Venetian Duck Ragù

A rich and aromatic Venetian-style duck ragù slow-cooked with red wine, tomatoes, and a hint of cinnamon, tossed with hearty paccheri pasta. Deeply flavourful and perfect for a special weekend dinner.

Ingredients

• Paccheri Pasta

  ⚖ 600 g 💧 1 L 🥛 4¼ cup
  kcal/г%DV

  Calories

  2226111%

  Protein

  78.0156%

  Total Fat

  9.111%

  Carbohydrates

  448.2162%
• Duck Legs

  ⚖ 960 g 4⅓ pcs
  kcal/г%DV

  Calories

  2083104%

  Protein

  257.3200%

  Total Fat

  109.4140%

  Carbohydrates

  0.00%
• Red Wine

  ⚖ 247.5 g 💧 250 ml 🥛 1 cup
  kcal/г%DV

  Calories

  21010%

  Protein

  0.20%

  Total Fat

  0.00%

  Carbohydrates

  6.52%
• Parmesan Cheese

  ⚖ 40 g 💧 44.4 ml 🥄 3 tbsp
  kcal/г%DV

  Calories

  1487%

  Protein

  16.032%

  Total Fat

  2.02%

  Carbohydrates

  16.05%
• Chopped Tomatoes

  ⚖ 800 g None
  kcal/г%DV

  Calories

  1457%

  Protein

  6.713%

  Total Fat

  4.05%

  Carbohydrates

  26.69%
• Olive Oil

  ⚖ 15 g 💧 16.3 ml 🥄 1⅛ tbsp
  kcal/г%DV

  Calories

  1326%

  Protein

  0.00%

  Total Fat

  15.019%

  Carbohydrates

  0.00%
• Onions

  ⚖ 300 g 🧅 2 pcs
  kcal/г%DV

  Calories

  1195%

  Protein

  3.36%

  Total Fat

  0.30%

  Carbohydrates

  28.010%
• Plain Flour

  ⚖ 5.9 g 💧 9.9 ml 🥄 2 tsp
  kcal/г%DV

  Calories

  201%

  Protein

  0.81%

  Total Fat

  0.10%

  Carbohydrates

  4.31%
• Chicken Stock Cube

  ⚖ 10 g 💧 14.3 ml 🥄 1 tbsp
  kcal/г%DV

  Calories

  190%

  Protein

  1.52%

  Total Fat

  0.50%

  Carbohydrates

  2.40%
• Milk

  ⚖ 30.5 g 💧 29.6 ml 🥄 2 tbsp
  kcal/г%DV

  Calories

  180%

  Protein

  1.01%

  Total Fat

  1.01%

  Carbohydrates

  1.50%
• Sugar

  ⚖ 4.2 g 💧 4.9 ml 🥄 1 tsp
  kcal/г%DV

  Calories

  160%

  Protein

  0.00%

  Total Fat

  0.00%

  Carbohydrates

  4.21%
• Garlic

  ⚖ 10 g 🧄 2 pcs
  kcal/г%DV

  Calories

  140%

  Protein

  0.71%

  Total Fat

  0.00%

  Carbohydrates

  2.81%
• Cinnamon

  ⚖ 4.9 g 1⅔ pcs
  kcal/г%DV

  Calories

  120%

  Protein

  0.20%

  Total Fat

  0.10%

  Carbohydrates

  4.01%
• Bay Leaves

  ⚖ 2.5 g 💧 5 ml 🥄 1 tsp
  kcal/г%DV

  Calories

  70%

  Protein

  0.20%

  Total Fat

  0.20%

  Carbohydrates

  1.90%
• Rosemary

  ⚖ 4 g 💧 8 ml 🥄 1⅔ tsp
  kcal/г%DV

  Calories

  50%

  Protein

  0.10%

  Total Fat

  0.20%

  Carbohydrates

  0.80%

Instructions

• Heat 15 ml of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the duck legs and brown on all sides for about 10 minutes, then remove to a plate and set aside. Add the onions to the same pan and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Add the minced garlic and cook for a further 1 minute, then stir in 5 g of ground cinnamon and 5 g of plain flour and cook for 1 minute more.
• Return the duck legs to the pan and pour in 250 ml of red wine, 800 g of chopped tomatoes, 1 crumbled chicken stock cube, the rosemary sprigs, bay leaves, 5 g of sugar, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat, cover with a lid, and cook for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Carefully lift the duck legs out of the sauce and place on a plate — they will be very tender, so handle gently. Pull off and discard the skin and fat, shred the meat with two forks, and discard the bones. Return the shredded meat to the sauce, stir in 30 ml of milk, and simmer uncovered for a further 10–15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook 600 g of paccheri pasta according to the packet instructions. Drain, reserving approximately 250 ml of the pasta cooking water. Add the drained pasta to the ragù and stir well to coat, cooking for 1 minute more and adding a splash of the reserved pasta water if the sauce looks too thick. Serve immediately with grated Parmesan.