Wild… comfort food!

Wild Boar Bolognese.

I’ve wanted to write this blog post for a long time. Cooking during the chilly fall and cold winter for family and friends provides the opportunity and perfect time to cook long braises, roasts and fresh breads. The combination of all keeps the ovens and stoves running for hours, filling the kitchen with aromas of delicious food cooking.

I love to experiment with ingredients and unconditional new twists to traditional recipes.

One of my favorite comfort foods is bolognese…an Italian slow cooked vegetable meat sauce with wine, vegetables, tomatoes and braised meat. In France you would find a similar sauce as a ragout.

For my culinary twist, I roasted a delicious shoulder roast from a Wild Boar, procured from one of my favorite sustainable farms…Broken Arrow Ranch in Texas (more about the farm below).

Most of the boar that populate the US are a crossbreed of imported European wild boar and “escaped” feral wild hogs.

Texas has the largest population of wild boar, estimated at over two million. Wild boar are prolific in Texas and roam freely throughout the state. In fact, their habit of destroying fences and crops has contributed to their USDA classification as an invasive species. To harvest these wild boar Broken Arrow Ranch employs the services of several trappers who catch the boar in large walk-in trap pens on area ranches and bring them live to a USDA inspected slaughter facility. These are truly wild and are not farm raised.

Man has always been challenged by hunting large wild boar. Equipped with razor sharp tusks that self-sharpen on 3 sides and a nasty disposition, the wild boar will fight to the death when cornered.

They are capable of out-running most of the predators who might threaten them. Their intelligence and fighting skills make them a formidable quarry.

Wild boar have been known to kill other mammals such as deer and antelope. The bulk of their diet, however, consists of roots, nuts, berries, fallen fruit, mushrooms, and juicy herbs they encounter as they roam their territory. Because wild boar can subsist on a widely varying diet, the flavor of the meat can vary considerably from one animal to another.

Cuisines of almost every origin include traditional methods of preparing wild boar meat. With the availability of a truly wild meat slaughtered under full USDA inspection, it is not surprising that wild boar is becoming popular.

While a delicious entree, our bolognese can be prepared as a side dish, a appetizer with farfalle pasta or a sauce for lasagna or other dishes.

We served our Wild Boar Bolognese with Fafile pasta as a passed appetizer at a recent event to the delight of the guests.

Want to find out more, email us for ideas.

We encourage you to check out Broken Arrow Ranch in Texas…. a family owned farm and company. Chris and Maeve Hughes are the second generation of “purity protectors” for Broken Arrow Ranch. Their mission has always been to create a process that honors animals, improves the health of the land, and promotes a sustainable economy around wild game. Purity of the product is as essential as the experience for every chef, foody and diet-restricted individual who orders even a pound from Broken Arrow Ranch. Pure to table, in every way possible.

They provide some amazing meats and will ship to home Chefs and well as established restaurants and Caterers like Whitestar!

Chef Ron Hopkins