“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).
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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
- Slice the wild boar into 5cm chunks and place in a large bowl.
- 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.
- The next day, remove the boar from the marinade and discard the veg, pat dry and mince coarsely (or finely chop, if you prefer).
- Peel the remaining onions, scrub and trim the remaining carrot and celery, then run them through the mincer too (or finely chop).
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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