Wild Duck Ragu

2 whole mallards or other wild duck, skin on
2 medium carrots. chopped
1 – 1 1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 stick celery, finely chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
2-4 thyme sprigs
1/4 cup orange juice
1 cup pureed tomatoes (passata)
1 heaped tbsp tomato paste 
1/2 cup red wine, more as needed
5 cups duck, chicken or vegetable stock, more as needed
salt and pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
Pappardelle pasta (or other thick pasta, such as bigoli or bucatini), or grits
Parmesan cheese, for serving

Piece the ducks so that you can lay them flat in a heavy bottom cassoulet pan. We remove the breasts from the bone but keep the skin attached and the leg attached so that you have 4 pieces. Season the duck with salt and pepper.

Heat your pan with a little olive oil. Sear the ducks skin down on a medium to low heat for 7-8 minutes on each side until browned. Flip the ducks and sear on the other side for another 7-8 minutes. Set aside on a plate.

Leave one tablespoon of duck fat in the pan (note: Wild ducks have less fat then domestic ducks so you may not have more than one tablespoon) and add the chopped onion. Sauté the onion until soft and add the carrots and celery. Stir occasionally until softened—about 10 minutes in total. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and stir to incorporate. Add the pureed tomatoes.

Pour in the wine, stock and orange juice. Add the duck back to the pan and stir to combine all ingredients. Simmer uncovered for 1.5 – 2 hours turning the duck often and ensuring it is mostly covered. If the sauce reduces too much add more stock and/or wine as needed (pasta water can also be a great thickener).

Turn the sauce off the heat and remove the duck and let it cool on a chopping board for 10 minutes, or until you can handle it easily. Remove the skin from the duck and any bones and shred the meat using two forks. If it doesn’t shred easily, roughly chop the meat. Add the meat back to the sauce and reheat. The ragu is ready at this point and can sit until you are ready to cook your pasta or grits. Serve with a thick pasta like pappardelle or grits if you prefer, with freshly grated parmesan cheese to taste.

You will have plenty of leftover ragu and it freezes nicely.