I first came upon The Girls peering out at me from a shelf in the Strand bookstore. I definitely judged a book by its cover in this case, with art courtesy of Edward Gorey and this quote on the back: “[For] those who feel Barbara Pym-ish on some days and Stephen King-ish on others.” Another quote stated John Bowen’s novel is “a wry, macabre tale of simple living, brutal murder, and a reasonably happy couple.”
Sold!
But I will tell you this, with equal parts pride and shame: after devouring a huge Florentine steak in Italy last year, my husband and I quickly dispatched an enormous plate of boar ragu parpardelle as well, with far greater aplomb than Janet and Susan did in ridding themselves of their boar.
“The boar turned his head. He could see in the antique marbled mirror an antique marbled boar, glaring at him, and from behind there came the confused noise of approaching humans. The boar charged...”
My comments are below in italics. Do enjoy!
Wild Boar Ragu with Pappardelle
Adapted from The Pasta Project
Ingredients
1.1 pounds wild boar (try D’Artagnan if your butcher can’t help) or pork
Adapted from The Pasta Project
Ingredients
1.1 pounds wild boar (try D’Artagnan if your butcher can’t help) or pork
14 ounces pappardelle pasta
For Marinade
1 onion peeled and halved
1 carrot washed and cut into large pieces
1 celery stalk washed and cut into large pieces (for the onion, carrot, and celery save time by buying pre-cut mirepoix like at Trader Joe’s)
2-3 bay leaves
2 teaspoon juniper berries (or a nip of gin!)
2 cloves of garlic peeled
1 sprig rosemary
4 1/4 cups full-bodied Tuscan red wine, such as Chianti, other Sangiovese, Montepulciano or Valpolicella. (Merlot if your feeling frisky and French)
Ground black pepper
For the Sauce
1.1 lbs tomato passata (strained tomatoes) or peeled tomatoes
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 carrot, washed and finely chopped
1 celery stalk, washed and finely chopped (again, look to Trader Joe’s for pre-cut mirepoix)
2 bay leaves
2 garlic cloves peeled
3-4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
5 fl ozs red wine
Salt for pasta and to taste
Black pepper to taste
Instructions
Wash the wild boar meat (or pork), cut it into chunks and put it in a large bowl.
Add the onion (peeled and cut in half) and the carrot and the celery in large pieces (or the mirepoix), the 2 peeled cloves of garlic, the bay leaves, the juniper berries, the rosemary and some black pepper.
Cover with red wine and mix.
Cover the container with plastic wrap or a lid and allow to stand in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours.
Once the necessary time has passed, drain the meat and eliminate the vegetables and herbs. You can cut the meat into smaller pieces if preferred.
Make the Ragu
Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large frying pan or skillet and fry the garlic, carrot, celery, and onion slightly (with a tablespoon or two of tomato paste—this helps the sauce cling to the meat). Add the bay leaves.
Add the wild boar meat and brown it on all sides.
Add the red wine and let the alcohol evaporate (when you can no longer taste the acidity).
Lower the flame and cook for about 10 minutes.
Add the crushed/peeled tomatoes and a pinch of salt and pepper and cook with the flame reduced to a minimum for about 1.5-2 hours, depending on the size of the pieces of wild boar and how old it is. Stir occasionally and add some beef stock or water if the sauce seems dry.
While the ragu is cooking put a pot of water onto boil for the pasta. Add salt once it starts to boil and bring to the boil again. When you are ready to serve your wild boar ragu, cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the packet.
Remove the bay leaves and garlic cloves and add the pasta to the ragu and mix together carefully. You don’t want to break the pasta ribbons.
Serve immediately. Italians don’t normally add grated cheese to this dish or chopped parsley.
For Marinade
1 onion peeled and halved
1 carrot washed and cut into large pieces
1 celery stalk washed and cut into large pieces (for the onion, carrot, and celery save time by buying pre-cut mirepoix like at Trader Joe’s)
2-3 bay leaves
2 teaspoon juniper berries (or a nip of gin!)
2 cloves of garlic peeled
1 sprig rosemary
4 1/4 cups full-bodied Tuscan red wine, such as Chianti, other Sangiovese, Montepulciano or Valpolicella. (Merlot if your feeling frisky and French)
Ground black pepper
For the Sauce
1.1 lbs tomato passata (strained tomatoes) or peeled tomatoes
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 carrot, washed and finely chopped
1 celery stalk, washed and finely chopped (again, look to Trader Joe’s for pre-cut mirepoix)
2 bay leaves
2 garlic cloves peeled
3-4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
5 fl ozs red wine
Salt for pasta and to taste
Black pepper to taste
Instructions
Wash the wild boar meat (or pork), cut it into chunks and put it in a large bowl.
Add the onion (peeled and cut in half) and the carrot and the celery in large pieces (or the mirepoix), the 2 peeled cloves of garlic, the bay leaves, the juniper berries, the rosemary and some black pepper.
Cover with red wine and mix.
Cover the container with plastic wrap or a lid and allow to stand in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours.
Once the necessary time has passed, drain the meat and eliminate the vegetables and herbs. You can cut the meat into smaller pieces if preferred.
Make the Ragu
Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large frying pan or skillet and fry the garlic, carrot, celery, and onion slightly (with a tablespoon or two of tomato paste—this helps the sauce cling to the meat). Add the bay leaves.
Add the wild boar meat and brown it on all sides.
Add the red wine and let the alcohol evaporate (when you can no longer taste the acidity).
Lower the flame and cook for about 10 minutes.
Add the crushed/peeled tomatoes and a pinch of salt and pepper and cook with the flame reduced to a minimum for about 1.5-2 hours, depending on the size of the pieces of wild boar and how old it is. Stir occasionally and add some beef stock or water if the sauce seems dry.
While the ragu is cooking put a pot of water onto boil for the pasta. Add salt once it starts to boil and bring to the boil again. When you are ready to serve your wild boar ragu, cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the packet.
Remove the bay leaves and garlic cloves and add the pasta to the ragu and mix together carefully. You don’t want to break the pasta ribbons.
Serve immediately. Italians don’t normally add grated cheese to this dish or chopped parsley.
Thanks to sipandfeast.com for the image!
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