Wild Boar Ragu

A rich pasta sauce infused with red wine, rosemary and orange. Perfect with pappardelle pasta or as a filling for conchiglie grandi.

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Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 2 30

Servings:4 people

500 g wild boar meat from the shoulder or leg. I had 1.5K meat on the bone to produce 500g of meat If you are using meat off the bone, cut into l4-5cm chunks.
3 cloves grated garlic
1 large carrot (grated)
1 branch celery (finely chopped)
1 onion finely chopped
1 3 x 2 cm strip of orange peel
1 tbsp concentrated tomato paste
500 ml vegetable stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
grated parmesan and lemon zest to serve

Put the meat in a non-metallic bowl with the marinade herbs and cover it with red wine. Leave sealed overnight in the fridge.

Strain the meat, discarding all the herbs except the rosemary and the wine.
Saute the carrots, celery, garlic and onions in olive oil until soft - around 5 minutes. Add the wild boar and brown on all sides. Add the orange peel and all the wine marinade, including the rosemary. Bring to a boil and then simmer with the lid half on until the meat starts to fall off the *bone. Add more wine or stock if necessary. About 1-1½ hours.
Remove from the heat, using a fork to pull the meat away from the bone. Return the meat to the sauce. Add a tablespoon of concentrated tomato sauce and 1-2 cups of vegetable stock.
Simmer very gently, with the lid off, until the meat falls apart. Adding more stock or wine when necessary. Season with salt and pepper.
To fill conchiglie grandi, boil the pasta in plenty of salted water (per cooking instructions on the packet), drain and fill with the ragu. Cover with plenty of grated parmesan cheese, and a little lemon zest and put under the grill for a few minutes until melted and golden.
Or serve as a topping to pappardelle, or your favourite pasta.

*If using shoulder/leg meat already off the bone