TT Thomas TownsendChef · Melbourne

Wild Boar Ragù with Paccheri and Olive Gremolata

Slow-braised wild boar shoulder with porcini, red wine and sage, tossed through paccheri and finished with a bright black olive gremolata.

By , head chef · Updated

Prep
40 min
Cook
3 hrs
Total
3 hr 40 min
Serves
6
Level
Weekend project
Jump to recipe
Paccheri pasta with shredded wild boar ragù and a parsley and black olive gremolata in a speckled bowl

Cinghiale, wild boar, is the Tuscan ragù. It’s leaner and more gamey than pork, so it loves red wine, porcini and sage. A short brine before cooking keeps it juicy.

Paccheri are wide enough to catch the shredded meat, and the olive gremolata is there to wake everything up.

Ingredients

Serves 6

Ragù

Olive gremolata

To serve

Method

Braise

  1. Optional: brine the boar in 1 litre water with 50 g salt for 6–12 hours, then rinse and dry.
  2. Heat the oven to 160°C. Season the meat and sear in batches in a heavy casserole until deeply browned. Set aside.
  3. Soften the onion, carrot and celery in the same pot. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
  4. Add the wine and reduce by half. Add the stock, porcini and strained soaking liquid, dried sage and bay leaves, and bring to the boil.
  5. Return the meat, cover tightly and braise in the oven for 2½ hours, until it falls apart.

Finish the ragù

  1. Lift out the meat and shred it. Discard the bay leaves.
  2. Simmer the sauce until slightly thickened, stir through the passata, then return the meat. Season with salt, pepper and the fresh sage. It should bind together rather than be runny.

To serve

  1. Mix all the gremolata ingredients and season.
  2. Cook the paccheri until just al dente, then toss with the ragù and a splash of pasta water.
  3. Serve topped with gremolata and grated cheese.

Chef’s notes

  • Like every ragù, this is better the next day. Make it ahead and reheat gently.
  • No wild boar? Pork shoulder or beef cheeks work with the same method.

Questions about this recipe

Where can I buy wild boar in Melbourne?

Specialist game butchers and some providores at the Queen Victoria and South Melbourne markets stock wild boar, often frozen. Ask your butcher to order shoulder in.

What pasta goes with wild boar ragù?

Wide tubes like paccheri, or flat ribbons like pappardelle, hold chunky shredded ragù best.

You might also cook