HAIRY BIKERS RECIPE:- 24/09/2015 10:10 Page 1
THE HAIRY BIKERS’ MEAT FEAST ...
WILD BOAR RAGÙ
Wild boar used to be common in this
country, but they were hunted so much
that they were wiped out. Now the meat
is popular again and British farmers are
raising boar. They’re woodland creatures
so we’ve used ingredients such as
juniper berries and herbs that they
might snuffle up in the woods to flavour
this rich meat sauce. The secret to
success with this sauce is to cook it long
and slow, until the meat is falling apart.
SERVES 6
700g boneless wild boar shoulder
4–5 tbsp vegetable oil
4 rashers smoked streaky bacon or
pancetta, cut into 1cm slices
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
75g pitted black olives, rinsed and
drained
2 tsp juniper berries, lightly crushed in a
pestle and mortar
500ml red wine
400g can chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato puree
500ml beef stock
2 large bay leaves
3 bushy sprigs of thyme
1 rosemary stalk, about 12cm long,
leaves finely chopped
2 tsp caster sugar
Freshly cooked pappardelle pasta, to
serve
Shavings of Parmesan cheese, to serve
Flaked sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Cut the boar into chunky pieces, each
about 2.5cm. Trim off any really hard fat
or sinew as you go – this is important, as
boar sinew is very tough. Season the
meat well with salt and pepper. Heat 2
tablespoons of the oil in a large frying
pan.
Fry the chunks of boar over a mediumhigh heat until nicely browned on all
sides, turning them every now and then.
Do this in a couple of batches so you
don’t overcrowd the pan, adding more
oil if necessary. As the meat is browned,
transfer it to a large flameproof casserole
dish or a large saucepan.
Add a little more oil to the pan in which
you browned the boar and fry the bacon
for 2–3 minutes, or until the fat crisps
and browns, then scatter it over the
meat. Add a touch more oil and fry the
chopped onion over a low heat for 5
minutes, stirring often.
Stir the garlic, olives and crushed juniper
berries into the pan and cook for 2
minutes more, stirring. Add them to the
meat in the casserole dish, then pour in
the wine.
Stir in the tomatoes, tomato puree and
beef stock. Add all the herbs and the
sugar and bring the mixture to a simmer.
Stir well and cover the casserole loosely
with a lid, then turn the heat down low
and leave the ragù to simmer very
gently for 2½ hours, or until the meat is
completely tender and falling apart.
Remove the lid every now and then and
stir. If the liquid reduces too much, add a
little extra water. The sauce should be
fairly thick at the end of the cooking
time, but not at all dry. Remove the
thyme and rosemary stalks and bay
leaves, then season to taste with salt and
pepper.
Serve with freshly cooked pappardelle
pasta and Parmesan shavings. Any
leftover sauce makes great ravioli or
arancini.
THE HAIRY BIKERS’ MEAT FEASTS
by Si King & Dave Myers
was published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson
and is now available in hardback at
£22, eBook: £12.99
Photography Andrew Hayes-Watkins’