs to the pan if you removed them.)

Pop the lid on the pan and cook on a low heat for 45 minutes. Ten minutes before the end of the cooking time, put a large pan of salted water on to boil. Once you have a rolling boil, add the pasta and cook as per the packet instructions. Drain the pasta.

Shred the meat off the duck legs (it should be very tender by this point) and discard the bone and the skin.

Check the seasoning.

Add the pasta to the pan with the ragu and toss really well. Serve with Parmesan grated finely on top and sprinkle with basil leaves.