Serves: 4
Preparation time: 2 days marinating, 3-4 hours cooking.
Daube de Sanglier à la Provençale, is a traditional autumn and winter dish in France. As a big city kid preparing and eating wild boar sounded initially very intimidating to me. But here in France it is quite common. The sanglier (wild boar) roams the countryside, especially the less inhabited areas in the center of France, the Massif Central. But we have plenty of them in the Provence, primarily in the départements Vaucluse, Var and Alpes de Haute-Provence. The hunting season starts in mid-autumn and is strictly regulated - as most things in France. The wild boar is much prized for its meat and 10’s of thousands are killed each year by hunters. There are only certain days during the week when hunting is allowed. Hiking in the woods in not advised then. It’s the time when the "boys" get together and shoot things up, including phone lines, once in a while. It is like in the countryside in the Northeastern U.S - same time, same habits.
In France you might also come across something called Sanglochon. This is a hybrid between the Sanglier and Cochon (pig). They were originally bred in the Ardennes of Belgium and France in the early 19th century. But as this was not a commercial success, many were released by farmers into the wild. In certain areas they are considered a pest by farmers.
I get my own supply of wild boar directly from friends in Richerenches in the Enclave des Papes. But you can buy wild boar in fine food stores in most major cities in Europe and North America or by mail order. Wild boar meat must be fully cooked before you can eat it. It is very low in fat, so it can dry out easily when fully cooked. But once you learn to deal with the demands of wild boar meat, it is as easy to prepare as any other meat. You will enjoy the tender and lean meat with its wonderful flavor. In the Provence we tend to marinate wild boar meat for at least 2 days before cooking it. This adds additional flavor and softens up the meat.
Ingredients:
- 5 lbs (2 1/2 kg) wild boar shoulder, cut into 2 inch (5 cm) cubes
- 1/2 lbs (250 gr) bacon, cut into 1/2 inch (1 cm) cubes
- 2 onions, diced
- 4 medium carrots, cut in 2-3 inch (5-7 cm) batonnets (sticks)
- 3 celery sticks, cut into dices
- 1/2 teasp. savory
- 1/2 teasp. dried thyme or a fresh thyme twig
- 1 bay leaf
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 cups (1 liter) red wine
- 4 tbsp. cognac
- extra virgin olive oil
- 12 oil cured black olives (optional)
Preparation:
A few days ahead we place the boar cubes in a marinade. To prepare the marinade pour red wine in a cooking pot and add the savory, thyme, onions, carrots, celery, salt and pepper. Bring it to a quick boil. Reduce heat to let it simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes. Remove pot and let it cool down. Put the cold marinade in a bowl and add the wild boar cubes. Cover the bowl with a plastic film and let the meat marinade for at least 2 days in the fridge.
Before you make the dish, bring the wild boar in its marinade to room temperature. Lift the wild boar from the marinade and pat it dry. Make sure you dry the meat well with a paper towel and remove any vegetable or spice remnants. Otherwise the meat will not brown. Set the marinade with vegetables and spices aside, we will use it later.
Heat olive oil and the diced bacon in a casserole. When bacon is crisp remove it and set aside. Add the wild boar meat to the casserole and sauté it until the meat is nicely brown all over. Add the bacon and the marinade with the vegetables and spices. Bring it to a rapid boil and skim the top with a spoon to remove any impurities. Reduce to low heat and let it cook for 3 to 4 hours or until the boar cubes are tender. It depends what type of wild boar you get, the older the longer the cooking time. Make sure not to overcook, you don’t want the meat to dry out.
Before serving remove the bay leaf, check the seasoning and add the black olives (optional). In the Provence we like to serve wild boar ragout with pasta, such as gnocchi or pappardelle. Heritage of our many Italian immigrants in the 19th century. The rest of France prefers to serve this dish with boiled potatoes.
