No fooling in April: duck and chicken pasta sauce

Yes, ragazzi, Annalena is aware that is the first of April, but there is no space for pulling pranks in the kitchen. What we have today is a recipe born out of that sense of 'OH SHIT, WHAT DO I COOK?"

Apologies for being bold, but you have all been there, haven't you? Annalena is there often, notwithstanding her attempts to plan, plot, scheme, etc. And so it was on Saturday. Annalena wanted to make lunch for her farmer friends. She also wanted to use up some things in the refrigerator that might very well go bad... soon. And this was the result. You will have it here with variation, since not everyone has duck confit in his or her refrigerator (and if you don't, Annalena respectfully requests that you take steps to rectify this immediately).

If there were no other reason to thank the French for their gifts to the world (and there are: Regine Crespin, macaroons, Chausson, Versailles, etc), duck confit would be enough. This is one of those peasant foods that has become a luxury item. One hunted duck during the fall, and if God was with you, you hunted and killed more than you could eat, so you could preserve it for the winter. Well, duck produce an enormous amount of fat, and if you put something under fat, it will block oxygen, and will keep for a rather extended period of time.

This is the principle behind confit making. You can do it with just about anything, and the fattier it is, the better. Eel confit is probably responsible for keeping settlers alive in Quebec for those first years, and many have kept their body fires kindling with it. You don't need much. You can of course make it yourself, but unless you wish to have your house smell like a butcher's, for a long period of time, Annalena does not recommend it. Buy yourself a few legs of duck confit, and put them in your fridge, where they will last upwards of four months.

So, if you do this with duck confit, here is what you do. First, you let one leg per person come to room temperature. Then, with sadness in your heart, tear the fat away from it. (if Annalena had her druthers, she would render this, eat the cracklings and save the fat for potatoes. The Guyman, however, will not permit this). Now, rip the meat from the legs.

IF you have a food processor, toss it into the processor and pulse about ten times. If you do not, get a good knife and chop, chop, chop. It is not all that important to pulverize it, but you do want smaller pieces.

To Annalena's taste, the duck confit alone was too strong for pasta sauce, so she added chicken. She had leftover chicken cutlets in the fridge, and these went into the food processor as well, after she had cut them into small bits. If you do not have chicken cutlets, ground chicken will work; however, you must know something: ground chicken is so lean, that you should run it through the processor a few pulses, even though it is chopped. See, ragazzi, when you cook the ground chicken, it will not break up because of the absence of fat.

You will also need the leaves of one bunch of swiss chard. Know that if you use red chard, your dish will take on a bit of a red color. Finally, as ramps have come into season, Annalena used enough ramps to form a half cup, when chopped. If you have no ramps, use scallions, or green garlic, or spring onions.

See how versatile this is? You probably have at least a dozen options already.

Now, we get to work. Since we are working (optimally) with a fatty product, again, MEASURE your oil: two tablespoons, and add the chicken. Also add a healthy pinch of salt, and move it around, to try, as best as you can, to break it up. When it begins to lose the raw color, add the chard. Stir it together until it wilts and then, finally, the confit, and stir it all together. Give it a taste, and ask yourself (i) does it need salt, and more importantly, (ii) is it too dry? The second is a real issue in this dish, because the chicken is so low in fat, and if you have that issue, add chicken stock. Annalena added about half a cup both times that she made it. This will put some "juice" back into your sauce. Now, finally, off the heat, stir in your ramps, green onions, etc.

You have enough "sauce" here to coat a pound of pasta: be it farfalle, strozzapretti, or any of the shorter, stubbier varieites. That is indeeed what is called for.

In texture, to Annalena's taste, this is somewhat like classic ragu. Make it. Let Annalena know how it works for you. And, if you vary it, please let her know.