Smoked Duck Fettucine

Besides being another great excuse to get a water smoker, smoked duck is an extraordinary culinary treat. The fattiness of a duck lends itself very well to slow, smoky cooking, and the finished product nearly melts in your mouth. I decided to add jalapeño peppers to this recipe after trying them alongside some slices of smoked duck breast. The spicy, acidic peppers really complement the rich duck nicely. Of course, if you still haven’t gotten a water smoker, you could buy the smoked duck. But with the prices for smoked duck, your smoker will pay for itself very quickly….

Smoked Duck Fettuccine
serves 4

3 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 pounds red onions, peeled, halved along the axis, & sliced 1/2 inch
8 ounces white button mushrooms, sliced 1/2 inch
3 large ribs celery, sliced 1/4 inch (about 1/2 pound)
6 green onions, white & light green parts only, sliced 1/8 inch (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 pickled jalapeño pepper, sliced 1/8 inch
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
flesh from one smoked duck, chopped into bites (about 1 pound)
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup hot water from pasta pot
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 handful fresh basil, sliced thin
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 pound fettuccine, cooked 1 minute less than package instructions
finely grated Parmesan cheese

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in large sauté pan over low heat. Add onions and sauté slowly, stirring often, until onions are dark and well caramelized, about 1 hour. The trick here is to sauté slowly enough that the onions don’t crisp at all, but with enough heat so that the onions caramelize gradually and fully. Remove onions from pan.

Add 2 more tablespoons olive oil to sauté pan and apply high heat. When oil is almost smoking, add mushrooms and sauté, stirring often, until mushrooms are golden, about 5 minutes. Add celery and continue to sauté until celery just begins to brown, about 2-3 minutes. Add green onions, jalapeño, duck, salt, & caramelized onions. Stir, then add pasta water & wine. Continuing to stir & scrape up any sticky bits from bottom of pan, add lemon zest, lemon juice, basil, & balsamic vinegar, and stir well to combine. Simmer for a minute, taste for salt, plate, and top with freshly ground black pepper and Parmesan cheese.

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