Duck Bolognese Recipe Barefoot

CLASSIC BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Heat a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add EVOO, 2 turns of the pan. Add the butter to the oil in small pieces and when the butter foams, add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic and bay and stir, about 5 minutes. Add pancetta and stir 8 to 10 more minutes to render and crisp. Add about a third of the beef and crumble it with a wooden paddle or spoon, let all of the liquid absorb and let the meat begin to lightly caramelize before adding the next third; repeat. Season the meat with salt, pepper, white pepper and nutmeg. Add white wine, about a quarter to a third of a bottle, then stir and let it absorb into the meat. Scrape up all of the fond or the drippings from the meats and vegetables, being careful not to burn the meat. Add milk, tomatoes and about 1 cup stock, a piece of cheese rind from Parmigiano-Reggiano if you have one, then lower heat to simmer, partially cover and cook the sauce 2 1/2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally and thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Add up to 1 extra cup of stock if needed if sauce gets too thick. The perfect traditional Bolognese should be buttery, uniform and emulsified, the consistency of rich, tender, pourable oatmeal. Remove bay leaf and the rind, if using, from the sauce. Sauce may be made a few days ahead as the longer it sets, the better it gets.
• To serve, cook pasta in salted water 1 minute less than package directions for al dente. Reserve 1 full cup of starchy cooking water, then drain pasta and place back in hot pot.
• Combine pasta with about two-thirds of the sauce, the cooking water and a couple of handfuls of grated cheese, tossing with tongs to combine.
• Serve pasta in shallow bowls with a little torn basil.

BOLOGNESE SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat butter and oil in a large pot over medium-high heat until butter starts to sizzle, then reduce heat to medium. Add pancetta, and cook until golden and fat has rendered, about 2 1/2 minutes. Add onion, carrot, and celery, and cook, stirring often, until just beginning to brown around edges, about 10 minutes (adjust heat if mixture is browning too quickly).
• Add beef and pork and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently and separating meat with the back of a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 8 to 10 minutes. Once meat is completely browned, pour off any excess fat. Add tomato paste and cook 1 minute, stirring to intensify sweetness.
• Pour in wine and cook, stirring to scrape up browned bits from bottom of pot, until liquid has evaporated, 6 to 7 minutes. Add 1 cup milk and cook until reduced by half, about 3 minutes (don't worry if it appears slightly curdled, it will smooth out again). Add thyme bundle and bay leaves, and then pour in tomatoes and 6 cups stock. Season with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a very low simmer and cook, partially covered, 3 to 3 1/2 hours, skimming the fat from the surface with a ladle periodically. If at any time the sauce appears too dry, add up to 1 cup more stock as necessary. The finished sauce should have the consistency of a loose chili. Stir in remaining 1/4 cup milk and season with salt and pepper, as desired. If not serving immediately, let cool completely before transferring to airtight containers. Refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months; defrost in the refrigerator before using.

DUCK BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Heat oil in large pot over medium high heat. Brown sausage and duck in oil, breaking up sausage with wooden spoon as it cooks. Remove meat and set aside.
• Add vegetables (onions through tomatoes) to the pot and cook until softened, approximately 5 minutes.
• Add white wine and put meat back in pot. Add chicken stock, tomato paste, milk, sage, and Parmesan cheese. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for several hours. Season with salt and pepper.
• Serve over your favorite pasta.

MARIO BATALI'S RAGU BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Heat the oil and butter in a 6-8 qt heavy bottomed pot,set over medium heat, until hot. Add the onions, celery, carrots, garliccook until the vegetables are translucent but not browned, 5-10 minutes. Add the meats. Increase the heat to high, and brown the meat stirring frequently for 25 min. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook and stir for another 20 min. Stir in the tomato paste, and cook for another 30 min. Add the milk and cook for one hour. Add the wine, increase the heat to medium high, and bring to a boil. Cook until the wine has evaporated and the alcohol has cooked off about 5 min. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, adding a splash of water if necessary to keep the sauce from drying out, Season the ragu with salt. Remove it from the heat and let it cool. To serve with pasta add 2 cups of the raguto the tagliatelli and toss vriefly over high heat. Makes 4 servings. The rest of the sauce can be frozen up to 2 month.

DUCK BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Reconstitute the dried porcini mushrooms in a cup of hot water for 30 minutes. Drain mushrooms, squeeze dry, and chop coarsely; keep liquid for another use. (See note at end.) Chop coarsely the celery, carrots, onion, fennel and garlic. Put together with the mushrooms in a food processor to chop into a fine mixture. Saute in oil over med-high heat for 10-15 minutes, until it has browned a little. A large saute pan is best, to avoid crowding. Add duck, mix with vegetables, and cook until brown. After browned, add brandy and then red wine. Cook until wine is almost cooked off. Add 2 cans of chopped tomatoes with their juice. Drain juice from 3rd can, keeping the juice, and adding tomatoes to the pan. (This can all be moved to a heavy pot at this point). Add crushed juniper berries, thyme, sage, bay leaf and heavy cream. Add pepper to taste. Mix together the juice drained from the 1 can of tomatoes with the can of chicken stock, and keep nearby. Bring sauce to a simmer and let cook, partially covered, for several hours, watching the sauce so that it doesn't dry out. When the liquid is getting so low that the solids are barely sticking to the bottom of the pot, add the tomato juice/chicken stock mixture, little by little, so that it doesn't become too soupy. If that liquid runs out, add more chicken stock or just water. Once the sauce has cooked for an hour, it is good to go, but more cooking time will mean a deeper sauce. Makes enough sauce for 1.5 - 2 lbs dried pasta. (Note: I always forget to soak the dried porcinis early enough. So I usually start them soaking when I begin the rest of the dish, then when they are ready, I quickly saute them alone in a bit of oil, and once browned, add them to the pot, wherever it is in the cooking process. For an even deeper flavor, some of the porcini liquid can be added in, although add too much and it will dominate.)

DUCK RAGOUT

Steps:

• In a large saute pan, over medium heat, add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the shallots. Season the shallots with salt and pepper. Saute the shallots for 1 minute. Stir in the garlic and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for 2 minutes. Stir in the duck meat. Saute for 1 minute. Stir in the reduction and bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the butter and parsley. Remove from the heat and re-season if necessary. Serve over mash potatoes or cheesy grits.
• In a large saucepan, add the stock, onions, carrots, celery, and bouquet garni. Bring the liquid up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer until the liquid reduces by half, about 1 1/2 hours. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer and cool. Refrigerate overnight and remove any congealed fat from the surface. The reduction can be stored in the freezer in ice cube trays for 1 month.
• Break and crack the carcass. In a large stockpot, heat the vegetable oil. Season the bones with salt and pepper. Add the bones to the pot and brown for about 10 minutes, stirring often. Add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and bay leaves. Season the mixture with salt. Cook until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the wine and tomato paste and stir to mix. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the water. Put the thyme, parsley sprigs, and peppercorns in a piece of cheesecloth, tie it together with kitchen twine, and add it to the mixture. Bring the mixture to a boil. Skim off any cloudy scum that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 3 hours. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer and cool. Refrigerate overnight and remove any congealed fat from the surface. The stock can be stored in the freezer for 1 month.