Canard confit with pici
Ridiculously time consuming, but not complicated. Patience and a day off will be your largest assets for this dish, but the final execution is relatively simple. I enjoy the marriage of French and Italian-based foods like this. Thank you to Missy Robbins for this beautiful recipe. Make sure to scroll to the bottom of the page for step-by-step photos.
GATHER for duck confit (6 servings)
4 duck legs
3 to 4 cups of olive oil
Juniper berries (1 tbsp)
Thyme sprigs (about 10)
6-8 garlic cloves (whole, peeled)
Black peppercorns (1 tbsp)
Salt
GATHER for pici dough
500g 00 flour
454g egg yolks
GATHER for final assembly
1 800g can of whole, peeled tomatoes
1.5 cups of red wine
1 bay leaf
5-6 sprigs of thyme
1 tbsp whole juniper berries
1 tbsp whole peppercorns
1 onion
2 celery stalks
1 large carrot
5 cloves of garlic, pressed
2 tablespoons of butter
Salt, as needed
PREPARE the confit
Preheat an oven to 225F or 108C.
Salt the duck legs generously on both sides, then place on the bottom of a large, cold pot or dutch oven.
Cover the duck legs in olive oil. Depending on the size of your pot, this could be more than 3 cups of olive oil.
Sprinkle 6-8 whole cloves of garlic, 1 tbsp of crushed juniper berries, 1 tbsp of whole peppercorns, and about 10 sprigs of thyme over the duck and olive oil.
Place the pot or dutch oven over medium-low heat until small bubbles begin to come to the top, about 5 minutes.
Cover and place in the oven for 6 hours.
PREPARE the dough
In a large bowl, place 500g of 00 flour and create a well for the egg yolks.
In another bowl, begin placing egg yolks in the bowl over a scale until you have 454g of egg yolks.
With a fork, gently mix the egg yolks.
Dump half of the egg yolks into the flower well. Begin to gradually combine.
Dump the remainder of the yolks into the bowl, and continue to combine.
Place the mixture on a clean surface, and begin kneading for 10 minutes. At the end of 10 minutes, the ball of dough should be smooth and bounce back when poked. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for at least 1 hour.
PREPARE the pici
Unwrap the dough and cut in half.
Dust one half with flour, and begin rolling out in an oval. Continue rolling until the dough is about 1/4 inch or 6.5mm thick.
Cut the oval in half, and then begin cutting 1/4-in strips. (See photos below)
Beginning from the middle of the strip, with pressure, roll back and forth towards the end. These should resemble long, smooth worms. With the longer pieces, it’s okay to break these into two pieces. Once finished, place on a heavily-dusted sheet with flour.
Repeat, and then follow the same directions with the other half of dough.
FINISH the confit
After 6 hours, remove the pot from the oven. Let cool for 15-20 minutes.
Remove the duck legs from the pot and set on a cutting board. Pull apart the duck meat from the bones, and then continue to pull apart to reach your desired size. Set aside in a container.
Pass the remaining olive oil and duck fat mixture through a mesh strainer to separate the aromatics from the fat and oil. Set aside.
Keep the remaining fat and fond at the bottom of the pot to finish the sauce.
ASSEMBLE the sauce
Assemble your aromatics: 1 bay leaf, 1 tbsp whole juniper berries, 1 tbsp whole peppercorns, and 5-6 sprigs of thyme.
Roughly chop 1 onion, 1 large carrot, and 2 celery stalks and place in a food processor.
Remove the contents and place in a cheesecloth. Squeeze to remove as much moisture as possible.
In the pot, add about 1/3 cup of the reserved duck fat/olive oil mixture and bring up to medium heat.
Add the soffritto (celery, onion, carrot) and cook for about 7 minutes.
Pass 5 cloves of garlic through a garlic press and cook for another minute.
Turn the heat up to high, and add 1.5 cups of red wine. Let this reduce for another 4-5 minutes.
Return the heat to low, and then add the tomatoes and the reserved duck meat. Add the aromatics, and let cook covered, over low heat, for about 1 hour.
FINAL assembly
Bring a pot of heavily salted water to a gentle boil.
In a saucepan, combine 2 tablespoons of butter, 1.5-2 cups of the duck ragù, and a ladle of water and begin to melt.
Once the water is gently boiling, drop the pici in and cook for 3 minutes.
After 3 minutes, immediately transfer to the sauce. Cook for another 1-2 minutes over high heat until fully incorporated.
Serve immediately, and garnish with parmigiano reggiano, if desired.
