Turkey Ragu with Pappardelle

The other day when I was reading Macheesmo, I came across this recipe for Shirt Rib Ragu, which made me sad because I don't eat mammals and it looks soooooo good.  Then, I was reminded of a fantastic trip I took to Chicago a few years ago with my friend Angie where we went out for fancy food and ate an amazing duck ragu. And I wondered whether I could come up with something equally fancy and delicious from my supermarket ingredients.  What I came up with is pretty darn yummy if I do say so myself, though it would surely be better with duck.  The main ingredient in this dish is actually time, so this is a weekend endeavor, not a quick weeknight meal.

Turkey Thigh Ragu with Pappardelle


Nouns-
Two turkey thighs, bone in and skin on
1 can high-quality plum tomatoes
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 onion, chopped
6 cloves of garlic, diced
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 half bottle red wine
2 oz dried porcini muchrooms, soaked for two hours in water (save the liquid!)
1 tbsp dijon mustard
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp oregano
1 cup chicken or mushroom stock

1 package pappardelle or other egg noodle

Verbs-
Brown the turkey thighs in a pan for several minutes, until crispy on the outside.  Remove the turkey to a crockpot or dutch oven.  Deglaze the pan with the wine, then add the wine to the turkey thighs.  Add in the other ingredients except the noodles and stock.  In a crockpot, cook on high for 8 hours.  If using a dutch oven, bring to a simmer on the stove top, then remove to a 350 degree oven for three hours. If at any point the mixture becomes too dry; add stock.  After the cooking time, carefully remove the turkey thighs and let them cool for about 20 minutes.  In the meantime, bring the remaining mixture to a simmer to reduce if still liquidy, and start a big pot of water boiling for the pasta.  Remove the skin and bones from the turkey and shred the meat.  Then, using an immersion blender, puree the tomato mixture for a minute or two.  Some chunks are okay, it doesn't have to be perfectly smooth.  Add the shredded turkey back to the sauce and reduce the heat to low.  Cook the pasta according to package directions and drain.  Serve the turkey and sauce over the pasta with some fresh basil or shredded parm.  Yummmmm.