Search locations or food
OR
Already have an account? Log in
OR
Authentic Pappardelle al cinghiale Recipe
Tuscany, Italy
JUMP TO RECIPE
We strongly advise you to read the cooking tips before jumping to the recipe though
Introduction & history
Pappardelle al cinghiale, a classic Italian primo piatto from the Tuscany region, features wide, flat pasta - pappardelle - served with a hearty wild boar (cinghiale) ragù. Preparing this dish involves marinating wild boar meat in red wine, garlic, carrots, onions, and celery for at least 12 hours or more. This process tenderizes the meat, removes the strong smell and flavor, and infuses it with flavors. After marinating, the meat is finely chopped and browned in a pan with chopped carrot, celery, and onion. It's then simmered with tomato puree, additional red wine, herbs, salt, and pepper for several hours to create a thick, savory sauce. The pappardelle pasta, known for its broad, flat shape, is perfectly suited for holding onto this robust sauce. Upon serving, the pasta and the rich boar sauce are often garnished with Parmesan cheese and fresh herbs, although some do not consider this traditional. In Umbria, the "bianco" (lit. white) version reigns supreme, which ... Read more
Cooking tips
-
marination
Marinating has one more important role besides infusing the dish with flavor — it removes the strong smell and taste of gamey meat that some might find unpleasant. Because of that, the wine and the vegetables and spices used for the marinade should not be used anymore but thrown away. Also, the marination should last at least 12 hours, but 24 hours is ideal. Make sure to keep the marinade and the ... Read more -
method
The ragù should be simmered for long, about 3 hours, so the meat has time to cook down to a fall-apart tender texture. Also, removing the lid from the pot during the last half an hour of cooking is often suggested so the ragù dries and achieves the right consistency. -
wine
Most recipes suggest the use of young local red wine, most notably Chianti, but also Morellino di Scansano and Montecucco rosso. However, you will find recipes that call for white wine. The wine for the marinade should be thrown away once the meat is marinated, and fresh wine should be added to prepare ragù. -
wild boar
The meat should be fresh, with fat removed, and cut into big chunks for the marinade. Once out of the marinade, the meat should be patted dry and cut into small pieces. -
spices
Pappardelle al cinghiale is a dish chock full of spices, which both flavor the ragù and mask the strong flavor of wild boar. Some of the spices typical for this ragù are bay leaves, juniper berries, rosemary, sage, parsley, and cloves. -
serving
Typically, pappardelle al cinghiale doesn't need anything else, but often, the pasta is topped with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano before serving.
Pappardelle al cinghiale
PREP 45min
COOK 3h 15min
marination 12h
READY IN 16h
The following is the classic pappardelle al cinghiale recipe, typical of Tuscany. It features a wild boar marinated in red wine, root vegetables, and spices, simmered in a tomato-based sauce with vegetables and more wine, creating a rich ragù. The ragù is traditionally served with pappardelle pasta and can be topped with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
Ingredients
500 ml (2 cups + 2 tbsp) red wine, preferably Chianti
1 carrot
1 onion
1 celery rib
3 bay leaves
1 sprig of rosemary
1 sprig of parsley
cloves
juniper berries
500g (1.1 lbs) wild boar
FOR THE RAGU
wild boar, from the marinade
1 carrot
1 onion
1 celery rib
240 ml (1 cup) red wine, preferably Chianti
400g (14 oz) tomato puree
extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper, to taste
FOR SERVING
500g (1.1 lbs) pappardelle
Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated, if desired
Preparation
Step 1/8
Begin by cutting the wild boar meat into chunks and placing them in a pan.
Step 2/8
Add red wine, garlic, a carrot, an onion, and a stick of celery. After adding these ingredients, cover the pan with plastic wrap and let it marinate in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours.
Step 3/8
After the marination period, check the meat and its marinade. Drain the marinade well and proceed to cut the meat into smaller pieces.
Step 4/8
Next, finely chop celery, carrot, and onion. Place these in a pan and sauté them with some extra virgin olive oil.
Step 5/8
Moving on to the main part of the recipe, take the marinated wild boar meat, chop it further if needed, and then brown it in a pan over high heat until it gains a uniform color. After browning, pour in a glass of red wine, preferably Chianti.
Step 6/8
Now, it's time to add the tomato puree along with salt and pepper. Stir the mixture with a ladle, cover the pan with a lid, and let it simmer on low heat for about 3 hours.
Step 7/8
Finally, cook the pappardelle pasta in a large pot of boiling water. Once the pasta is cooked, drain it.
Step 8/8
Combine the pasta with the prepared wild boar sauce. If desired, top with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Other authentic recipes
Rating And Comments
Rate It
Wanna try?
Add To List