Boar-ing! Or Not Boar-ing! (Berkshire Eagle Column)
Our kids were not at all disappointed that I prepared for last week’s Berkshire Eagle column by testing my wild boar ragù with beef, and then with pork, yielding plenty to share! Having a portion of this sauce in the freezer provides an easy yet extraordinary dinner, or something quick and delicious on a busy weeknight.
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, OR NOT
by Elizabeth Baer
My husband has an interesting way of suggesting recipes I should make. Once he came home from the supermarket and said, “Blueberries are on sale, so I bought some, and a refrigerated crust for you to make a pie.” Mind you at this point in my life, I had never made a pie; in fact, I was scared of making pie; and, from what I had read, blueberry pie was especially challenging because the berries have so much moisture. (I did prevail, though, and now I even feel comfortable making my own crust.)
More recently he asked for a covered ciabatta baker for Chanukah so I could make ciabatta for him. That learning process is going well, and we are enjoying the experimentation.
And then there was the time we came back from a trip to Italy and he said, “You should make ragù al cinghiale.” Cinghiale is wild boar, and while it is common in Tuscany, I wasn’t sure where I could find it here. Never one to shrink from a cooking challenge, I did find that you can get it from the specialty purveyor D’Artagnan, and that some area stores – Mazzeo’s at Guido’s and Big Y – will order it if you ask. This endeavor was some time ago, and the internet search results were sparse, but after reading lots of recipes for ragù with various meats, and some trial and error, I devised a version that I usually make once a year, some to have right away, and some to freeze for other nights.
Although a rapidly increasing wild boar population has become quite a nuisance in Italy and other parts of the world, it’s still not a common cooking ingredient here. Fear not, though, because this recipe work beautifully with beef or pork. Whether using wild boar, beef, or pork, you want to buy a cut that stands up to a long slow braise, such as stew meat, beef brisket, or pork shoulder.
As good as this recipe is, my husband, when he sees ragù al cinghiale on restaurant menu here in the States, often, for some reason, decides to order it. And then he always ends up saying, “Yours is better.” Smart man.
RAGÙ AL CINGHIALE (or BEEF or PORK)
Makes 5-6 cups, enough for 1½ - 2 pounds of pasta
INGREDIENTS Part I:
Basic tomato sauce – more than needed for this, but can be used in other things, too
(Although I’ve never done so, you could try a good quality store-bought sauce.)
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, sliced
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup shredded carrot
1 tablespoon dried thyme
2 cans (28-ounce) whole peeled plum tomatoes, crushed by hand (do this in a large bowl, and beware – they can squirt when you squeeze them!)
DIRECTIONS Part I:
In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering and fragrant. Add the onion and garlic, sprinkle with the salt, and sauté, stirring occasionally until soft and translucent. Add the carrot and thyme, and continue to sauté until the carrot is soft and the onions are beginning to turn golden. Add the tomatoes with the juice and stir to scrape up any bits that might be sticking to the bottom. Turn the heat down to maintain a simmer and cook, until it reaches the consistency of hot cereal, anywhere from 15-30 minutes, depending on the brand of tomatoes, stirring frequently prevent sticking.
INGREDIENTS Part II:
Ragù al Cinghiale (can be made ahead and reheated while pasta water comes to a boil)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1½-2 pounds wild boar meat or beef or pork, cubed (any cut that requires a long braise)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons anchovy paste
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced
2 teaspoons fresh sage, minced
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup dry red wine
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (not the fancy aged kind)
2 cups tomato sauce base (from recipe above, or try good quality store-bought)
DIRECTIONS Part II:
In heavy Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering and fragrant. Add the onion, carrot, and celery, and sauté until the onion is softened. Push the vegetables to the edges of the pot, and brown the cubes of meat patiently on all sides and remove to a bowl, leaving the vegetables in the pot. This may need to be done in stages so you don’t crowd the pot. As you are doing this, be sure the vegetables are not beginning to burn.
Add the tomato paste, anchovy paste, garlic, rosemary, sage, red pepper flakes, cloves, and cinnamon. Stir for 1-2 minutes to cook gently.
Add the wine and stir, scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen any bits that have gotten stuck. Add the balsamic vinegar and tomato sauce base, and stir to combine.
Return the meat and any accumulated juices to the pot, place the cover partially on top, and adjust the heat to simmer for 1½-2 hours. Be sure to check frequently and adjust the heat as needed. Add water if too much liquid is evaporating
Remove the sauce from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Pulse in food processor until the meat is broken down into small shreds, in batches if necessary. This should take about 10-12 pulses. (For easier clean up, place a piece of plastic wrap on top of the food processor bowl but under the lid.) At this point you can refrigerate or freeze the sauce if not using immediately.
To serve, heat 2 cups of ragù in a large sauté pan for every 8-9 ounces of pasta. Traditionally this is served with fresh pappardelle (like fettuccine but wider), but it works just as well with fettuccine or a large dried pasta shape such as rigatoni. When the pasta is ready, remove from the water directly into the sauce in the sauté pan, using a spider strainer for shapes or tongs for strands. Use pasta water a little at a time if needed to reach desired consistency, and serve with fresh grated Parmesan.