Tuscan Wild Boar Stew
This comfort food recipe can be made
ahead. It can also be frozen for unexpected
company.
Serves 4-6
1 pound wild boar stew meat
1 cup flour for dredging the meat
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
Extra Virgin Olive oil
1 cup baby carrots
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large Yukon gold potato cut into
1/2 – 1 inch cubes
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 quart chicken or veal stock
1 cup dry red wine such as Burgundy
or Sangiovese
8 ounces frozen pearl onions
2 bay leaves
Additional 1 cup stock and 1/2 cup
flour to achieve desired consistency
Equipment: large stockpot
Trim meat to get rid of any visible
fat and make pieces bite-size and uniform in size.
Season the flour with salt and
pepper. Toss the meat in the flour to dredge.
Heat the stockpot and thinly film the
pan with olive oil.
Add the meat and brown well on all
sides. Make sure that you don’t crowd the pan and
cook meat in one single layer at a time. Remove
meat as it browns.
Add carrots, garlic and potatoes.
Cook 3-5 minutes to brown. Hold basil in between
your thumb and forefinger and rub between your
fingers before adding to stew. The heat and the
oils in your fingers will release the fragrances in
the herb.
Return meat to saucepan and add
stock, wine, onions and bay leaves. Bring to boil
and immediately turn down to medium low. Check
seasonings and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Cook on low at least 1 1/2 hours so
that flavors blend and meat and vegetables become
tender. Do not boil the meat, keep it at a low
simmer. You could also transfer this to your
crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for
3-4 hours.
If a thicker stew is desired, mix the
additional stock and flour to make a slurry and
whisk into the hot stew. Continue cooking for 10
minutes to completely thicken and cook flour.
Cook’s Tip: Remove the bay leaves
before serving. They are sharp and can cause injury
if swallowed.
ãBarbara
Seelig Brown
