Recipe: Braised duck leg in ragu with chestnut polenta and green olives
A recipe and wine match from Daring pairings by Evan Goldstein
Braised duck leg in ragu with chestnut polenta and green olives
Nebbiolo requires rich, tannin-cancelling food. Duck fits the bill. Slow braises are a good match with these wines, and the chestnuts add richness, with their natural sweetness amplifying the wine’s fruit. The olives create a perfect bridge to the wine. The dish can accompany a full range of nebbiolo-based wines, though it is most successful with younger bottlings. Bravissimo!
Braised Duck Leg in Ragù with Chestnut Polenta and Green Olives
Nate Appleman – Pulino's Bar and Pizzeria, New York City, New York
Makes 6 main-course servings
6 whole duck legs
Salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Quarter pound pancetta, in a single piece
1 red onion, chopped
1.5 cups nebbiolo or other dry red wine
1 (28-ounce) can San Marzano tomatoes with juice
1 cup green olives, preferably Castelvetrano
POLENTA
1 cup polenta, preferably Anson Mills brand
6 cups water
Salt
1 cup chestnut flour
Extra virgin olive oil for serving
To prepare the duck legs, season them well with salt, cover, and refrigerate for 24 hours.
The next day, preheat the oven to 275°F. In a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. In batches if necessary to avoid crowding, add the duck legs, skin side down, and cook until the skin is well browned and some of the fat has rendered, about 5 minutes. Do not let the fat turn black. Turn the legs over and sear on the second side for a minute or two. Remove the pan from the heat. Transfer the duck legs to a plate.
Cut the pancetta into slices a quarter inch thick. Neatly stack the slices. Cut the stack crosswise into lardoons a quarter inch wide. (The rectangular strips should be a uniform quarter inch on each side.) Pour out half of the fat from the Dutch oven and place the pan over medium heat. Add the onion and pancetta and cook, stirring, until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Do not allow the pancetta to become crispy. Add the wine, raise the heat to high, and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Crush the tomatoes with your hands and add to the pan along with their juice. Return the duck legs to the pan and add the olives.
Cover the pan, transfer to the oven, and braise the duck legs until they are tender but the meat is not falling away from the bone, about one and a half hours.
Once the duck legs are in the oven, begin making the polenta. In a heavy two and a half quart saucepan, combine the polenta and water and stir to combine. Season with salt, place over medium-high heat, and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the first starch takes hold, 5 to 8 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the grains are soft and hold their shape on a spoon, about 1 hour. Add the chestnut flour and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the flour has lost its raw taste, about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt. Remove from the heat, cover, and keep warm until the duck legs are ready.
Just before serving, check the polenta and add a little hot water if it has become too stiff. Then divide the polenta among warmed soup plates. Top each polenta serving with a duck leg and some sauce, including some olives. Finish with a generous drizzle of olive oil and serve at once.
NOTE Look for chestnut flour imported from Italy in Italian delicatessens and specialty-food stores. If you cannot find the flour, cook plain polenta, using a total of one and a half cups.
Reproduced with permission of University of California Press © Evan Goldstein 2010
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Daring Pairings by Evan Goldstein is published by University of California Press (Berkeley and LA; 2010; hb 353 pp) and retails for RRP US$34.95 or RRP A$55.95 in Australia.
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