This week, we're cooking up a delicious and hearty boar stew with creamy polenta, from my cookbook At the Table of La Fortezza ([ Ссылка ]).

Wild boar, or cinghiale in Italian, yields a dark red meat that looks more like beef than pork. It’s very lean, and reminds me of bison, which, of course, means that it can be tough and gamey if not properly prepared. The local boars’ appetite for grasses, chestnuts, figs, mushrooms, and truffles — they have a very sophisticated diet — gives their meat a unique flavor, almost like a terroir as expressed in wine. I treat boar meat like a brisket and cook it slowly; the result is a moist stew layered with rich, woodsy flavors. Order boar meat from your butcher or check the Source Guide in my book. You can serve same day, or I like to let it cool and then refrigerate for a day to let the flavors develop and deepen — plus, the meat will become more tender. Heat thoroughly before serving.

REICPE FOR THE MARINADE:

- 1 (8-ounce) jar sundried tomatoes in oil
- 8 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup dried oregano
- ¼ cup chopped fresh rosemary
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 pounds wild boar, cut into 1&½-inch cubes

RECIPE FOR THE STEW:

- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 carrots, cut into coins
- 2 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cups red wine
- 2 cups beef broth 1 (28-ounce) can Mutti Polpa crushed tomatoes, or another good-quality brand

FOR SERVING:

- Polenta for serving 8-10 (see my book for the recipe)
- Fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnish

PREPARATION:

To marinate the boar: In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine the sundried tomatoes and their oil, the garlic, oregano, rosemary, balsamic vinegar, salt, white pepper, and black pepper. Blend the marinade until well mixed.

Place the meat and marinade in a large bowl and mix thoroughly to make sure the boar is evenly coated, then transfer into a 1-gallon zip-tight bag (you may need two bags). Seal and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or overnight.

To make the stew: Preheat the oven to 300°F. Remove the boar from the marinade and place it on a plate, reserving the marinade.

Pour the oil into a large Dutch oven over high heat. When the pot heats up, reduce the heat to medium and add the meat in batches, in one layer, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Cook each batch for 10 minutes, turning the meat with tong s until browned on all sides. Remove the browned meat to a plate.

Add the carrots, celery, and onion to the Dutch oven. Stirring and scraping up the browned bits from the meat with a wooden spoon, cook for 10 minutes until the vegetables have softened. Add the wine and broth and deglaze the pan.

Return the meat to the Dutch oven with the vegetables, and add the reserved marinade and the crushed tomatoes. Bring to a simmer, stir, and cover. Transfer to the oven and bake for 4 to 6 hours. (Most Italians leave it in the oven all day, or up to 8 hours.) The longer it cooks, the more tender the meat is. The meat should be fork tender and surrounded by a rich sauce. Be sure to check often and add water as needed so the boar meat doesn’t dry out.

As the stew cooks, make the polenta.

To serve, spoon 1&½ cups cooked polenta into each shallow bowl, top with 2 cups of the boar stew, and garnish with fresh parsley.

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Chapters:

00:00 - Preparation
00:22 - Brown the meat
00:44 - Mirepoix
01:20 - Creating the sauce
03:01 - Slow cooking the boar stew
03:30 - Taste test

#italianfood #wildboar #winterrecipe

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