Joe Lycetts Wild Boar Ragù Recipes

WILD BOAR RAGù

Steps:

• The night before making the ragù place the meat in a bowl with the rosemary, peppercorns, garlic and enough wine to cover. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Discard the rosemary and garlic. Drain the meat in a strainer set over a bowl, reserving the wine. In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, heat the oil until shimmering, and add the carrot, celery and onion. Sauté until softened, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add the meat and cook, stirring frequently, until all the liquid released by the meat has evaporated and the meat is browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the reserved wine and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture is dry, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the tomatoes, breaking them up with a spoon. Add 1 cup water, reduce heat to very low, and cook, partly covered, at a low simmer for 1 hour.
• Add vegetable stock and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the meat begins to break apart, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours. Remove from heat and, using a whisk or spoon, break the meat into very fine shreds. Serve, if desired, over tagliatelle or other pasta.

JOE LYCETT'S WILD BOAR RAGù

Steps:

• Slice the wild boar into 5cm chunks and place in a large bowl.
• Peel 2 red onions, then roughly chop with 1 carrot and 1 stick of celery, then add to the bowl with the juniper berries and bay. Pour over half of the wine, cover, and chill in the fridge overnight.
• The next day, remove the boar from the marinade and discard the veg, pat dry and mince coarsely (or finely chop, if you prefer).
• Peel the remaining onions, scrub and trim the remaining carrot and celery, then run them through the mincer too (or finely chop).
• Mince (or finely chop) the pancetta, then place in a large casserole pan on a medium heat with 1 tablespoon of oil. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the minced veg and boar. Cook until golden brown and all the juices have evaporated, stirring regularly.
• Pour in a large glass of red wine and allow to bubble and cook away, then tip in the passata and 500ml of beef stock. Simmer gently on a low heat for 3 hours, adding ladlefuls of the remaining stock throughout (a bit like when you make a risotto), stirring regularly.
• Meanwhile, to make the pasta, crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk together. Season with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper, then add the oil and 250ml water. Gradually add the flour, patting and bringing it together as you go, then tip out onto a flour-dusted work surface and knead until smooth and silky. Wrap in clingfilm and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
• Take a quarter of the dough (wrap the remaining back up in the clingfilm to stop it from drying out), then roll out as thinly as you can with a large rolling pin (ideally around 2mm thick), dusting with extra flour as you go.
• Cut the dough in half across the middle, then roll up each piece into a loose cylinder. Slice into 1.5cm strips, tossing lightly with your fingertips to separate into pappardelle. Repeat with the remaining pasta and divide into portions, ready for cooking - it's best to cook the pasta in small batches, to order.
• When you're almost ready to serve, taste the ragù and adjust the seasoning, if needed, then add a swig of extra virgin olive oil.
• For each portion, add a spoonful of ragù to a large non-stick frying pan over a low heat with a small grating of Parmesan (if using). Meanwhile, cook the pappardelle in a pan of boiling salted water for 1 minute 30 seconds, then use tongs to drag it directly into the sauce, taking a little pasta water with it, to loosen. Toss together, then plate up. Delicious finished with an extra grating of Parmesan, if you like.