Passport & Plate - Pappardelle al Ragu Di Cinghiale

leahtb — Fri, 6 Mar 2015 15:30:56 GMT

Ingredients
2 pounds Wild Boar or Pork Shoulder (heritage brand will provide a closer taste to wild boar)

Marinade
1 carrot, chopped in large pieces
1 celery, chopped in large pieces
½ onion, chopped in large pieces
1 garlic, clove
Rosemary
Sage
5 cloves
Cinnamon stick
½ bottle wine, Chianti

Pasta Sauce
3 tbsp olive oil
2 carrots, diced
1 celery, diced
½ onion, diced
4 cremini mushrooms
2 garlic, cloves
Parsley
2 chilies
80 ml tomato paste
60 grams pancetta
½ bottle wine, chianti
Salt

Finish
Pepper
Parsley
Pecorino Romano

How to prepare this recipe
1. Place wild boar or pork shoulder in a large heavy bag, along with the rest of the ingredients for the marinade.
2. Seal and refrigerate for 6-24 hours.
3. Separate wild boar from marinade and heat 1 tbsp oil in a heavy bottomed pan over high heat. Brown the boar in batches and set aside.
4. Using same pan, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over med-high heat and soften carrots, celery, onion, cremini, garlic and parsley.
5. Add tomato paste and chilies until combined and heated.
6. Add wild boar.
7. Add wine.
8. Cover and cook over low heat for 2 hours. Taste and add salt.
9. Boil water and cook dried pappardelle for 7 minutes.
10. Combine and finish with pepper, parsley and pecorino romano.
11. Enjoy

The story behind this recipe
This recipe is from a dish I had on a trip a few years ago to Tuscany, Italy. I met up with my parents in Italy to celebrate my mothers 60th birthday and spent two weeks traveling through Rome, Tuscany, Cinque Terre and Venice. All those days spent eating, drinking and exploring helped shape my opinions about food as a way to gather friends, family and soon to be friends and enjoy the ritual of both cooking and eating.

During this trip I had many amazing food experiences. Waking up to the sound of roosters and eating breakfast at an agritourismo with the chickens in the courtyard. And later on in our stay enjoying a beautiful meal made by Nona one evening. Taking part in a cooking class, learning to make pasta along with other Italian delights (no Caesar salad) and sitting down to enjoy at the end of the day. Getting in late and hungry one night (a great place to be while hungry), our hosts told us to follow in our car to the restaurant on the lake. Through twists and turns we ended up at a restaurant in the middle of the dark and I am still unclear if there ever was a lake. I ordered Pappardelle al Ragu Di Cinghiale and it was delicious. Tender and hearty but not heavy. It was comfort food far from home. Everyone had some and we made a point to come back to the restaurant on the lake again to enjoy it the following night (and again missed seeing the lake). Every time we talk about our trip to Italy, the mysterious lake and the Pappardelle al Ragu Di Cinghiale always make their way into the conversation. Since our trip I love making this dish in the cold Canadian winters (although we sometimes have to substitute the wild boar for pork). And pappardelle noodles are now something I use often. Italy taught me that food is so much more than just a meal and cooking is not only the means to an end but an end in itself.

A foodie travel dream

Passport & Plate - Pappardelle al Ragu Di Cinghiale