A Taste of Tuscany: Duck Ragu

After reading Andrea’s most recent blog, and living vicariously through her epic Cook Like a Tuscan culinary tour, I am super inspired by all things Tuscan right now. Plus, Italian food has a special place in my heart from when my husband and I took a trip to Tuscany and Venice back in 2001.

When it’s gloomy and chilly outside, spending time in my kitchen making an involved, muti-step recipe is what I do for fun. This time around it had to be food inspired by Tuscany to satisfy my cravings, and it did just that.

If you are a follower of my blogs, then you know I love all things pasta, but it had been a while since I made gnocchi from scratch. We also had a few duck breasts in our freezer that really needed to get used, so I decided to make a duck ragu to accompany the gnocchi, which was a perfect match!

The first step in making the ragu was to grind up the duck breasts, skin and all. Because of the thick subcutaneous fat layer on each breast, I kept the breasts partially frozen so the fat wouldn’t shmear when passing through the grinder.

I cut the breasts into 1-inch lengthwise slices, passed them through the grinder and placed the bowl of ground meat in the fridge.

I totally get that this technique is not for all home cooks since many people don’t own a meat grinder, so feel free to use ground beef, lamb, pork or wild boar. I like the option to use pre-ground meat in this recipe because it cuts down the cook time without skimping on flavor.

Like with any good sauce recipe, you’ll want to brown the meat first (whether it be ground or cut into cubes) to develop a complex and rich flavor.

Once the ground meat is caramelized in several spots, that’s when the aromatics go in. In this ragu, instead of using the usual lineup of mire poix (carrot, onion and celery), here we use only onion to let the flavor of the meat really shine.

Once the onions are softened, garlic and tomato paste are added to create depth of flavor, and then red wine is poured in. I don’t think it can be a Tuscan ragu without the addition of wine.

Let’s go back to the tomato paste for a moment. The product in the tube is very easy to use but can be expensive. A can of the paste is typically too much and often goes moldy before you use all of it. My solution is to buy that cost effective can, portion it out flat in a sandwich bag and then freeze it. Just break off what you need and place the rest back in the freezer.

After the wine comes the canned, crushed tomatoes. Because the tomatoes are the bulk of the sauce, spend a few extra dollars and get a good quality product. I didn’t take my own advice, and the tomatoes I used were a bit astringent, leading me to add a touch of sugar at the end, even though the tomatoes did end up softening in flavor after about 30 minutes of simmering. If you still feel like you’re lacking depth, you can add a small spoonful of concentrated chicken base and/or a splash of fish sauce. Fish sauce is typically used in Southeast Asian cuisine, but it contains such a burst of umami and has the super power to fill in any flavor gaps. Worcestershire sauce has a similar effect.

This is the time to add the dried oregano and bay leaf.

I also add a rind of Parmesan cheese if I have one in my fridge. 

After 30 to 35 minutes of simmering (partially covered to avoid splatters), the sauce will start to thicken up nicely and develop flavor. I still had to make my gnocchi, so I turned the sauce off so it wouldn’t get overly thick. At this point, you can let it cool and place it in the fridge or freezer for another day if necessary.

Making gnocchi in my house is always a team effort, so while my son and I were rolling out the dough and cutting the pillows, my husband was using a fork to create the ridges and dimples.

Once the gnocchi were boiling, I started to gently reheat the ragu, checked the seasonings one last time and folded in a bunch of dried basil.

Using a skimmer, the boiled gnocchi went right from the water to the pot of ragu for a gentle stir.

Spoon the gnocchi and sauce onto your plate, top with some grated parm, serve with your favorite vegetable (we roasted broccolini) and enjoy with a big glass of red wine! Did I mention how this whole process is so much more fun if you’re drinking wine while cooking?

Duck Ragu

Scroll down for a printable version of this recipe

Yield: 4-6 servings

Active time: 40 minutes

Start to finish: 1 hour, 30 minutes

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 partially frozen duck breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces lengthwise and ground (see note, below)

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 onion, medium dice

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup red wine

One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

1 cup water

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 bay leaf

Salt and pepper to taste

Granulated sugar to taste

2 tablespoons fresh basil, torn into pieces

1 pound potato gnocchi, boiled until cooked through and drained

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

1. Heat a heavy pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the ground duck and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until golden brown. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Add the onions and sauté until lightly caramelized, 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Add the tomato paste and garlic and cook until aromatic, about 1 minute. Deglaze with the red wine and reduce by half.
4. Pour in the tomatoes and water, and stir in the oregano and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook, partially covered, for about 45 minutes to blend the flavors.
6. Stir in the basil and check the seasoning.
7. Transfer the cooked gnocchi to the pot of the ragu and gently stir. Serve topped with parmesan cheese.

Note: Ground beef, wild boar, lamb or pork are all great substitutes for duck.

What could be better on a chilly, dark day? I’m sure by now you feel the need to also satisfy your Italian food cravings, and lucky for you, we are running a new hands-on cooking class based on Andrea’s travels called Winter in Toscana. Join us on Friday, January 12 or Saturday, January 20 for a fabulous menu including:

• Ribollita Soup (Tuscan Bread Soup with Beans and Vegetables)
• Wild Boar Ragu with Pappardelle
• Roasted Radicchio, Fennel and Grapes with Olives and Balsamic Glaze
• Orange Olive Oil Cake with Whipped Cream

Spots are filling quickly, but we’ll also run the class in February so keep an eye on our class calendar. And if you want to travel to Tuscany and experience making food like this yourself, we have just released our 2024 Cook Like a Tuscan tours!