Italian Wild Boar Ragù

Wild boar ragù is perfect early winter dish. Wild boar are plentiful across many parts of Europe, and are typically hunted throughout the winter months.

Equipment

Chef Knife
Chopping Board
Cast Iron Pan

Ingredients

2 tbsp pork dripping
1 kg pork shoulder diced into 3cm cubes
100 g smoked bacon lardons
1 large onion finely chopped
1 large carrot diced
2 celery stick finely chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon fennel seeds crushed
2 tablespoons tomato puree
250 ml red wine
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp thyme leaves finely chopped
350 ml passata
150 ml hot chicken stock
500 g tagliatelle
150 g freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 140°C.
Heat the pork dripping on a high heat in a cast iron pan, and brown the meat in batches until browned on all sides. Remove the meat from the pan.
Add the bacon lardons and cook for 2 - 3 minutes on a medium heat, then add the onions, carrot and celery to the pan, and reduce the heat and cook for about 8-10 minutes until softened. Use a wooden spoon to scrape any of the residue of the meat from the bottom of the pan. Add a tablespoon of water to help deglaze the pan if the vegetables become too dry.
Add the garlic and crushed fennel seeds and sauce for 1 minute, then add the tomato paste and allow the paste to cook for a minute or two. Add the wine and raise to a a simmer and cook until the wine has reduced by half.
Return the meat to the pan, including any juices that have escaped while it rested, 1 teaspoon of salt, the passata and the herbs. Add just enough stock to cover the meat and then bring back to a simmer.
Put a lid on the pan and put in the pre-heated oven for 2-3 hours until the meat is tender.
Cook the tagliatelle and stir through the ragù with a couple of tablespoons of pasta water and serve with parmesan cheese.