I’ve been cooking a lot of duck around here lately. I was lucky enough to come back from my December hunting trip to California with enough ducks to really max out the available space in the freezer. I had never cooked duck before this, but I picked it up quickly and we have been eating very well indeed.

With all the seared breasts, confited legs, and whole roast ducks you are left with a carcass. And every bird carcass ought to be put into a stockpot. Ducks are small and it takes a few to make a proper stock, but there has been a steady supply. I wanted to do something more interesting with these duck carcasses than the typical noodle soup. I’ve done that many times with chickens and turkeys, but that doesn’t feel like blog-worthy material to me. I landed instead on ramen.

Every once in a while I come up with a recipe that just really knocks my socks off. This one only took two tries–the first came out pretty good, but the second was spectacular. It may not be the most authentic ramen recipe–I probably should have put some miso in there–but it is absolutely delightful. Trust me, this one is a crowd pleaser on a cold winter’s eve.

I included this picture because I am aware that I wear pretty much the same outfit in every picture on both this blog and my instagram page. I don’t own a ton of clothing, and I really do wear essentially the same thing every day. I’ve heard it helps out with decision fatigue, and maybe that’s why I enjoy it. I found some clothes that I like, I might as well own a few sets and just wear them every day, right?

Well, I thought I’d throw in a picture of myself looking a bit different. This photo is me stirring the duck broth and having a cocktail before going out for a special dinner with my sweet lady. See? I have at least a couple different outfits.

Anyway, enough blathering from me. Here’s the recipe. Cook you up something good.

Duck Ramen

Ingredients

Broth:
2-4 picked duck carcasses
1 large white onion
3 large carrots
3 ribs of celery
6 crimini mushrooms
6 cloves of garlic
20 peppercorns
4 thumbs worth of ginger
¼ cup white wine vinegar
¼ cup brown sugar
⅓ cup soy sauce
Water

Soup:
4-6 cups of stock
4 baby bok choy
1 bundle of green onions
5 thinly sliced crimini mushrooms
Ramen noodles (1 package per person)
Optional:
Boiled egg
Sliced Duck Breast
Sriracha

Directions:
Begin by making duck stock. Roughly chop the onion, carrot, lemon, and mushrooms, smash the garlic, peel and slice the ginger, and add all that and the peppercorns to a pot with the and duck carcasses. Add water to cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for several hours.

After simmering, strain the solids and return the broth to the pot. Mix in the soy sauce, vinegar, and brown sugar. Bring back to a hard boil to ensure the broth is hot enough to cook the noodles.

Thinly slice mushrooms, scallions, and bok choy. Place one serving of ramen noodles in a bowl, ladle boiling broth over the top and adorn with mushrooms, scallions, and bok choy. If you want, you can add just about anything here, but I’d suggest a boiled egg, thinly sliced duck breast, and a bit of sriracha or other hot sauce.