Serves 4–6
Preparation time 30 mins
Cooking time 2 hours
INGREDIENTS
Fresh pasta
250 g (8 oz) ‘00’ flour
2 free range eggs
1 free range egg yolk
30 g (1 oz) beetroot juice
3 tablespoons beetroot puree
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Duck ragu
4 duck legs
60 ml (2 fl oz) extra virgin olive oil
60 g (2 oz) pecorino romano
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1⁄2 carrot, diced (1 cm/1⁄2 in)
1⁄2 onion, diced (1 cm/1⁄2 in)
1⁄2 celery stick, diced (1 cm/1⁄2 in)
6 black peppercorns
4 juniper berries
2 bay leaves
120 ml (4 fl oz) red wine
400 g (14 oz) tin Italian whole peeled tomatoes (or fresh tomatoes)
salt and pepper
METHOD
1 To make beetroot puree, heat oven 180°C (350°F). Peel, dice and roast beetroot in oven until soft. Allow to cool and puree.
2 To make the pasta, in a large bowl, mix together eggs, beetroot puree, salt and olive oil. Stir well. Add flour to the mix a little at the time and kneed with your hand until a dough is formed.
3 Kneed the dough on a flat surface for 10–15 minutes until smooth and elastic. Add extra flour if the pasta sticks to bench. Wrap in cling wrap and rest for a minimum of 2 hours in the refrigerator before using.
4 Roll dough through the pasta machine until the second last narrow setting. Cut pasta sheets into 30 cm (12 in) lengths. Roll through the tagliatelle attachment on the pasta machine. Dust in flour. Set aside.
5 To make the duck sauce, heat oil in a large pot. Add duck legs. Season with salt and pepper. Sear for 2–3 minutes on each side until golden. Remove legs and rest on a plate. Add garlic, carrot, onion and celery to the same pot and cook for 5 minutes. Add peppercorns, juniper berries, bay leaves and red wine. Cook until wine evaporates.
6 Return duck legs to the pot, add tomatoes and stir well. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and simmer gently for up to 1 1⁄2 to 2 hours with a lid on or cook in the oven at 160°C (325°F). Cook until meat is tender.
7 Remove legs from sauce and shred meat into small pieces. Discard bones and return meat to the sauce.
8 Bring plenty of salted water to the boil in a large pot. Drop in the tagliatelle and cook for 2–3 minutes. Drain and toss with the duck sauce for 1 minute. Serve with grated pecorino romano and a drizzle of olive oil.
Recipe and images from Luca’s Seasonal Journey, published by New Holland Publishers. Purchase the book here
