Downtown Kitchen: Wild Boar Bolognese over Tagliatelle

(serves 6-8)

Ingredients

2 pounds ground wild boar (or ground pork)
1 medium Vidalia onion, diced medium
1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
cup red wine
2 large cans crushed, fire-roasted tomatoes
3 cups chicken stock
cup heavy cream
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon cinnamon
teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon each salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 ounces fresh tagliatelle pasta per person (or fettuccini)
Parmesan cheese for garnish

Procedure

1.In a large sauce pot, heat your olive oil, and add your ground meat.
2.Cook the meat until there is no pink left.
3.Remove the meat, strain, and reserve half the fat.
4.Add the vegetables, except the canned tomatoes, and the spices to the reserved fat, and cook until they start to caramelize.
5.Deglaze the vegetables with red wine, and reduce by half.
6.Add chicken stock and crushed tomatoes to the vegetable mix, and bring to a simmer, then add the cream.
7.Add meat, and reduce on low-medium heat for about twenty minutes or until consistency has thickened.
8.Cook pasta in boiling water, then strain, and plate.
9.Ladle a generous amount of the meat sauce over the pasta, and garnish with parmesan cheese.
10.Serve with a bold Italian red wine.