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Chef’s Fall Recipe: Marco Chirico’s Duck Ravioli

  • Antonio Evans
  • November 20, 2014

Marco Chirico grew up at Marco Polo Ristorante, a family restaurant opened by his father, restaurateur Joe Chirico, in 1983. Marco started his culinary career by bussing tables when he was just 12 years old.  He wanted to honor his father, and chose to attend Johnson & Wales University to learn the culinary arts and restaurant management.

Chef Marco Chirico

He went on to manage the Michelin recommended Italian eatery Enoteca on Court which gave him the experience he needed to manage the more formal Marco Polo. He has now taken over as Chef/Owner.

Marco told us  “My philosophy of cooking is all about each ingredient and what it blends with. When you cook you want people to taste what ingredients you used.  A lot of people cook and make sure everything balances together, which isn’t enjoyable.  If your taste buds have one dimension it won’t bring any flavors out and that’s when people say the dish is bland.  But when you throw some different spices and surprises in there your taste buds will keep working and make your palate interested to flavor. When I cook I want to unbalance the flavors because you get to enjoy each flavor and every bite keeps you interested and makes you realize how those ingredients help each other bring better flavors out.”

Chef’s Fall Recipe: Marco Chirico’s Duck Ravioli

We asked him to contribute a recipe that was for him a perfect symbol of fall.  He offered his duck ravioli and told us that “The duck ravioli is the perfect dish for the fall season because all the ingredients will make you feel nice and cozy with each taste. The main ingredient in this dish, duck, is a product that blends together with the flavors of fall.  Not many proteins can pair up with a bigger variety of all the ingredients, except duck.  In this dish the stuffing is packed with an earthy flavor of porcini mushrooms and the smokiness of mozzarella to bring the flavor of the duck to its peak. For the sauce I used buttermilk as a base because it will absorb all the flavors of the other ingredients. Fall seasonings, including nutmeg and cloves, give some fall spices and I added pumpkin for the balance to keep all the ingredients together. So all together when you take a bite out of this dish you have an earthy taste of fall with a finish of fall spices.” 

Duck Ravioli

Ingredients:

€¢ 1 whole duck
€¢ 8 oz Double O flour
€¢ 2 lbs white semolina
€¢ 1.5 lbs all purpose flour
€¢ 14 egg yolks
€¢ 8 whole eggs
€¢ 1 cup water
€¢ 3 oz fresh porcini mushrooms
€¢ Half of white onion
€¢ 1 cup quartered smoked mozzarella
€¢ Quarter pumpkin
€¢ 2 oz thyme
€¢ 2 pinches ground nutmeg
€¢ 2 whole cloves
€¢ 4 oz port wine
€¢ 1 quart buttermilk
€¢ 1 cup olive oil
€¢ Salt & pepper to taste

Pasta Preparation:
Mix Double O, semolina, and all-purpose flour together. While mixing, add 14 egg yolks, 8 whole eggs, pinch of salt & pepper, and 1 cup of water. Mix for 10 minutes until the pasta has a soft and moist consistency. Then roll it out until it has a 2cm thickness (roll out 2 sheets).

When ready to assemble the ravioli, brush egg wash over bottom set of pasta. Drop the stuffing mixture on the dough by teaspoonfuls, about 1 inch apart. Cover with top sheet of pasta, pressing out the air from around each portion of stuffing. Press firmly around the stuffing to seal. Cut into individual ravioli with a knife or pizza cutter. Seal the edges.

Stuffing:
Take the whole duck and salt & pepper bake it around 350 degrees for 4 hours. While the duck is cooking, start preparing the other ingredients. Chop up quarter of the onion, porcini mushrooms, and thyme. Also start the sauce (instructions below). When the duck is ready let it cook down and then start pulling off all the meat. Grab a large saute pan and add olive oil and onions. After 2 minutes add porcini mushrooms and cook for another 2 minutes, then add the duck, port wine, and thyme. Let simmer on medium heat for 7 minutes and stir. Then add smoked mozzarella, remove from heat and stir until mozzarella is completely melted. Add the mixture to a rob coupe or a large blender and blend until the ingredients become a fine and smooth texture. Add the ingredients to a piping bag and finish the raviolis.

Sauce:
Take the quarter pumpkin and bake it at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. When done, carve out the meat of the pumpkin. In a pot on low heat, add buttermilk, rest of the onion, nutmeg, cloves, and thyme. Let simmer for 2 hours and stir occasionally. When done, blend all ingredients together and salt & pepper to taste. Pass it through a cheesecloth and your sauce is done.

Edible Escape

Want to taste Chef Chirico’s dishes? He’ll be one of the restaurants featured at Edible Escape, the annual tasting event by Edible Manhattan, on October 22, which will feature international dishes from Austria, Japan, Mexico, South Africa, and more at the Angel Orensanz Center. All ticket purchases get you an entry to win 2 tickets to the Edible Institute in NYC on May 10-11, 2014.

For more information, contact Edible Manhattan at [email protected] or 917-327-4219. For press inquiries, contact Heather Girgenti of Metro Restaurant Marketing at [email protected] or 646-227-0390.

Marco Polo Restaurant is located at 345 Court Street in Brooklyn’s Cobble Hill Neighborhood in NY. 

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Hours of Operation

Monday 11:00 am ” 11:00 pm
Tuesday 11:00 am ” 11:00 pm
Wednesday 11:00 am ” 11:00 pm
Thursday 11:00 am ” 11:00 pm
Friday 11:00 am ” 12:00 am
Saturday 11:00 am ” 12:00 am
Sunday 1:00″10:30 pm

About the Author:

Antonio Evans is an entrepreneur/speaker/researcher who specializes in the intersection of Artificial Intelligence and the culinary world. More from Antonio Evans

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