Saturday Lunch: Duck and Fennel Pasta

Usually I don't worry too much about lunch.  Dinner is usually the main cooking event of the day.  However, on the weekends I like to fix a big brunch or as we did this Saturday - a nice lunch.  Inspiration came in the form of a FANTASTIC new ingredient.  Josh brought home a cured duck breast - wha-huh?  The lovely people at Hudson Valley make this dynomite Duck Proscuitto - they take a whole boned duck breast and air cure it, procuitto style.  Who knew?  What a fun product to work with!  I diced up the duck into little lardons and sauteed them off then did a quick saute/braise on some onions and fennel (yes I use fennel with everything these days - you bored with it yet?!) and swirled it all up with whole wheat spaghetti!  FUN and DONE!

Duck Proscuitto and Fennel Pasta
4 1/8 inch slices of cured duck breast, cut into lardons (substitute pancetta or bacon)
1/2 fennel bulb, sliced 1/8 inch slices
1/4 onion, sliced 1/8 inch slices
1/2 packet of whole wheat spaghetti
small handful of dry cured black olives
pinch of red pepper flakes
salt
pep
oil

Pasta:
Put your big pasta pot on to boil, once it comes up to the boil drop in some salt to season the water.  Pull out your non-stick pan and stick it over medium/high heat and pop your duck lardons in and brown them up - rendering out all the fat and crisping up the duck.  Drain over paper toweling.  Put a sauce pan over high heat, drizzle in a small glug of olive oil and put in your onion to sautee with the red pepper, salt (easy on the salt your cured meat will be very salty already) and pepper.  Swirl around your onion for a minute or two until the slices start to brown.  Pop your fennel in and saute all together for a minute or two.  Douse the veggies with a bit of water - so that the fennel is swimming but not submerged - you want the fennel to soften and the liquid to create a soupy sauce for your pasta.  Cook it all on med/high heat so that the liquid reduces by about half.  Drop your pasta into your salted boiling water and boil per the directions on the packet.  Put your drained duck (or pancette or bacon) back in the pot with the veggies and hold it over low heat until your pasta is cooked.  Drain your pasta reserving a small amount of cooking water (in case the sauce needs to be loosened up a bit.)  Add your pasta to the sauce and stir it around over the heat so that all the flavors can meld together - I tossed in a few dry cured (Morrocan) olives at the very end, I love olives and fennel together.  Serve in a big pasta dish and sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano.  Buon Appetito!