Chefs' Recipes

Tipo 00's gnocchi with duck ragù and porcini mushrooms

Tipo 00 chef Andreas Papadakis' recipe makes light and fluffy gnocchi to balance out the rich and seasoned duck ragù.

By Andreas Papadakis
  • 1 hr 15 mins preparation
  • 3 hrs cooking (plus chilling)
  • Serves 4 - 6
  • Print
    Print
"This duck ragù is rich and delicious," says Tipo 00's Andreas Papadakis."The gnocchi need to be fluffy and light for the dish to work well, so be sure the potatoes aren't waxy, or they'll become gluey as you pass them through the sieve."

Ingredients

  • 100 gm parmesan, finely grated
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 125 gm pecorino pepato, shaved
Duck and porcini ragù
  • 6 duck Marylands (250gm-300gm each), skin seasoned with sea salt 1 hour before cooking
  • 1 carrot, diced
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp crushed garlic (3-4 cloves)
  • 2 sage sprigs
  • 1 thyme sprig
  • 1 fresh bay leaf
  • 10 gm dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in 250ml warm water for 1 hour
  • 100 gm tomato paste
  • 125 ml dry white wine
  • 750 ml chicken stock (3 cups)
Gnocchi
  • 1 kg floury potatoes (such as sebago or russet Burbank), scrubbed
  • 200 gm "00" flour, plus extra for dusting (1⅓ cups)
  • 30 gm finely grated parmesan
  • 1 small egg yolk
  • Pinch of finely grated nutmeg

Method

  • 1
    For duck ragù, preheat oven to 150C. Heat a casserole over medium heat, then add duck skin-side down and fry until browned and fat renders (5-6 minutes). Turn and fry until browned (2-3 minutes), then set aside. Add carrot, onion, garlic and herbs to pan, and sauté until vegetables are tender (5-8 minutes). Meanwhile, gently lift porcini from liquid (reserve liquid) with a slotted spoon; leaving any grit settled at the bottom. Coarsely chop mushrooms, add to vegetables and sauté until softened (3-4 minutes). Add tomato paste and cook until colour deepens (2-3 minutes). Deglaze pan with wine and stir until thickened (4-5 minutes). Add stock and three-quarters of the strained mushroom liquid, and bring to the boil. Season to taste, add duck, cover with a lid or foil and braise in the oven until meat falls from the bone (1¾-2¼ hours). Uncover, rest for 15 minutes, then remove duck legs and, when cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones in chunks and stir into sauce. Discard herbs.
  • 2
    For gnocchi, bring potatoes to a simmer in a large saucepan of cold salted water and cook until tender (40-50 minutes). Drain then, when cool enough to handle, peel, pass through a drum sieve or potato ricer and refrigerate, covered with a tea towel, until cold (2-3 hours). Combine 660gm potato with remaining ingredients and ¼ tsp salt in a bowl and mix lightly until smooth. (Take care not to overwork dough or the gnocchi will become dense.) Divide dough into 4 pieces and roll each on a lightly floured surface to 1cm-diameter ropes, then cut into 1.5cm pieces.
  • 3
    Cook gnocchi in batches in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until they rise to the surface (1-2 minutes), then drain (if you are not using gnocchi right away, refresh them in iced water, drain, lightly coat in oil and refrigerate in an airtight container up to a day). Add gnocchi to ragù with parmesan and parsley, toss to coat, then serve scattered with pecorino pepato.

Notes

Drink Suggestion: 2008 Cascina Gomba Boschetti Barolo "JLSORJ" Nebbiolo, Barolo, Italy. This wine has amazing structure and earthy spice – a classic marriage with porcini mushrooms and pecorino. Drink suggestion by Luke Skidmore