Slow Cooked Duck Ragu

Make the ragu

• Dice the onion, carrot, and celery. Thinly slice the garlic cloves.
• Add a dash of oil to a pan with the butter and cook the vegetables and garlic over a low heat. Add the fresh thyme, star anise and season with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, generously season your duck legs. Add them to a cold pan, then increase the heat to medium and cook until the duck is golden brown, around 15 minutes. This is where you get great flavour from the caramelisation, so don't skimp on this bit. Once golden, add the duck to the pan with the vegetables.
• Preheat the oven to 120°C.
• Make up the chicken stock cube with 125ml boiling water per person, so if you're cooking for 4 people you will need 500ml chicken stock, 250ml for 2 people.
• Add the chopped tomatoes, chicken stock, red wine and sugar, then mix well. Put the lid on and cook in the oven for 5 hours.

Make the vinaigrette

• Make the vinaigrette by adding the olive oil, white wine vinegar and maple syrup to a jar, with a pinch of salt and pepper. Pop the lid on and shake the jar vigorously until it's emulsified.
• When you're ready to eat pour the vinaigrette over the mixed leaf salad.

Cook the pasta

• Just before the ragu is ready, cook the rigatoni according to the packet instructions. You can use your preferred pasta shape. Keep some of the pasta cooking water to add to the ragu.

Finish the dish & Plate Up

• After 5 hours, take the lid off the ragu, increase the heat up and reduce down until the sauce coats the meat. Add the Pecorino and some pasta cooking water and mix well.
• Stir through the pasta. Plate up the ragu with the mixed leaf salad. Tuck in and enjoy!