Listen to Lena

Perfecting the Art of Conversuasion

Spinach Pappardelle with Duck Ragu

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I’m not the most adventurous in the kitchen. Preferring to rely on tried-and-true recipes to, you know, get the hell out of the kitchen, I seldom venture out of my comfort zone. And while, in theory, I love trying new cuisines and foods, I just don’t want to be the one to make them.

Thank goodness for my husband.

Ever-ready to don an apron and whip out a cookbook, he has been instrumental in expanding our entire family’s palette. From chicken chow mein to kalbi (Korean BBQ short ribs) to chicken adobo, he’s cooked it, and we’ve enjoyed it. But the thing that makes him a great home cook is that he’s fearless; as long as he has a recipe, a grocery list and a sous chef who can provide a little counselling from time to time (that’s my role), he’s good to go.

So when he said he wanted to make Mario Batali’s Pappardelle with Duck Ragu, I scoffed. I mean, who makes these things? Duck ragu – seriously? That’s the kind of meal you order at a restaurant, not try to recreate at home.

Except, he showed me the recipe and insisted that aside from the homemade pappardelle, which we opted to swap with a quality store made, the rest of it was actually a cinch. And, with duck meat readily available at most supermarkets, it was actually (to quote him) “no big deal”.
DSC_1566(In fact, we used duck breast instead of two legs, because that’s what we found at our local Loblaws.)

So, my husband made us Spinach Pappardelle with Duck Ragu. Melt-in-the-mouth duck meat, a rich, earthy flavoured sauce, and spindly pappardelle just waiting to be gobbled up. He followed Mario’s sauce recipe to a tee with one exception: instead of adding shredded duck meat back into the sauce, he diced the cooked breast finely to make it kid-friendly and give it a less rustic appearance.

Happy Friday All! Whats for dinner?

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tricha F.

    Oh my! Can you say lucky (you) and super talented (hubby)? Looks delicious and restaurant quality.

  2. AC

    Way to go Mike! Having had the pleasure of enjoying a few of his other creations I’m sure this would be a gastronomical delight as well. Before this, the only other ducks I knew of were Peking, Daffy, Donald, and Plucky. ;) Then there’s duck 3 ways…whatever that is.

  3. Margaret Imecs

    I love the recipe! I will try to make this!
    I made meatloaf with mashed potatoes for today. Have a great weekend!

  4. Emilia

    I love duck, the drippings and sauces, look so savory and good. I also like the links to the recipe so easy to bookmark for future and follow. That is great he likes to cook. My husband likes to cook too. He is just so good at chopping and sharpening knifes, he is the primary cook in my home too.

  5. jan

    we like to pick a new recipe (suppose to be once a week, but it has slipped to once every 2 or 3 the past couple of months)and prepare it together. great fun. however, I have never tackled duck!

  6. Lee Pearson

    I don’t recall ever having duck in my life. This picture looks really good and I would love to try it. We tend to get a lot of take out (which I hate) because it is faster just to grab something on the way home. My resolution for this year is to cook at home more and I’m doing really well so far. We haven’t had take out yet.lol nine days in! Home cooking is so much more tasty and is actually not too time consuming. Always looking for good recipes. Thanks!

  7. Anne Taylor

    I am blessed to have a husband like yours! He does most of the cooking and has worked as a chef for years and years! My doctor actually told him to stop cooking for me when I was pregnant because I was gaining to much weight haha

    Your hubby’s dish looks delish!

  8. Judy Cowan

    Looks like your hubby is quite the cook! I have to say that I don’t think I would ever get my family to eat that dish…they don’t like going out of their comfort zone when it comes to food!

  9. Lynda Cook

    This looks so good and oh my what a talented hubby you have, I watch The Chew everyday and I find a lot of their recipes to be hard to make and ingredients I wouldn’t have on hand, but after reading your story it sound’s pretty easy, now I just need to find someone to make this for me..lol

  11. heidi c.

    Wow, my hubby, as wonderful as he is, has trouble making spaghetti. I would probably pass out if he made a lovely dish like this!

  14. Marissa

    Looks delicious! You are blessed to have a husband who enjoys cooking. This sounds like a simple recipe so I think I’ll try it this week.

  15. La Cuisine d'Helene

    This is a great post, I can picture you saying: ”Duck ragoût, seriously”. I am not a duck eater but could probably make this recipe with chicken dark meat. Your husband is a keeper Lena!

  16. Alayne Langford

    You are a busy little bee Lena! This is a restaurant worthy “stunning” dish as Gordan Ramsay would say. Congratulation, but I know there was a HUGE clean-up, am I right? :)

  18. kathy downey

    I just had Duck for the first time at Christmas dinner and I must say it was very tasty,so I will be giving your recipe a try real soon

  22. Michelle K

    I ate duck a lot as a child ,so did my husband I’m sure our daughter would love this dish too. thanks