Michi
I dislike attempts to rewrite history
This is a really nice winter dish. The ragout doesn't have the fattiness that you would otherwise get with pork shoulder, and it doesn't taste gamey.
It does have a more "gutsy" taste than what you would expect with ordinary pork, though. (Having said that, pork shoulder would make a decent substitute for wild boar, if you skim off any excess fat while the whole thing is simmering.)
Marinade:
Wash the meat chunks with cold water and let drain; cut the meat into roughly 2 cm pieces.
Peel and quarter the onions. Cut the carrots into largish chunks (maybe 2-3 cm in length). Cut on the diagonal, to increase surface area. Cut the celery into 5-6 cm long pieces. Like for the carrots, cut on the bias, to increase surface area.
Put the meat, onions, carrots, celery, bay leaves, juniper berries, and smashed garlic into a bowl. Add the rosemary, pepper, and the bottle of wine. (Just the wine inside the bottle, without the bottle.) Something strong is nice, such as a gutsy shiraz or zinfandel. No wimpy rosé please!
Marinate the meat in the fridge for 12-24 hours.
Ragout:
Make a mirepoix with the onions, carrots, and celery, using a bit of olive oil. Fry until onions are translucent and carrots are semi-cooked. Set aside, and use the same pan to fry the boar meat until dark brown on all sides. (Add a bit more olive oil if necessary.)
The meat will be wet and likely create a lot of liquid in the pan that prevents frying. Drain excess liquid off into the saved red wine, until the meat is dry enough to fry properly and turns brown on all sides.
Lower the heat and continue heating the meat for five more minutes.
Transfer the meat to a big pot, add the mirepoix and the wine from the marinade, and cook on medium heat for 25 minutes.
Add the canned and the fresh chopped tomatoes, the pepper, bay leaves, garlic from the marinade, and half the salt; bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cover.
Simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally. After about an hour, add the chopped mushrooms and briefly bring back to a boil, then reduce heat back to a simmer and cover again.
If the whole thing looks like it's getting a bit too dry, add a bit of water or, preferably, some decent beef or chicken stock.
Simmer for 3-5 hours. Check the meat occasionally for texture. It should be very soft, but not over-cooked: don’t let it go to the “fall-apart” stage, where it becomes dry and stringy. (This isn’t pulled pork; wild boar gets dry a lot more easily than domestic pork.)
When things are close to done, adjust seasoning. You will probably need to add at least the other teaspoon of salt, plus a generous amount of extra pepper.
Add the salt slowly and taste in between. There is a point where the taste goes from “boring” to “really nice” with a small addition of salt. (It’s a phase transition, and it happens quickly.) There is a second point (just as abrupt) where it goes from “really nice” to “over-salted”. Don’t cross that line. At the same time, don't be shy about adding more salt until it tastes "right". (We add salt not to make things more salty, but to enhance flavour.)
Make a slurry with the corn starch, add it to the ragout while stirring, and briefly turn up the heat until the ragout thickens a bit.
Serve with pasta or rice, and a side salad.
PS: There is a beige section near the top right (with only a little bit of green), for Carl.
It does have a more "gutsy" taste than what you would expect with ordinary pork, though. (Having said that, pork shoulder would make a decent substitute for wild boar, if you skim off any excess fat while the whole thing is simmering.)
Marinade:
- 1 kg wild boar
- 2 medium onions
- 2 carrots
- 2 large celery stalks
- 4 bay leaves
- 2 tsp juniper berries
- 4 medium cloves peeled garlic, smashed
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 bottle (750 ml) of red wine
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
Wash the meat chunks with cold water and let drain; cut the meat into roughly 2 cm pieces.
Peel and quarter the onions. Cut the carrots into largish chunks (maybe 2-3 cm in length). Cut on the diagonal, to increase surface area. Cut the celery into 5-6 cm long pieces. Like for the carrots, cut on the bias, to increase surface area.
Put the meat, onions, carrots, celery, bay leaves, juniper berries, and smashed garlic into a bowl. Add the rosemary, pepper, and the bottle of wine. (Just the wine inside the bottle, without the bottle.) Something strong is nice, such as a gutsy shiraz or zinfandel. No wimpy rosé please!
Marinate the meat in the fridge for 12-24 hours.
Ragout:
- Meat and wine from the marinade (save the garlic)
- 1 can (440 g) of peeled tomatoes (San Marzano or other decent quality)
- 1 large fresh tomato
- 2 medium onions, finely chopped
- 2 medium carrots, finely chopped
- 3 celery stalks, finely chopped
- 300 g of small button mushrooms (preferably Swiss brown ones, which have more flavour, or shiitake)
- 4 bay leaves
- Garlic cloves from the marinade
- 2 tsp salt (~10 g)
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 4 tsp corn starch
Make a mirepoix with the onions, carrots, and celery, using a bit of olive oil. Fry until onions are translucent and carrots are semi-cooked. Set aside, and use the same pan to fry the boar meat until dark brown on all sides. (Add a bit more olive oil if necessary.)
The meat will be wet and likely create a lot of liquid in the pan that prevents frying. Drain excess liquid off into the saved red wine, until the meat is dry enough to fry properly and turns brown on all sides.
Lower the heat and continue heating the meat for five more minutes.
Transfer the meat to a big pot, add the mirepoix and the wine from the marinade, and cook on medium heat for 25 minutes.
Add the canned and the fresh chopped tomatoes, the pepper, bay leaves, garlic from the marinade, and half the salt; bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cover.
Simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally. After about an hour, add the chopped mushrooms and briefly bring back to a boil, then reduce heat back to a simmer and cover again.
If the whole thing looks like it's getting a bit too dry, add a bit of water or, preferably, some decent beef or chicken stock.
Simmer for 3-5 hours. Check the meat occasionally for texture. It should be very soft, but not over-cooked: don’t let it go to the “fall-apart” stage, where it becomes dry and stringy. (This isn’t pulled pork; wild boar gets dry a lot more easily than domestic pork.)
When things are close to done, adjust seasoning. You will probably need to add at least the other teaspoon of salt, plus a generous amount of extra pepper.
Add the salt slowly and taste in between. There is a point where the taste goes from “boring” to “really nice” with a small addition of salt. (It’s a phase transition, and it happens quickly.) There is a second point (just as abrupt) where it goes from “really nice” to “over-salted”. Don’t cross that line. At the same time, don't be shy about adding more salt until it tastes "right". (We add salt not to make things more salty, but to enhance flavour.)
Make a slurry with the corn starch, add it to the ragout while stirring, and briefly turn up the heat until the ragout thickens a bit.
Serve with pasta or rice, and a side salad.
PS: There is a beige section near the top right (with only a little bit of green), for Carl.
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