Pici All'Anatra - Handrolled Pasta with Duck Ragu
Discover the delicious and hearty duck ragu dish, Pici All'Anatra, from Via Carota in Greenwich Village, New York City. Made with fresh ingredients and slow-cooked to perfection, this traditional Tuscan dish is a must-try for all Italian food lovers.
Ingredients
For the Duck Ragu
- 1 Large Carrot
- 1 Stalk Celery
- 1 Medium Onion
- ½ cup / 120 ml Duck fat or extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Bay leaf
- salt
- 3 Duck legs 2-2 1/2 pounds / 900 grams - 1 kg total
- ½ cup / 120 ml Red wine Such as Chianti
- 1 cup / 240 ml Vegetable broth or water
- 1 cup / 250 grams Canned crushed tomatoes, or puree (passata)
- 1 tablespoon / 15 grams tomato paste
- Pepper
- 14 ounces / 400 grams Pici
- Parmigiano Reggiano For serving
For the Pici
- 1 cup / 116 grams type 00 flour
- 1 cup / 150 grams semolina
- salt pinch
- 2 tbsp / 30 ml extra-virgin oilive oil
- ½ cup plus 2 tbsp / 150 ml water
Instructions
For the Dough
- Whisk the flour, semolina, and a large pinch of salt together in a bowl, then pour onto a work surface in a mound.
- Make a deep well in the center of the flour with a fork. Add the olive oil and about 1/4 cup / 60 ml water. Use the fork or your fingers to gradually incorporate flour from the inside of the well, mixing from the bottom first in a circular motion. Pir in the remaining water, and gather the mixture into a shaggy dough using a bench scraper and your hands. Pat into a firm dough and scrape the work surface clean.
- Work the dough vigorously, kneading and folding it into a ball. Continue kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic, 10-15 minutes. Slight flatten the ball of dough and place a bowl over it, or wrap it tightly with plastic wrap.
- Rest the dough for 1 hour and up to 24 hours in the fridge before rolling and cutting.
To make the Pici
- Have a sheet pan dusted with semolina.
- Divide the dough in half. Cover one half with a bowl while you work.
- With a rolling pin, roll the dough on a very lightly floured board until you have a sheet about 1/3 inch / 5mm thick.
- Cut the pasta into short pieces (1-2 inches / 2.5-5cm).
- Roll a piece of pasta between your hands into a short rope, then place it on the board. Place the palms of your hands on top of the pasta rope, and with fingers outstretched, roll the dough back and forth. Work gradually toward the ends to lengthen the dough.
- Continue rolling and stretching outward until the rope is thin (pici will expand when cooked) and about 1 inch / 25 cm long. Don't try to make them perfect; they will be irregular.
- Lay the pici put on the sheet pan with space between them, and sprinkle with semolina to prevent them from sticking. You can cook them immediately or them dry until firm.
For the Duck Ragu
- Heat large pot over medium heat.
- Add duck fat or olive oil and bay leaf.
- Add finely diced carrot celery and onion when the oil is hot. Season with salt. Cook until soft.
- Move the veg to the side of the pot. Place duck leg skin side down into the bottom of the bare pot. Sear until golden brown. About 10 minutes.
- Flip the legs and add wine. Simmer until the alcohol is cooked off (a couple of minutes), add stock or water, and cook uncovered until reduced by about half. Stir in the passata and tomato paste.
- Move duck legs to coat all sides and leave skin side up. Cook on low heat until meat is tender. Approx 2 hours.
- Remove duck legs from pot and allow to cool. Using tongs, remove duck meat from bones and any skin that did not render off. Shred duck meat using forks. Add meat back into the pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Skim off any excess fat from the top using a ladle.
- Bring a separate large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pici until Al dente, approx 9 minutes.
- Reserve a cup or two of pasta water before draining. Add cooked pasta to the sauce and about a half cup of pasta water and stir to emulsion the water with the sauce. Add more pasta water if needed to thin the sauce out to preference. Serve with grated Parmesan