How to make Duck Italian Sausage Tortellini with Smoked Breast
Here is a recipe that I came up with for a cooking class I did recently at Imoto restaurant in Dallas. I used to work for Kent Rathburn in the early 2000’s and at the restaurant we worked together at we used to teach interactive cooking classes called the dirty dozen. Each month we would have a different theme and each chef would take a few students. Over the course of 2-3 hours we would be responsible for preparing one hors’ d oeuvres and one course. Around dinner time the student was allowed to bring one guests back and you would prepare the meal that everyone had been working on over the last few hours. The class a few weeks ago was Italian so I decided to make this as one of the courses. This recipe really turned out amazing. Really delicious and I think anyone who loves duck and pasta will really enjoy this recipe. Here it is I hope you enjoy it!
Recipe Ingredients
Basic egg pasta
Duck sausage
2 large Muscovy size duck breast
5 garlic cloves
1/2 onion
3 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp oregano
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tbsp of fennel seeds
1 tsp chili flakes
1 cup Panko crumbs
1 egg
Salt and pepper to taste
2 large Muscovy size Duck breast skin scored
Marinade
3 garlic cloves
1/2 bunch of parsley
1 sprig of rosemary leaves
1 sprig of basil
1 sprig of oregano leaves
1/2 cup olive oil
Splash of sherry vinegar
1 cup of cherry tomatoes
1 cup of chicken or duck broth
1/2 stick of butter
1/3 cup cream
Olive oil
Parmesan cheese Basil leaves
Recipe Instructions
How to marinate duck breast,
Place all the ingredients except for the duck into a blender and puree until smooth. Then place in the duck breast in a shallow pan or plastic bag and pour the marinade over top the duck breast. Allow to marinate at least one hour (feel free to cold smoke, or use smoke gun to add a little smoke to the duck breast)
How to make duck sausage filling,
First get a bowl of ice. Then set another bowl on top of the ice bowl, this will ensure that the meat will stay cold when it comes out of the grinder. Grind the duck meat yourself, making sure you have ice cold attachments for your meat grinder or have your local butcher grind it for you. Add meat, garlic, and onion through the large dial of the meat grinder. Then take the small dial and grind the duck meat a second time through the finer dial. Then add all the other ingredients to to the duck meat, mix well and season well. Take a small saute pan on high heat with a tsp of olive oil and cook 1/2 oz of the duck sausage mixture. Taste the sausage to see how it tastes. If everything tastes perfect then set aside for the pasta, if not adjust the sausage to what you think it needs (salt, spice, etc…).
How to make fresh Pasta,
Place the flours in a bowl, make a well or hole in the center of the flour. Place the eggs, salt, and place into the well. Using a fork, beat the eggs, puree, until smooth. With the fork, gradually stir in the flour little by little until the egg isn't so sticky. Using your hands instead of the fork, begin forming the dough by folding the flour into the mixture. Continue the folding action until the dough is smooth and not sticky. Adjust the amount of flour depending. You may need a little more or less depending on whether you included the puree. Once the dough is formed, knead it for 5 minutes, wrap it in plastic and let it rest for at least 30 minutes.
Take the full amount of dough and cut it in half keeping one half wrapped in plastic. Roll the dough flat with a rolling pin. Place the flattened dough in the pasta machine on the thickest setting, and pass it through. Adjust the thickness of the setting with the knob. For cannelloni style pasta, I adjust the setting to a 6 or 7. Pass the pasta through the machine down to a 6 or 7 and then fold the dough back up and repeat the process, a total of 3 times. You might need to add a little flour if the pasta is sticking. Repeated folding and passing the dough through the pasta machine builds structure into the pasta which will enable it to attain the the al dente when boiled. On the last pass through, don't fold the pasta. Lay the sheet out on a floured surface or table and cut the pasta in squares sheets every 1 inch using a pasta wheel for the serrated look. Fill each pasta with just a small amount of sausage filling. Brush each one with water and then fold over into a triangle, then pinch the ends together to make a tortellini shape. Place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
To Finish,
If you didn’t add smoke to your duck breast you can easily grill it or you can alternatively saute it in a pan. Season the duck breast with salt and pepper. In a screaming hot, cast iron skillet, add the duck breast skin side down. After 1 minute turn the heat down to medium low. Cook the duck breast for about 15 to 20 minutes on low so the skin slowly renders down. You can pour out of some of the fat if there is too much in the pan. Once all the skin has rendered down to a "bacon" state, flip the duck breast over for 20 seconds and then place on a cutting board to rest for at least 5 minutes.
Place a pot of salted water on the stove and bring to a boil. Place 20-25 tortellini pastas in the water and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes. Strain out and place in a large saute pan with a few ladles of chicken stock. Add tomatoes, a touch of cream and butter to the pan. Allow everything to come together (emulsify) for a minute or so. Turn off the heat and place a few tortellini with a few tomatoes on the plate. Then slice and cube (if desired) the duck breast and place on the plate. Finish with a little fresh parmesan grated, a drizzle of olive oil, and a basil sprig. Serve and enjoy!
