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+ servings
duck and olive lasagne

Duck and Olive Lasagne

Richard
A sumptuous lasagne with a duck ragu.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 4
Calories 1161 kcal
How Difficult Easy

Ingredients
  

For the duck and olive ragù:

  • 400 g chopped tomato
  • 4 duck legs skin on
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 1 carrot finely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 50 g olives pitted and sliced
  • 175 ml white wine
  • 200 ml chicken stock
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 sprigs rosemary
  • 2 bay leaves
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • Salt to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the lasagne

  • 400 g fresh lasagne sheets
  • 75 g Parmigiano Reggiano to sprinkle over each layer, don't forget the top

For the bèchamel sauce

  • 600 ml milk
  • 60 g plain flour
  • 60 g butter
  • Generous grating of nutmeg
  • Salt to season
  • Freshly ground black pepper to season

Instructions
 

To make the duck and olive ragù

  • In a large pot, heat a tablespoon of olive oil. Add your duck legs and brown on all sides. Once crisp and golden in colour, remove the duck from the pot and set aside.
  • Add another glug of olive oil if necessary (the duck will likely have rendered enough fat that you do not need to do so), before adding the onion and carrot. Sauté over a medium heat until softened, then add the garlic. Continue to fry until the mixture is fragrant, being careful not to burn anything.
  • Deglaze the pot with the white wine, ensuring to capture the delicious browning on the bottom of the pot, for a deeper, meatier sauce. Allow the alcohol to cook off, before adding your tomatoes, olives, chicken stock, rosemary, bay leaves and sugar. Stir this mixture, then add the duck legs, ensuring they are fully submerged in liquid.
  • Reduce the heat, place the lid on the pot and allow the mixture to gently simmer for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • After that time, remove the lid from the pot - the sauce should have reduced to a rich and thick ragu. Gently remove the duck legs from the mixture - by this point they should be fork-tender, so be careful to keep the meat on the bone when lifting from the pot. Once at a manageable temperature, remove the skin and gently pull the meat from the bone with a fork. Once all your duck meat is shredded, add it back to the sauce and stir on a low heat until well combined. Remove your bay leaves and rosemary, before tasting and seasoning with salt and pepper as necessary.

To make your béchamel sauce

  • While your ragù is cooking, melt 60g butter in a saucepan, before adding an equal quantity of flour. Whisk until combined and cook on low heat for 1-2 minutes, until a roux is formed.
  • Remove from the heat and gradually add the milk, stirring continuously until thickened. Ensure to add only a splash of milk at a time, as adding too much will result in a lumpy béchamel. Season with nutmeg, salt and black pepper to taste, and set aside.

To finish off your lasagne

  • To assemble the lasagne, ladle a thin layer of ragù on the bottom of the baking dish. Top with a layer of lasagne sheets – don’t worry about overlapping sheets here. Follow this with another layer of ragù – be more generous this time; using the back of the spoon push it right to the edge. Follow with a layer of béchamel. Sprinkle over a generous handful of grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
  • Repeat these steps (pasta, ragù, béchamel, and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese) to use up both sauces and pasta. There should be at least 5 layers of pasta and the top should be sprinkled with Parmigiano Reggiano.
  • Cook the lasagne for 40 minutes. We recommend covering your dish with aluminium foil for the first 10-15 mins, to ensure that the lasagne doesn't dry out in the oven.
  • Remove from the oven and leave to stand for at least 5 minutes. To serve, slice into equal-sized portions and finish with freshly shaved Parmigiano Reggiano. Buon appetito.

Nutrition

Calories: 1161kcalCarbohydrates: 86gProtein: 73gFat: 54gSaturated Fat: 20gFiber: 3gSugar: 14g
Keyword duck, Italian, lasagne, olives
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