Pappardelle Al Cinghiale Recipe

Soak and prepare mushrooms

Place dried porcini in a small bowl and cover with 240 ml hot water. Let soak 20–30 minutes. When softened, remove mushrooms, squeeze out excess liquid and finely chop. Reserve the soaking liquid, skim any grit, and set aside.

Season and brown meat

Pat wild boar pieces dry and season lightly with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches to avoid crowding, brown the boar cubes until deeply browned on all sides (3–4 minutes per batch). Transfer browned meat to a bowl and set aside.

Render pancetta and sweat aromatics

Lower heat to medium. Add remaining 1 tbsp olive oil to the same pot. Add diced pancetta and cook until fat renders and pieces are golden, about 3–4 minutes. Add chopped onion, carrot, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to caramelize, about 8–10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and chopped rehydrated porcini and cook 1 minute until fragrant.

Deglaze with wine

Increase heat to medium-high, add the red wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape any brown bits from the pot. Allow wine to reduce by about two-thirds, 4–6 minutes.

Build the sauce

Stir in tomato paste and cook 1–2 minutes to darken. Add crushed plum tomatoes, reserved mushroom soaking liquid (pour slowly and stop if you see grit at the bottom), and beef or game stock. Return browned wild boar to the pot. Add bay leaves, rosemary, and thyme. Bring to a gentle simmer.

Long, slow braise

Reduce heat to low so the sauce barely simmers. Cover partially with the lid slightly ajar and braise until the meat is fork-tender and the sauce is thickened, about 2.5–3 hours. Stir every 20–30 minutes; if the sauce reduces too much, add a splash of stock or water. Taste and adjust seasoning during the last 30 minutes.

Finish the ragù

When meat is tender, remove bay leaves. Using a fork or two, break larger pieces of boar into bite-sized shreds, leaving some texture. Stir in milk or cream to round out acidity and enrich the sauce; simmer 5 more minutes. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm until ready to toss with pasta.

Cook the pappardelle

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil. Add pappardelle and cook until al dente — fresh will take 2–4 minutes, dried 8–10 minutes. Reserve at least 250 ml pasta cooking water before draining.

Combine pasta and ragù

Add drained pappardelle to the pot with a few ladlefuls of hot ragù and 100–150 ml of reserved pasta water. Alternatively, transfer ragù to a large sauté pan set over medium heat and add the pasta. Toss gently to coat, adding additional pasta water as needed to meld sauce and pasta into a glossy emulsion (about 1–3 minutes). If sauce seems too acidic, stir in the final 60 ml milk/cream or a knob of butter.

Finish and serve

Remove from heat. Sprinkle in about two-thirds of the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, stir gently to combine. Drizzle 1 tsp olive oil and fold in chopped parsley. Plate the pappardelle, top with additional ragù as desired, finish with remaining Parmigiano and a few grinds of black pepper. Serve immediately.