Name: Slow-roasted duck ravioli with mushroom sauce
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 180 min
Total time: 195 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Cooking Method
Ingredients: 1 tbsp vegetable oil; 4 duck legs; 1 large onion chopped; 1 carrot chopped; 2 celery sticks chopped; 1 sprig fresh rosemary; 1 sprig fresh thyme; 2 garlic cloves; 2 star anise; 1 tsp salt; 1 tsp black pepper; 3-4 tbsp chicken stock; 500 g bread flour; 3 large eggs; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 tsp salt; 50 ml water; 4 duck breasts; salt and black pepper; 100 g butter; 2 sprig fresh thyme; 1 garlic clove chopped; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 medium onion finely chopped; salt and black pepper; 250 g button mushrooms sliced; 250 ml white wine; 250 ml cream; flour for dusting; pasta dough see above

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Ingredients (34)

For the slow-roast duck filling

1 tbsp	vegetable oil
4	duck legs
1	large onion — chopped
1	carrot — chopped
2	celery sticks — chopped
1 sprig	fresh rosemary
1 sprig	fresh thyme
2	garlic cloves
2	star anise
1 tsp	salt
1 tsp	black pepper
3-4 tbsp	chicken stock

For the pasta dough

500 g	bread flour
3	large eggs
2 tbsp	olive oil
1 tsp	salt
50 ml	water

For the duck breast

4	duck breasts
	salt and black pepper
100 g	butter
2 sprig	fresh thyme
1	garlic clove — chopped

For the mushroom sauce

2 tbsp	olive oil
1	medium onion — finely chopped
	salt and black pepper
250 g	button mushrooms — sliced
250 ml	white wine
250 ml	cream

For the ravioli

	flour — for dusting
	pasta dough — see above
	slow-roasted duck filling — see above
1	egg white
3 l	water

To serve

fresh herbs — to garnish

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Method:

To make the slow-roast duck pudding

Preheat the oven to 160˚C.
In a large saucepan, heat the oil and brown the duck legs until golden.
Place the duck legs in a roasting pan. Add the onion, carrot, celery, rosemary, thyme, whole garlic, star anise, salt and pepper. Cover and roast for 2 hours.
Remove from the oven, set the duck legs aside to cool and deglaze the roasting pan on the stove top using a little hot water.
Use your hands to debone and shred the duck meat.
Place it in a bowl, along with the deglazed pan juices. Add stock until the mixture is moist, but be careful to not add too much liquid.
Set aside until ready to use for filling the ravioli.

To make the pasta dough

In a bowl or stand-up mixer, mix together the flour, eggs, olive oil and salt.
Slowly add water until a dough forms that has a silky smooth consistency.
Remove and knead on a lightly floured surface for 10–15 minutes until smooth.
Place in a bowl, cover with clingwrap and leave to rest for about an hour.

To make the duck breast

Using a sharp knife, score the skin of the duck breasts with cuts about 10mm apart.
Season to taste.
Place the duck breasts, skin-side down, in a cold frying pan. Raise the temperature to a medium heat and crisp for approximately 10 minutes, until golden-brown.
Turn them over and add the butter, thyme and garlic. As it cooks, baste the duck breasts with the melted butter and herb mix for 10 minutes.
Remove from from the heat and leave the duck breasts to rest in the pan.
Once rested, finely slice in preparation for serving.

To make the mushroom sauce

Heat the olive oil in a pan and sauté the onion until translucent.
Season to taste.
Add the mushrooms and wine and reduce by half over medium heat.
Add the cream and reduce until thick.
Keep warm until serving.

To assemble the ravioli

On a floured surface, divide the dough into two portions.
Roll out one portion into a rectangular sheet, and hang it over a clean dishcloth rack.
Roll out the second portion of pasta into a rectangle.
Evenly place dollops of duck filling along the length of the sheet, about 2cm apart, leaving enough space between each dollop to seal the ravioli pockets. (You should be able to make 20–24 ravioli.)
Brush exposed dough with some egg white.
Take the second sheet of dough from the rack and carefully place over the top of the dough already marked out with filling. Carefully cut out squares around the dollops of filling.
Use a small fork to seal the edges of each pocket all the way around and brush the ravioli with egg white.
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.
Cook the ravioli for 3–5 minutes (when the ravioli is ready, it will float to the surface).
Using a slotted spoon, remove and set aside.
Gently add the cooked ravioli to the hot mushroom sauce and ensure that they’re evenly coated.

Serving suggestion

Portion out ravioli parcels and sauce into four serving bowls, top with the finely sliced duck breast (we kept it whole for the photo, previous page) and garnish with fresh herbs. We use lemon thyme or sage from our garden, but any herb that’s in season will do. If there are fresh figs available, we use those as garnish too.

Recipe extract from Vergelegen’s latest recipe book: A Cape Table. A Cape Table was produced by Quivertree Publications, with words by Clare O’Donoghue, photographs by Craig Fraser, creative director Libby Doyle, food styling by Anke Roux, and illustrations by Chris Lochner.