Duck Bigoli Recipe

Brown the duck legs

Pat duck legs dry and season lightly with 1 tsp salt and 0.5 tsp black pepper. Heat olive oil and butter in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add duck legs skin-side down and cook 6–8 minutes until deep golden and fat renders. Flip and brown the other side 3–4 minutes. Remove legs and set aside.

Sweat the aromatics

Pour off excess rendered fat leaving about 1–2 tbs in the pot. Reduce heat to medium, add the chopped onion, carrot, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 6–8 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook 30–45 seconds until fragrant.

Deglaze and build sauce

Stir in tomato paste and cook 1–2 minutes to remove raw flavor. Pour in the red wine, scraping up browned bits from the bottom. Let the wine reduce by about half, 4–6 minutes.

Simmer the ragoût

Return the browned duck legs to the pot. Add stock, bay leaves, thyme, orange zest (if using), and remaining 1 tsp salt and 0.5 tsp pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce heat to low, cover partially, and simmer gently until meat is tender and falling from the bone, about 1.5–2 hours.

Shred the duck

Transfer duck legs to a cutting board. When cool enough to handle, remove skin and bones and shred the meat into bite-sized pieces. Skim and strain ragoût sauce through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing on solids to extract concentrated sauce. Discard solids. Reserve about 2 cups of the strained sauce (more if you prefer saucier pasta).

Enrich the sauce

Return the reserved strained sauce to the pot over low heat. Stir in mascarpone until melted and smooth. Add shredded duck and gently warm through for 3–5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and optional lemon juice to brighten.

Finish with cheese and herbs

Stir in half of the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and most of the chopped parsley, reserving a little for garnish. Keep the sauce warm on the lowest heat.

Cook the pasta

Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add bigoli (or thick spaghetti) and cook until al dente according to package directions, usually 8–12 minutes. Reserve 2 cups pasta cooking water and drain the pasta, saving some water to loosen the sauce.

Combine pasta and sauce

Add pasta to the pot with the duck ragoût. Toss over low heat, adding reserved pasta water a little at a time as needed to create a glossy emulsion and coat the noodles, about 1–2 minutes. Stir in remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano and extra-virgin olive oil; adjust consistency with more cooking water if necessary.

Plate and garnish

Divide the pasta among warm plates. Finish each portion with a small dollop of mascarpone if desired, a sprinkle of remaining parsley, a grind of black pepper, and additional grated Parmigiano-Reggiano to taste. Serve immediately.