Wild Boar Ragu

So all you need is to catch one of these and the rest is very simple.

 

 Grab a couple of sharp knives ... and well ...

act like Edward Scissor Hands

 

Till it looks more like this, nice minced sized pieces, oh and a bit more cooked, just to cut out all that blood, sweat and tears.

 

 

If only you could smell it.

 

• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 sprig rosemary chopped
• 1 teaspoon chopped thyme
• 8 sage leaves chopped
• wild boar 1 kg minced
• 4 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 onion, chopped very fine
• ½ cup dried, torn porcini mushrooms
• ¼ lb fresh shitake mushrooms
• ½ cup warm water
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 1 cup white wine
• sea salt and pepper to taste
   

In a covered bowl, marinate wild boar for at least 2 hours, or overnight, with garlic, rosemary, thyme, half the sage, and red wine.

Heat a large saucepan on med-high heat; add the oil and onions, and turn heat to low. Sweat the onions on a very low heat for about an hour, stirring every 5-10 minutes, allowing the juice to release. You can add some stock if it’s getting too dry. Turn the heat up at the end for about 8 minutes to get a little caramelization.

While the onions are cooking, reconstitute the dried mushrooms with hot water; cover and let sit at least 15 minutes.

Remove onions from the pan. Turn the heat to med-high, add a drop of olive oil, and sauté the fresh mushrooms, about 8 minutes. Return onions and any residual juice to the pan.

Add the minced wild boar to the pan, cooking on low heat, about 8 minutes, until cooked through but not browned.

Add remaining sage, reconstituted mushrooms, the mushroom water, white wine, and remaining stock to the pan. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Raise heat to medium, and stir slowly as the liquid reduces. When the liquid is reduced by about ½ (approximately 8 minutes), reduce heat to a simmer for 2 hours.

Serve with Pappardelle