This northern Italian ragu will have you stuffed and happy

Italian Duck Ragu Rigatoni

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 60 minutes
Servings: 6

This heavy and delicious meal is perfect for a Sunday evening meal.


Ingredients:
 
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


Directions:

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.