Joe Lycett’s wild boar ragù

“Slow-cooked, tender wild boar gives this beautiful pasta an incredible depth of flavour. Inspired by a no-fuss Tuscan restaurant recipe, this is one of the most famous dishes in the whole region. Paired with silky pappardelle, you can’t go wrong. This recipe is a great one to batch cook, too (see tip).
”

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg higher-welfare wild boar , sinew removed (use a mixture of shoulder, leg and loin)
• 4 red onions
• 2 carrots
• 2 sticks of celery
• 5 juniper berries
• 5 fresh bay leaves
• 1 bottle of Trecciano Chianti red wine
• 50 g higher-welfare pancetta or lardo
• olive oil
• 700 g passata
• 2 litres organic beef stock
• Parmesan cheese , optional
• extra virgin olive oil
• PASTA DOUGH
• 4 large free-range eggs
• 2 tablespoons olive oil , plus extra for greasing
• 1 kg Tipo 00 flour , plus extra for dusting

Method

1. Slice the wild boar into 5cm chunks and place in a large bowl.
2. Peel 2 red onions, then roughly chop with 1 carrot and 1 stick of celery, then add to the bowl with the juniper berries and bay. Pour over half of the wine, cover, and chill in the fridge overnight.
3. The next day, remove the boar from the marinade and discard the veg, pat dry and mince coarsely (or finely chop, if you prefer).
4. Peel the remaining onions, scrub and trim the remaining carrot and celery, then run them through the mincer too (or finely chop).
5. Mince (or finely chop) the pancetta, then place in a large casserole pan on a medium heat with 1 tablespoon of oil. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the minced veg and boar. Cook until golden brown and all the juices have evaporated, stirring regularly.
6. Pour in a large glass of red wine and allow to bubble and cook away, then tip in the passata and 500ml of beef stock. Simmer gently on a low heat for 3 hours, adding ladlefuls of the remaining stock throughout (a bit like when you make a risotto), stirring regularly.
7. Meanwhile, to make the pasta, crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk together. Season with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper, then add the oil and 250ml water. Gradually add the flour, patting and bringing it together as you go, then tip out onto a flour-dusted work surface and knead until smooth and silky. Wrap in clingfilm and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
8. Take a quarter of the dough (wrap the remaining back up in the clingfilm to stop it from drying out), then roll out as thinly as you can with a large rolling pin (ideally around 2mm thick), dusting with extra flour as you go.
9. Cut the dough in half across the middle, then roll up each piece into a loose cylinder. Slice into 1.5cm strips, tossing lightly with your fingertips to separate into pappardelle. Repeat with the remaining pasta and divide into portions, ready for cooking – it’s best to cook the pasta in small batches, to order.
10. When you’re almost ready to serve, taste the ragù and adjust the seasoning, if needed, then add a swig of extra virgin olive oil.
11. For each portion, add a spoonful of ragù to a large non-stick frying pan over a low heat with a small grating of Parmesan (if using). Meanwhile, cook the pappardelle in a pan of boiling salted water for 1 minute 30 seconds, then use tongs to drag it directly into the sauce, taking a little pasta water with it, to loosen. Toss together, then plate up. Delicious finished with an extra grating of Parmesan, if you like.

Tips

If freezing, stick a label on with the date, name of the dish, and what to serve it with. It can be kept in the fridge for 3 days or freezer for 2 months. If you freeze it, remember to defrost in the fridge before reheating until piping hot.

Source: Jamie Oliver