Spicy Wild Boar Ragú - Ethnic Foods R Us

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You know what I love most about making ragú? It’s a lot like playing jazz – you can improvise all you want, in fact the more and better you improvise, the better the jazz/ragu. This Spicy Wild Boar Ragú recipe is just one of unlimited varieties possible. So certainly, once you’ve learned the basic recipe (“melody”) feel free to take off on your own solo and create ragús that are uniquely “you!” Wild boar is wonderful, but you can also use beef, veal, lamb, other wild game meats, even poultry or seafood. And you can change the spices and herbs. You can improvise with different pastas, various kinds of cheeses … get the idea?

(Photo Attributed to Author: Ivan Vighetto)

But for this Spicy Wild Boar Ragú recipe, courtesy of Yours Truly, I promise you it will be a melodic symphony of marvelous flavors and textures in perfect concert together – enjoy!

Spicy Wild Boar Ragú Recipe-

Ingredients:

1-1/2 lb. boneless wild boar meat, chopped into small bite-sized pieces
8 oz. chorizo sausage, chopped up and broken down to a ground meat texture
2 tbsp. scallion-infused olive oil
1 large Spanish onion, peeled and chopped fine
4 large ripe red tomatoes, cored and rough chopped
3 bay leaves
1 cup good quality, dry red wine (suggest Italian reds, such as Chianti Classico, Barbaresco, or Valpolicella. )
6 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 habanero chili peppers, chopped fine (Note: for super hot spicy wild boar ragu, leave seeds in. For less hot and spicy, discard the seeds. Trust me, your ragu will still be quite spicy, even without the seeds.)
1 cinnamon stick
6 whole cloves
4 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped fine
1 tbsp. anchovy paste
1 tsp. each of dried thyme, sage, basil and oregano
1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
freshly ground coarse sea salt and black peppercorns, to taste
Pasta (fettuccine or pappardelle are my favorites for this dish)
Grated cheese (A good quality aged Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano is recommended – you want a sharp, tangy cheese to set up and compliment the strong flavor of wild boar and chorizo)

Directions:

In a large heavy duty cooking pot over medium-high flame, sauté the onion in the oil until softened, translucent and fragrant.
Now add in the wild boar meat and the chorizo, and cook until browned all over on the outside, but not yet cooked all the way through.
Add and stir in the bay leaves and the chopped tomatoes, followed by the dry red wine.
Gradually add and stir in the habanero peppers, garlic, cloves, cinnamon stick, anchovie paste, sun-dried tomatoes, anchovies, red wine vinegar, all four of the herbs, and salt and black pepper to taste.
Adjust flame to just a lively simmer, place the lid on to pot, slightly ajar, and cook, stirring now and then, for at least two hours — or longer if you have time. The longer you simmer your ragú, the more tender the meat will be. The ragú is ready to serve when the meat is so tender it is falling apart, and is oozing with succulent juices absorbed from the liquids.
While the ragú is cooking, when nearing time to serve, cook your pasta – time it so the pasta is freshly cooked when you serve the meal.
To serve your Spicy Wild Boar Ragú, place a generous portion of pasta in each serving bowl or plate, ladle on a big helping of the meat sauce, and stir the two together. Top with some freshly grated cheese, and chow down!
Spicy Wild Boar Ragú goes well with artisan bread or a good crusty peasant bread. And also serve some good quality dry red wine. The Italian red wines are best, in my opinion: Chianti Classico, Barbaresco, or Valpolicella.

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