Ingredients
- 5 pounds wild boar stew meat (shoulder)
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cups medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 large cloves garlic, minced
- 8 links wild boar sausage, each cut into 4 pieces
- 8 ounces wild boar bacon, diced
- 1 cup red wine
- 15 ounces veal demi-glace
- 1/2 cup tomato paste
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon thyme leaves, or 1/4 teaspoon dry
- 1 pound mixed fresh mushrooms
- Salt
- Pepper
- Most ingredients can be found at http://www.dartagnan.com/
Preparation
Step 1
1) Season the meat by tossing it in a large bowl with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large heavy skillet and brown the wild boar stew meat in batches over high heat. Add olive oil as needed with each batch. Set the cooked meat in a colander set over a bowl to reserve the juices.
2) In a large Dutch oven or ovenproof casserole, cook the wild boar sausage and diced wild boar bacon until browned, then add the onion and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the onion is also browned, about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat if the onion begins to burn. Add the garlic and sauté for 2 minutes more.
3) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Add the wine and demi-glace and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Add the tomato paste, wild boar stew meat and bay leaves. Skim the fat from the reserved meat drippings and add the drippings to the stew; mix well and reduce to a simmer immediately. If the liquid does not cover the meat, add water as needed. Return to a simmer. Cover the pot and cook in the preheated oven for 2 to 3 hours. Check occasionally as it cooks and skim off any fat from the surface.
4) One-half hour before removing the stew from the oven, prepare the mushrooms. Separate the mushroom caps from the stems by cutting off the root base. Cut the larger mushrooms in quarters. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet, add mushrooms and the salt and pepper to taste and sauté over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, until the mushrooms are just soft and slightly browned on the edges. Stir half of the mushrooms into the stew and reserve the other half for garnish.
5) Remove the casserole from the oven and serve immediately, or let the casserole stand, covered, and reheat before serving. To plate, place a garnish of the reserved sautéed mushrooms atop each portion of stew. Note: This stew will keep in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days.