How to Cook Wild Boar Ragu

Serves: 6

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 3 hours

Ingredients needed to make Wild Boar Ragu:

• 1 lb 9 oz wild boar shoulder, trimmed and chopped into 1’’ chunks
• 4 rashers smoked streaky bacon, chopped into ½’’ slices
• 2 ½ oz black olives, pitted and crushed
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• One can (14 oz) chopped tomatoes
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 tsp juniper berries, lightly crushed
• One 4 ½’’ long rosemary sprig, leaves picked and finely chopped
• 3 fresh thyme sprigs
• 18 fl oz red wine
• 1 beef stock cube
• 2 tsp caster sugar
• 2 large bay leaves
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 4 tbsp sunflower oil
• Flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Freshly cooked pasta, to serve
• Grated Parmesan, to serve

Cooking instructions for Wild Boar Ragu:

• Place the boar chunks in a bowl and toss them well along with a dash of seasonings.
• Heat a couple of tbsp oil in a large skillet until it shimmers and dump the seasoned meat into the skillet.
• Brown the meat over moderately high heat, tossing them from time to time, until them brown evenly and transfer them into a large heat-proof casserole dish.
• Drizzle more oil in the skillet and throw in the bacon chunks to fry for a couple of minutes or until they turn crispy golden brown.
• Scatter them over the browned meat and set aside.
• Heat more oil in the skillet to sauté the onions for 5 minutes over slow flame, until they turn soft.
• Stir in the crushed olives, juniper berries as well as garlic and sauté for 2 minutes, stirring often, until the garlic turns fragrant.
• Tip it into the casserole, on top of the bacon and drizzle the red wine over them.
• Empty the can of chopped tomatoes into it along with the juices and pour in 18 fl oz cold water and tomato puree.
• Crush the beef stock cube and sprinkle the over them along with sugar and herbs.
• Stir them all together to mix well and bring the mixture to a simmer over moderate heat.
• Place a lid on top to cover partially and simmer over slow flame for 2 ½ hours, stirring the rag from time to time, until the meat is cooked through and breaks down.
• Remove the lid and give it a nice to mix well.
• Continue to simmer for another 5-6 minutes or until the sauce thickens considerably and throw away the bay leaves, rosemary stalks plus thyme.
• Adjust the seasonings if necessary and serve over a bed of cooked pasta.
• Top it up with grated cheese and serve warm.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons