Pizzoccheri pasta with duck ragout

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cups dried porcini mushrooms
• 120 g pancetta or bacon, cut into pieces
• 1 medium onion, cut into quarters
• 1 carrot, cut into quarters
• 1 stalk celery, cut into quarters
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• 8 leaves of fresh sage
• 6 duck legs (approximately 1300 g), trimmed of excess skin and fat (reserve fat for use in another dish)
• Coarse salt
• 2 tbsp. l. olive oil
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 650-750 g pizzoccheri pasta (wide noodles with added buckwheat flour)
• 3-4 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

Preparation:

1. Pour 1 cup of hot water over the mushrooms and let them sit for 10 minutes. Combine the bacon, onion, carrot, celery, thyme, and sage in a food processor and process into a paste.
2. Pat the duck legs dry with a kitchen towel and sprinkle with salt. Heat the olive oil in a large, deep frying pan or heavy-bottomed saucepan. Place the duck legs in the pan and cook until golden brown, about 7 minutes per side. Transfer to a platter and drain half the fat.
3. Transfer the mushrooms to a cutting board and chop finely, reserving the liquid. Add the vegetable paste to the same pan, season with salt, and fry for 5-7 minutes. Make room in the pan and add the tomato paste; cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes, then add the bay leaves and mushrooms and stir.
4. Pour the wine into the skillet and bring to a simmer. Cook until the mixture thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. Return the duck legs to the skillet, add 4 cups of water and the remaining mushroom liquid. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the duck is tender, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Transfer the duck legs to a platter and cool completely. Skim the fat from the surface of the stew, bring to a simmer, and continue cooking until reduced to 3 cups, about 12 minutes. Remove the duck meat from the bones, cut into pieces, and add to the stew. Keep the stew on the stovetop to warm.
5. Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the pizzoccheri pasta and cook until half-cooked, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pasta to the ragù and toss. Drizzle with olive oil and toss again. Remove from heat and sprinkle with parsley and Parmesan.