Pasta con Sugo di Cinghiale (Wild Boar Sauce)

(See Fresh Pasta recipe below)

Ingredients:

For the marinade (to marinate the boar)

This marinade can be used also for rabbit, venison, pork, veal, elk, ostrich and wild game birds (duck, pheasant, etc).

1 carrot, chopped

1 celery stalk, cut into large pieces 1 onion, cut into chunks
2 cloves
10 juniper berries

1 tablespoon peppercorns 1 clove of garlic
3 sprigs of thyme
2 sprigs of rosemary

5 leaves of sage
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs of parsley
1 bottle full bodied red wine (Brunello, Chianti Classico, Barolo, Amarone…)

2 lbs wild boar (or other meat of your choice), chopped into medium sized pieces

For the Sauce:

2 cups extra virgin olive oil

1 medium carrot, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 large red onion, minced 2 cloves of garlic

5 sage leaves
2 bay leaves
1 sprig of rosemary
1 1/2 cup full bodied red wine
1 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup canned tomatoes squeezed by hand salt and pepper

Directions:

For the Marinade:

1. Place all the ingredients together. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
2. Following day: drain the wild boar and discard the marinade

For the Sauce:

1. Using a large heavy gauged roasting pan start a basic soffritto with extra virgin, carrot, celery, onion, garlic and sage. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring very frequently. Add rosemary, bay leaf and keep cooking for 1 minute. Set aside.
2. In the meantime, in a separate skillet, place 1 tbs extra virgin, a few needles of rosemary the wild boar cut into pieces and let the meat brown for 20 minutes, stirring frequently. The meat will release some liquid, let it evaporate completely. Add the meat to the soffritto, cook for 5 minutes and then pour in the wine. Let it evaporate. Lower the flame and add tomatoes and tomato paste. Add hot water if the sauce gets too thick. Cover with a lid and let cook for another 50 minutes.
3. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the meat is tender, about 15 more minutes. If the sauce gets dry, you can add 2 cups of hot beef broth and reduce.

Basic Pasta from Toscana Saporita (to go with the sauce)