Foodie Friday: The New Martha

It's no surprise that I'm a huge Gwyneth Paltrow fan and I'm loving everything about her ever-expanding empire (country singer, detox guru). Now Gwynnie has released her latest venture: a cookbook. I personally cannot wait to get my hands on it to see if she is, like everyone is saying, the "next Martha". In her weekly newsletter, she talked about a party she threw for her fellow foodies in honor of her new book. At the event she served duck ragu among many other tasty treats. Here's the recipe along with a few photos. Enjoy!

Duck Ragu

Serves 4-6

1 organic large duck, washed and dried

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Coarse salt

Freshly ground black pepper

4 slices duck bacon, finely diced

2 medium carrots, peeled and finely diced

3 medium celery stalks, peeled and finely diced

5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

2 5-inch sprigs fresh rosemary, stems discarded and leaves finely minced

3 14-ounce cans whole peeled tomatoes with their juice

1 cup Italian red wine

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 pound pappardelle (fresh or dried)

Gremolata Bread Crumbs or freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Preheat the oven to 350.

Trim off excess skin from the opening to the duck's cavity and back end. Rub the entire duck with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper, inside and out. Roast it for a total of 2 hours, flipping it from its back to its breast (and vice versa) every 1/2 hour. Let it cool in the pan until you can handle it. Drain off the fat and either discard or reserve it for another use, such as roasting potatoes. While the duck is roasting, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the duck bacon. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until starting to crisp. Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and rosemary. Turn the heat down to low and cook, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes, or until softened. Add the tomatoes and their juice and put 1/2 cup water into one can, swish it around to get all the tomato stuck to the sides, pour into the next can, and repeat again with the third. Add the tomato water to the Dutch oven along with the wine, a good grind of pepper, and a healthy pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and then turn the heat down very low and let simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

After the duck has cooled down a bit, remove and discard the skin and bones and shred the meat. Fold the duck meat into the ragu along with the tomato paste and cook on very low heat, uncovered for at least 1 hour (and up to 4), adding splashes of water if necessary to keep it from drying out (continue to season with salt and pepper as you splash).

To serve, cook the pasta, divide it among bowls, and spoon a generous amount of duck ragu over the pasta. Top with Gremolata Bread Crumbs or Parmesan.

Active preparation time: 50 minutes

Total preparation time: 4-5 hours

Gremolata Bread Crumbs

Yield: 1 cup

2/3 cup fresh bread crumbs, toasted and coarsely ground

Zest of 2 lemons

1 and 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

Small pinch of coarse slat

Toss everything together.

Total preparation time: less than 5 minutes

* images and recipe via Goop