Ragu Alla Veneziana (Venetian Duck Ragu) - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 duck legs, and thighs (skin on bone in)
kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 medium celery ribs, finely chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, smashed peeled (leave whole and unchopped)
1 small yellow onion, minced
1 medium carrot, minced
1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 cup dry italian red wine (Valpolicella recommended)
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 cup low sodium chicken broth, divided
1 1 lb fresh fettuccine or 1 lb fresh spaghetti
parmigiano-reggiano cheese, freshly grated (optional)

Preparation

Heat the oil in a 6-quart Dutch oven or other heavy-duty pot over medium-high heat.
Season both sides of the duck legs and thighs with salt and pepper and arrange them in the pot, skin side down.
Sear until the skin is browned and crisp (7 minutes). Using tongs, turn the legs over and brown the other sides (2-3 minutes).
Transfer the duck to a deep platter. Pour off all but about 1 tbsp of the rendered fat and discard or save for another use.
Reduce the heat to medium low. Put the celery, garlic, onion, carrot, sage, and bay leaf in the pot. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are softened (7-8 minutes).
Pour in the wine and increase the heat to high. Cook at a lively simmer for 2 minutes and then reduce the heat to medium.
Stir in the tomatoes with their juice and 1/2 cup of the broth. Return the duck to the pot and bring the liquid to a boil.
Reduce the heat to medium low or low to maintain a gentle simmer. Cover the pot and simmer until the meat is fork-tender (1 1/2-2 hours).
Remove the duck from the pot and set aside until cool enough to handle.
Skim the excess fat from the top of the sauce with a large spoon. If the sauce seems thin, continue simmering until flavorful and thickened to a saucy consistency.
Discard the duck skin and shred the meat. Add the shredded meat to the sauce, along with the other 1/2 cup of broth.
Let the sauce simmer gently for 15 minutes. Discard the garlic and bay leaf. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
While the sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the pasta until al dente.
Reserve about 1 cup of the cooking water and then drain the pasta. Return the pasta to the pot and toss it with some of the ragu, adding a little cooking water if it seems dry.
Serve the pasta with more ragu spooned over the top, garnished with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.