A pasta dish showcasing the delicate flavours of smoked duck and lots of green freshness, this is another meal that delivers maximum impact with really little effort.
After palatably relishing in autumnal flavours over the last few weeks, I had an inkling that it would be good to whip up something that features a lot of those unseasonal green, fresh flavours before we all do the deep dive into the Saturnalia orgy of rich, heavy dishes. But, one should never entirely deny the season. So, where better to look than the rich, earthy—but delicate—flavours of smoked duck?
Given that this particular unlucky ducky was smoked with thyme and coriander as its key botanics, that also seemed like it should be taken into account.
I'm opting for spaghetti here, but there's no reason you can't use other pastas. My advice would be to go for pastas that are essentially solid—such as spaghetti or tagliatelle— where the outer surfaces will be easily coated with the olive oil and not those pastas with hollow bits or cavities. Because this dish doesn't involve any "sauce" in the more traditional sense, it could be a little dry otherwise.
Similarly, this is quite a "pared down" dish. So, the quality of your pasta and extra virgin olive oil count more than where they are embedded within a rich sauce of many flavours. It doesn't have to be expensive. But, it should just be good. For example, I'm using Delverde spaghetti, which I first came across in my local convenience store during the early days of the "pasta rush" of the first lockdown. The Ethiopian family who have run the store for years told me that it's a very popular brand in Ethiopia, which, of course, has it's own complex history with pasta, but that's a food story for another day...
Anyway, you couldn't get cheaper. Especially not if you shop in the UK's top "posh" supermarket chain, where, thanks to rave foodie reviews, it commands more than double the price in my local corner store. The moral of the story: support small local businesses and you might be pleasantly surprised, rewarded even, both on cost and quality.
This dish is a great option for those who are lactose-intolerant because it involves no dairy, unless you dress it at table with parmesan, which I prefer not to do since it masks the delicate flavours of the duck.
These quantities serve 2 to 3 adults as a main course. You do the math if you want to feed more.
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Shopping List
Approx 200g spaghetti (or your preferred pasta)
3 large echalion shallots, peeled, sliced and separated into thin "rings'
125g small green asparagus, cut into segments
180g smoked duck, sliced and cut into bite-size pieces (preferably cuts of duck that have been smoked with the skin and fat layer left on)
Approx. 60g rocket, roughly chopped
Approx. 1 cup garden peas, fresh or frozen
Extra virgin olive oil, at least one quarter of a cup in total, but you may need a little more to ensure the pasta is fully and evenly coated
A small "bouquet" of fresh lemon thyme
Approx. 1 tspn dried oregano
salt and pepper, to taste
Cooking Method
Par-cook the asparagus and the garden peas (separately) in a microwave steamer or using a more traditional steaming method. You basically want both to be about "half-cooked" and it's fine to do this up to a day before and store in the fridge. You also want to make a little "cooking bouquet" of your fresh lemon thyme in advance. You can do this by binding the stems together with cooking twine, plain cotton thread or even a tightly wound piece of wire; whatever makes sure it doesn't come apart during the cooking. If storing one or more of these pre-prepared elements in the fridge before the main cooking event, remove and allow to return to room temperature at least 20mins before cooking
Near to the time you wish to serve, heat sufficient salted water and bring to the boil in a large pot with a lid. When the water is boiling vigorously, add the spaghetti and cook. This should take about 12mins. Adjust the timing if using fresh or other pasta that cooks at a different speed. The aim is to get the "sauce" ready at the same time as the pasta
Heat the extra virgin olive oil on a medium-to-high heat in a fairly deep frying pan. When hot—but it should not be smoking hot—add the shallots and stir thoroughly, ensuring they are all covered in the oil. Add the bouquet of lemon thyme. Make sure it remains secure in a "bouquet" and does not break up but sits at the deepest part of the oil. Add the oregano and stir in
When the onions shown signs of softening but are still al dente (i.e. do not let them brown), radically reduce the heat. Allow the ingredients to stay hot but not actually "cook" while the pasta cooks
As soon as the pasta is cooked, drain in a colander and throw back into the still hot pot. Pour in about half of the hot oil from the frying pan, holding back the solid ingredients. Add additional oil directly from the bottle if needed to ensure that all of the pasta is fully coated. Add the raw, chopped rocket and stir into the pasta. Cover and keep warm
Remove the lemon thyme bouquet from the pan and turn the heat to high. To the remaining oil and onions, add the par-cooked asparagus and peas, effectively stir-frying. Add a little additional oil if needed. Stirring almost constantly until cooked through, the asparagus and peas should still remain al dente. Season with salt and pepper to taste
Finally, add the smoked duck and stir into the other ingredients. The aim is not to "cook" the duck, but to simply coat it with the oil and heat it to a sufficient temperature to serve as a hot dish
Plate the dressed spaghetti and top with a generous serving of the frying pan's contents, ensuring that you pour any excess oil onto each diner's serving in equal amounts
Alternatives
This is actually a variation of a veggie/vegan dish, that I often do in the summer; basically the same dish without the duck but adding the zest and juice of half a lemon at the first stage when you're cooking the shallots. Try it, it's great
I've done a number of pescatarian variations of the years including substituting the duck with octopus, king prawns or—closest to this in the seasonal balance of flavours—smoked mussels
Accompaniments
Smoked duck is one of those ingredients that easily lets you go red or white. Tonight, as with most of the times I make this dish, I headed straight for an Orvietto classico. In this case, Vigneto Torricella Orvieto Classico 2016. It was a gift and the chicken-or-egg answer in this case was that the wine informed the dish choice. Nonetheless, I'd advise you to look at an Orvieto classico. If I hadn't had this bottle tempting me, I would have gone for the very affordable Co-op Orvieto Classico, which is a shockingly good wine for the price. Orvieto classico is, in my humble opinion, a deeply underrated denominazione, despite being well regarded in its native Umbria. It's a very good match for stronger fish and seafood flavours—such as tuna—because the white flowers and acidic fruitiness have something almost nutty going on underneath, which is why it is also so good with smoked duck.
Don't like wine? No problem. I love this dish with a cold Birra Moretti, especially the summer veggie/vegan version. Failing that, fizzy water with a slice of lemon...?
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