Pappardelle al ragù di cinghiale (ribbon pasta with wild boar sauce) – Toscana
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Categories: Gluten free*use gluten free pasta, Season: Autumn/Winter
This recipe requires some advance planning but there is not much hands on preparation. The night before marinate the meat. The day the dish will be prepared, prepare the sauce and let it simmer until ready to eat. There are two methods of making this dish. See Notes below for the alternative method. In this recipe the wild boar is first marinated to remove some of the gamey flavour and infuse the meat with aromatics and wine. The cloves help to remove the game flavour. Don't use the marinade in the sauce as it has absorbed the game flavour. The fat is then rendered down to remove the gamey flavour stored in the fat. The pancetta adds back some of the fat which was removed in order to keep the dish from becoming dry and softens the boar meat.
Author:
Recipe type: Primo (First course)
Cuisine: Toscana
Serves: 6 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 kilo wild boar meat, sinew and fat removed and finely chopped or coarsely ground
  • 1 sprig rosemary, rinsed and bruised with a pestle or the handle end of the knife
  • 4 sage leaves, rinsed and bruised with a pestle
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and bruised
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 4 cloves
  • 750 ml red wine
  • 2 carrots, rinsed, peeled, ends removed and finely chopped
  • 2 celery ribs, rinsed, ends removed and finely chopped
  • 2 onions, peeled, ends removed, and finely chopped
  • 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 50 gms pancetta finely chopped
  • 5 grams flat-leaf Italian parsley, rinsed, dried, stems removed and finely chopped
  • 2 dry chillies
  • 100 ml tomato concentrate
  • Sea salt
  • Black peppercorns, freshly ground
  • Fresh egg pappardelle pasta
Instructions
  1. In a plastic bag add the boar, the rosemary, sage, garlic, bay leaf, cloves, and 375 ml of the wine, 1 carrot, 1 celery, and 1 onion. Seal it well, place it in a bowl and leave it to marinate overnight but at least 6 hours in the refrigerator. If the meat isn't covered by the wine, then turn it over halfway through to ensure it marinates evenly.
  2. Remove the boar from the marinade and dry it with paper towels. Discard the marinade. In a large frying pan, heat 30 mls of the olive oil over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, add the boar and fry until the fat renders down.
  3. Strain the meat, discard the liquid, reheat the pan (without adding olive oil).
  4. Fry the meat again to render again.
  5. Strain and repeat one more time.
  6. In a clean heavy bottomed sauce pan or casserole, add 30 mls of olive oil and heat over medium heat with the pancetta, parsley, chillies, and the remaining onion, celery, and carrot.
  7. Cook the mixture until it softens, about 5 -10 minutes.
  8. Then add the boar to the pot with the tomato concentrate, the remaining red wine, salt, and pepper.
  9. Turn the heat down to low, cover, and let it cook for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally, until the meat is very soft. Check the meat every half hour and add some water or broth if the mixture starts to dry out.
  10. Bring to boil 7 litres of water with 70 grams of salt in a large pot. When boiling cook the pasta until it reaches the desired texture (timing will be indicated on the package). Strain and divide amongst 6 bowls. Top with the boar sauce.
Notes
Variation:
Cut the meat into 3 cm cubes and follow the recipe until step 4, increasing the cooking time to 4 to 5 hours. Then remove the meat and toss the pasta with the meat sauce and top with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. The meat is served separately as a main course.
Recipe by Living a Life in Colour at https://www.livingalifeincolour.com/recipes/pappardelle-al-ragu-di-cinghiale-ribbon-pasta-with-wild-boar-sauce-toscana/