Wild boar

[fredjana]

Okay, had to chime in. My son and his grandpa finished off a couple of California boar last summer and we ended up with a half freezer full of meat. Take the backstrap, loin or tenderloin and use the following recipe. Be sure to let it cook all afternoon. It is especially good the day after making - in any case, serve with lots of fresh oven baked Italian bread and a hearty Chianti or Brunello. Saluti!

Pappardelle with wild boar sauce Arezzo-style
Recipe by Valentina Harris
SERVES 4
Preparation 10 minutes
Cooking 4 hours 30 minutes

1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 carrot, scraped and chopped
1 stick celery, chopped
100g chopped prosciutto crudo
4 tbsp olive oil
450g wild-boar stewing steak, cubed
1 large tumbler of full-bodied red wine
sea salt and freshly milled black pepper
5 tbsp tomato purée, diluted in about 6 tbsp hot game
or beef stock
300g canned tomatoes, sieved
large pinch fennel seeds
small pinch cumin
400g pappardelle
grated Parmesan to serve (optional)

Fry the vegetables gently with the prosciutto and the olive oil until the onion is transparent, then add the meat. Seal on all sides until browned, then pour over the wine, add seasoning, cover and simmer for about 3½ hours, or until the meat is completely tender. During this time, gradually add the tomato purée and canned tomatoes. Once the meat is falling apart, add the fennel seeds, the cumin and stir thoroughly. Simmer for a further hour, covered. Check the seasoning.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil, add the pappardelle, stir and return to the boil. Drain the pasta when it is al dente, return it to the pot in which it was cooked and add the sauce. Mix it all together thoroughly and transfer to a serving platter or individual plates to serve.

[Inishta]

We're at it again. Second meal from the oven. This time we are having some friends over so a 6kg (13lb.) back leg from the same boar was the order of the day.

Picture one is the leg in its original state. Two is marinading for 48 hours (turned every 10). Three is the boar ready for the oven studded with garlic and cloves and raised on a bed of potatoes, carrots and onions.

[Inishta]

This is the biggest fire yet as the oven is still curing. I think next time we will be able to get to the "scary fire". Boar is put in after the flames have died down, door closed and five hours later was ready for the table.

[DrakeRemoray]

That is my kind of cooking! I love those roasts on the bone!

Great work!

Drake