Jamie Oliver's Slow-cooked Duck Pasta

We have so many lasting memories of our 2006 trip to Italy. One of the things which always come to mind is the meal we enjoyed under the stars at the villa we rented in Tuscany. It was a mild October night. The stars were out, the the crickets chirped. You could smell the soft scents of the rosemary and olive trees in the wind.

Gabrielle and his family had outdone themselves. We sat at a long table.  Candles, protected from the soft winds in clear glass jars, hung from the olive trees, their flames flickering in the darkness. Laughter and wine flowed.  Soon Gabrielle and his girlfriend started to bring out the food that his family had spent all day preparing. Oh my!

It was to be one of the most amazing meals I ever remember! We ate, smiled, talked, and ate some more. Hours passed before we finished. It was a memory of italian life; the celebration of simple things - friendship, family, love, laughter, food, and wine, that I so adore about Italy.

I was clicking through blogs the other day and Sandi had a post about Festa Italiano.  Proud Italian Cook - Marie, and Maryann at Finding La Dolce Vita are hosting a Festa Italiana on March 22. As Sandi also declared, this is a party I didn't want to miss!

It is only going to be 52 days until we fly back to Italy (not that I am counting them down or anything . . .)

My contribution for Festa Italiano is this amazing pasta dish created by Jamie Oliver. I love sweet and sour dishes such as this one. It’s got orange, vinegar, raisins, and bacon, and it works together extremely well. The only downside was that I had to roast a whole duck and then pick the greasy meat off of its bones. I hate working with duck because it is so greasy. Oh well, given the amazing final results it was bloody worth it (as Jamie himself might declare)

Slow-cooked duck pasta

1 duck
olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
1 orange, quartered
1 lb pasta (rigatoni or occhi di lupo work well)
2 knobs of butter
1 large handful of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
a small bunch of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
zest and juice of 1 orange
red wine vinegar

For the sauce:

olive oil
6 slices of pancetta, finely diced
1 red onion, peeled and finely diced
2 carrots, peeled and finely diced
2 sticks of celery, trimmed and finely diced
6 springs of fresh rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped
1 stick of cinnamon
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
2x14 oz cans of good quality plum tomatoes
1/2 a 750 ml bottle of fruity red wine (Valpolicella of Barbera works well)
chicken stock
a handful of raisins
a large handful of pinenuts

Preheat the oven 350ºF.

Stuff a duck with a quartered orange; rub the outside with olive oil, salt, and pepper; and roast, breast-side down in a roasting pan, for two hours, turning every 30 minutes. Let it cool, and pull off all the meat.

Pour some olive oil into a large pot. Fry the diced pancetta until golden. Add red onion, carrots, celery, rosemary, cinnamon stick, and sliced garlic cloves. Cook slowly until it all softens up (about 10 minutes). Add the plum tomatoes and red wine. Let simmer for about an hour. Shred the duck meat and add it to the sauce. Cook for another half hour, adding water or chicken stock if it becomes dry. Remove the cinnamon stick, and add a handful each pine nuts and golden raisins. Continue to simmer while the pasta cooks.

Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling, salted water. Drain (preserving some of the cooking water).

Toss the pasta into the sauce. Stir in a knob of butter, a handful of grated Parmesan, the zest and juice of 1 orange, chopped parsley, and a splash of red wine vinegar.

Loosen the sauce with the reserved cooking water if necessary. Check seasonings. Served with a flurry of grated cheese and a sprinkle of parsley flakes.

Comments

[Maryann]

What a beautiful picture you paint with your words!I would have loved to have sat at that table with you! Thanks for joining in on our festa italiana :)

[Marie]

I was day dreaming about your beautiful time in Tuscany! That truely is the sweet life! Thank you for joining us at our Festa and bringing this wonderful dish.

[girasoli]

52 days...how exciting!!!

[sandi @ whistlestop cafe]

Cheers to Montisi!
Bloody Brilliant =D

[Jerry]

We'll have to try and recreate another wonderful meal when we're in Italy this spring.

Thanka Maryann and Marie for pulling this all together.

[Gail Hecko]

Jerry, we'll have MANY wonderful meals like this!

Can't wait, and also counting the days....What fun it is to anticipate.

[Jerry]

Anticipation is a huge part of the fun Gail! I can't wait to enjoy our meals together in Italy. Thank goodness Palma will be whipping them up instead of us. LOL

[Mrs.W]

What a gorgeous dish! I've never tried duck--you've made it sound wonderful.

[Jerry]

Thanks Mrs W. The duck really makes this dish. It was on the menus of a number of the restaurants in Italy but we never tried it. We will have to rectify that this spring when we are back.