Classic Venetian pasta dish with duck confit or slow roasted duck, garlic, rosemary and lemon.
Guest author Hank Shaw from Hunter, Angler, Gardener, Cook shares one of his favorite pasta dishes. This easy pasta and duck recipe is sensual and hearty, perfect for a romantic dinner. ~ Elise
This is one of my favorite things to do with duck confit, or the simpler slow-roasted duck version of it. This is a sumptuous pasta dish that has its origins in ancient Venice, where it was made with the Italian version of preserved duck.
Traditionally, this is served with tagliatelle, a long, flat pasta that’s both wider and thinner than the more popular linguine. Could you use a different shape? You bet. Don’t go too thin or too thick — angel hair or ziti aren’t right for this dish.
Noodles with slow roast duck confit
Make sure you have everything prepped before you start as this dish comes together quickly. Boil the water and give it plenty of salt; You want it to taste like the sea. If you get this right, both the sauce and the pasta will be ready at the same time.
*To slow roast raw duck legs, pat dry first. Prick the skin all over with the needle to dislodge the fat. Salt generously all over. Place skin-side up in a 300°F oven in a baking dish just small enough to fit without overlapping. Cook for about 90 minutes or until the skin pulls away from the bones and becomes crispy. Increase heat to 375°F for 15 minutes, until duck is lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes.
ingredients
-
1 lb Tagliatelle pasta
-
1 or 2 slow roasted duck legs*
-
4 finely chopped garlic cloves
-
1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary, Optional
-
1 tablespoon butter
-
1 to 2 tablespoon duck fat
-
Salt
-
Fresh ground black pepper
-
Lemon peel
-
1 to 2 tablespoon lemon juice
method
-
Put a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta (4 liters water, 2 tablespoons salt).
-
While the water is heating, strip all of the meat from the slow-cooked duck legs, reserving the skin. Tear the meat and skin into small pieces.
-
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add the butter and duck fat, duck meat and duck skin. Reduce the heat to medium.
-
Put the noodles in the boiling water. Stir it from time to time.
-
Add the garlic and rosemary (if using) to the skillet. Cook for a minute or until fragrant and just beginning to brown around the edges, then remove from heat.
-
Drain pasta when al dente, or use tongs to remove from the boiling water directly into the sauté pan. Turn the heat back to medium. Toss the noodles in the skillet, making sure they are well covered. Add more duck fat if needed. Add some black pepper and 1 tablespoon lemon juice and toss again. Taste and add the second tablespoon of lemon juice if you like.
Serve immediately, sprinkled with the lemon zest.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 288 | calories |
| 13g | Fat |
| 30g | carbohydrates |
| 12g | protein |
