Okay, so today I decided to make pappardelle con il cinghiale, which is basically wide pasta with wild boar sauce. Sounds fancy, huh? It’s actually not that hard, just takes some time.
Getting Started
First, I got all my ingredients together. This is the boring part, but super important. You know, measuring stuff out, chopping veggies. I used:
- Wild boar – already cut into chunks, thank goodness.
- Onion, carrot, celery – the usual suspects for a good sauce.
- Garlic – because everything’s better with garlic.
- Red wine – the cheap stuff is fine for cooking.
- Tomato paste and crushed tomatoes.
- Herbs like rosemary and bay leaves.
- And of course, the pappardelle pasta.
The Long Haul: Making the Ragu
The real work is making the ragu, the wild boar sauce. This isn’t a quick weeknight thing, it’s a slow-cooking project. I started by browning the boar in a big pot with some olive oil. I did this in batches so it wouldn’t get all steamed instead of nicely browned. Took it out and set it aside.
Then, I tossed in the chopped onion, carrot, and celery and cooked them until they were soft. Added the garlic and cooked that for a minute until it smelled amazing. Next, I stirred in the tomato paste and let that cook for a bit too. This helps build flavor.
I poured in the red wine and let it simmer until it reduced by about half. Then, I added the crushed tomatoes, the herbs, and some salt and pepper. I put the boar back in the pot, brought it all to a simmer, then turned the heat way down low. I covered it and let it bubble away gently for like, three hours. Seriously, the longer the better.
While that was simmering, I had plenty of time. My house started to smell pretty darn good.
Pasta Time!
After three hours, I checked the boar. It was super tender, falling apart. That’s what you want! I took out the bay leaves and rosemary sprigs (don’t want to eat those!).
I cooked the pappardelle in a big pot of salted boiling water until it was al dente. Dente? is that right? I cooked according to the time on the package.
Putting It All Together
I saved some of the pasta water (always do this!), then drained the pasta. I added the pasta to the pot with the ragu and tossed it all together. I added a little pasta water at a time until the sauce was the consistency I wanted – nice and glossy, coating all the pasta.
Finally, I served it up! A little grated Parmesan cheese on top, and that’s it. Pappardelle con il cinghiale, homemade. It was a lot of work, but totally worth it. The flavor was amazing, rich and hearty. Perfect for a cold day. A really satisfying meal.
