Ingredients
- 4 duck legs and thighs, skin removed
- 4 tablespoons virgin olive oil
- 1 medium Spanish onion, chopped into 1/4-inch dice
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 stalk celery, chopped into 1/4-inch dice
- 8 ounces red wine (Chianti preferred)
- 1 (28-ounce can) tomatoes, peeled whole
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Bigoli, recipe follows
Directions
Wash the duck legs and remove all fat. Pat dry.
In a heavy-bottomed casserole or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil until smoking. Add the duck legs and cook until brown on all sides and remove, about 10 to 12 minutes. Add the onion, carrot, garlic and celery and cook until softened, about 7 to 9 minutes. Add the wine, tomatoes, chicken stock and dried mushrooms and bring to a boil. Add the duck legs and return to a boil, lower the heat, cover and allow to simmer for 1 hour. Remove the duck legs and allow to cool. Pull all meat off the bones and return to pot, without the bones. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, or until quite thick. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Fill a large pot with 6 quarts water and add 2 tablespoons salt. Cook bigoli until "al dente", about 8 to 9 minutes. Heat the sauce, drain pasta and toss in pan. Toss to coat and serve immediately.
Basic Bigoli Recipe:
- 4 cups whole wheat flour, plus a little more for bench flour
- 4 eggs
- 1/2-cup warm milk, with 2 tablespoons butter melted in
To make the dough: Make a mound of the flour in the center of a large wooden cutting board. Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the eggs and milk mixture. Using a fork, beat together the eggs and milk mixture and begin to incorporate the flour starting with the inner rim of the well.
As you expand the well, keep pushing the flour up to retain the well shape. Do not worry that this initial phase looks messy. The dough will come together when half of the flour is incorporated.
Start kneading the dough with both hands, using the palms of your hands. Once you have a cohesive mass, remove the dough from the board and scrape up any leftover crusty bits. Discard these bits. Lightly flour the board and continue kneading for 3 more minutes. The dough should be elastic and a little sticky. Continue to knead for another 3 minutes, remembering to dust your board when necessary. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
To make the Bigoli: Knead dough until smooth and tight, and let rest 20 minutes.
Note: Do not skip the kneading or resting portion of this recipe. They are essential for a light pasta. Cut the dough into 6 pieces, and run each piece through a meat grinder set to the smallest extrusion size. As the pasta exits, cut it into 12-inch pieces and immediately dust with flour. Lay out on a cookie sheet dusted with cornmeal, being careful to keep the strands separate. Finish all 6 pieces the same way.
Photo: Bigoli with Duck Ragu Recipe











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By kimtran261_12503904
Fremont, 43
on January 01, 2010
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We had this pasta for our new year's eve dinner and it was outstanding! 5 Stars. Very savory, sweet, and flavorful. No need to add cheese, salt or pepper. Must try!
By amyesless_6098897
San Francisco, CA
on December 28, 2009
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I made this for a festive Christmas Eve Dinner. One of the family just has become gluten intolerant, so I was looking for a special sauce. This was nice served over creamy polenta. I like the mushrooms in this and people thought it was pretty good, told me to keep it. I think that that is supposed to serve four. It was a hugh amount for four people. With smart portion control you can feed six to eight. Served over polenta, that did the trick. A nice winter meal, for six to eight
By scottinhawaii_2...
San Francisco, CA
on July 12, 2008
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This was SOOOOO good. I just got up from the dinner table and if I had room I'd run back and eat up all the leftovers. Really good recipe.
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