Cacciatore meaning "Hunter" in Italian, is well-known as a braised chicken dish using onions, tomatoes, and herbs. In fact this dish dates back to the Renaissance period when it more likely would have been used with wild game meats. Today's recipe uses whole duck legs and our favourite local organic Red Miso Bacon by Respect The Technique.
Ingredients:
300g Fresh Linguine
30ml olive oil
60g bacon, small dice
2 duck legs
100g onion, medium dice
100g celery, small dice
60g carrot, small dice
3 cloves garlic, crushed
150g red pepper, large dice
250ml red wine
30g capers
100g kalamata olives
1 large can San Marzano tomato, hand crushed
250ml chicken or vegetable stock
2 sprigs rosemary
3-4 sprigs thyme
5g chili flakes
40g grated Grana Padano
Method For Sugo D'Anatra Alla Cacciatora:
In a dutch oven or oven safe pot, crisp bacon on medium high heat in olive oil. Remove bacon from the pot, leaving the fat in. Season the duck leg with salt and pepper, and sear in the bacon fat, until browned.
Remove the leg, and add the vegetables. Sweat the vegetables until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Deglaze with wine, add capers and olives. Add crushed tomato, and return the bacon and the duck back to the pot. Add chili flakes and herbs. Top with vegetable or chicken stock, bring up to a simmer and cover and place into 350º oven for 3 hours, until duck is tender. Remove duck from sauce, let cool slightly and take the meat off the bone before adding back into the sauce.
Cooking Fresh Linguine:
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add fresh pasta for about 2 minutes. Simmer 500ml of Cacciatore in a separate pan, adjust consistency with small spoonfuls of pasta water. Transfer cooked pasta to the sauce pan, tossing until coated evenly. Salt to taste, then plate into 2 large pasta bowls. Finish with grated Grana Padano.