CookEat Recipe
Arezzo-Style Pappardelle with Duck Gravy
Wide crimp-edged egg noodles dressed with duck braising juices, liver, spleen and Parmesan; the duck is served separately.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Gather the ingredients: 1 whole food-grade domestic duck, about 1.8 kg, professionally cleaned, with its liver reserved; 30 g butter for browning, plus about 15 g if needed to finish the pasta; 60 g prosciutto; 1 onion; 1 celery stalk; 1 carrot; About 500 ml ready-to-use broth and 500 ml water, with extra if needed; About 40 g food-grade veal or beef spleen from an inspected supplier; 400 g plain flour; 4 eggs; 60 g grated Parmesan; Salt, black pepper and a small pinch of nutmeg.
Step 2
Keep the cleaned duck, liver and spleen refrigerated until needed. Pat the duck dry; do not wash raw poultry. Brown it in the 30 g butter in a close-fitting heavy pot, seasoning with salt and pepper and turning carefully.
Step 3
Finely chop the prosciutto, onion, celery and carrot. Add under the duck and cook until softened, turning the bird occasionally. Spoon off much of the released fat, retaining the moist aromatic base.
Step 4
Add the broth and water a little at a time, cover partly and braise gently until the duck is tender and reaches 82°C in the thickest breast and thigh, away from bone, approximately 1.5–2 hours. Retain enough liquid for a generous pasta sauce; add hot water as needed.
Step 5
Near the end, cut open the food-grade spleen and scrape out its soft interior, discarding the tough membrane. Add the scraped tissue and chopped duck liver to the braising liquid and simmer until thoroughly cooked to at least 74°C. Season with nutmeg. If desired, add about 100 ml plain tomato passata and simmer for a further 10 minutes.
Step 6
While the duck cooks, knead the flour and eggs to make a firm dough without added water. Cover and rest for 20 minutes, then roll about 1.5 mm thick. Cut with a fluted pastry wheel into strips about 2.5 cm wide. Cook promptly, or refrigerate covered until needed.
Step 7
Lift out the cooked duck and keep hot for the accompanying course. Boil the pappardelle in salted water until just tender and cooked through, about 3–5 minutes depending on thickness. Drain and dress with the duck juices, cooked liver and spleen, Parmesan and the extra butter only if needed. Serve the duck separately with a little reserved sauce.
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