Gnocchi with Wild Boar Ragu

Chef Don Winkie opened his Plum Borough restaurant 80 Acres in 2014. He’s been cooking up a storm ever since, bringing a palette influenced by his years in Santa Fe and his time working at local italian bistro.

What is Wild Boar?

Chef Don knows his way around chile, spices, and the Italian classics. This gnocchi dish brings together the flavors of poblano, chipotle as well as ‘cingiale’ or wild boar, a classic northern Italian specialty.

Cinghiale are wild free roaming pigs, and cooking their delicious meat is easier than you might think. Think of it much like a pork shoulder: with the right spices and slow cooking, you cannot go wrong. In fact, if you’re unable to locate wild boar from your local purveyor or market, pork will make a fine stand in.

What does Wild Boar taste like?

Wild boar has a pork like consistency, but its darker color and strong, nutty rich flavor separate it from its farmed counterpart. In Chef Don Winkie’s kitchen at 80 Acres, these differences become the basis for a truly remarkable ragú to serve with light as well as savory gnocchi.

Gnocchi with Wild Boar Ragu

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• Author: Chef Don Winkie

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Description

Upgrade your weeknight pasta dish.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 3 lbs boneless boar shoulder (substitution suggestion: boneless pork shoulder)
• 3 large, dried ancho chilies
• 2 poblano, seeded and chopped
• 2 chipotles (from can of chipotles in adobo)
• ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 ¼ cup red wine
• ½ cup orange juice
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 3 medium yellow onions, sliced
• 1 cup golden raisins

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Instructions

1. Place dried chilis in sauce pan, cover with water, bring to boil, remove from heat, and let stand for 30 minutes.
2. Drain water from chilis. Combine softened chilis, poblano peppers, chipotles, cilantro, red wine, orange juice, vinegar, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, and salt in a food processor or blender. Purée until smooth.
3. Place ½ of the onions and ½ of the golden raisins in the bottom of a 4 quart Dutch oven. Position the boar on top of the bed of onions and raisins. Season the boar with salt and pepper. Place remaining onions and raisins on top of the boar. Pour puree over the boar. Cover the pot and roast at 350’ until boar is tender.
4. Remove the boar from the pan and allow to cool slightly.
5. Shred the meat with a fork.
6. Pour the braising liquid into a food processor. Puree until smooth.
7. Combine the puree and the boar.
8. Serve atop fresh ricotta gnocchi or pasta of your choice.

Recipe by Chef Don Winkie
Story by Justin Matase
Styling by Keith Recker
Photography by Dave Bryce
Videography by Dana Custer and Ariella Furman

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