David , wild thing that he is, said
"Hey,I love prunes.. let's do a
Prune Thursday" .
I adore Prunes, which can be a problem or a good thing.
I started dreaming about what I could make, but then decided that for his blog event, I should stick to something Tuscan.
When I teach my
classes here in Florence we don't have time in a one day class to do long recipes like this, so when I am off, I like to cook the Slow Food recipes
Slowly!
So for this recipe, I used the wild boar, which I can buy right here at the market and marinated it, then broke out my clay pot from Colle Val'D'elsa and watched a good movie as the stew slow cooked. The house smelled fabulous, my hubby was happy and so was I. Thank you David!
When I first started shopping the Central Market here in Florence, my wild boar butcher would have whole wild boars, fur and all!!!
Now things have tamed down some and the only fur is on the tiny stuffed wild boar he keeps in the counter!
So let me share some of my happiness. This is an ancient recipe from Florence for
Cinghiale in Dolce Forte, which is a wild boar stew, with prunes, and chocolate.. Incredible! Sort of a Tuscan Mole.
I have made this with pork shoulder too and it comes out great.
Traditionally this is made with wild game, either hare or boar.
The marinade takes out the gaminess, and the chocolate and prunes give an incredible richeness and silkiness to the stew.
Enjoy!
I wanted to get my photo up and give those reading my blog a heads up if they also want to partipate!
Cinghiale in Dolce Forte .
Marinade:
2 cups red wine
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh thyme
I tbs pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice)
1 carrot, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 celery stock, chopped
3 pounds wild boar, venison, or pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch cubes
4 tbs butter or olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
I tbs pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice)
1 tsp chili pepper or more to taste
Salt, to taste
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 tbs pine nuts
3 ounces dried prunes, cut in half
Grated zest of one orange or candied orange rind
1 tbs raisins
If using wild game, the meat should definitely be marinated.
With other meats, this step is optional but recommended.
Bring the marinade to a boil and let cool.
Cover the meat and let it sit in the marinade for 48 hours.
Remove the meat from the marinade.
Strain the marinade.
Sauté the onion in butter or olive oil until golden. add the vegetables from the marinade and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the meat and brown lightly, add the strained marinade liquid. Spices, salt and cook until the meat is tender, stirring occasionally. Add water if needed.
When the meat is tender add the prunes, chocolate, orange zest or candied rind, pinenuts.
Taste and adjust seasonings.
Serve with creamy polenta or on a thick slice of toasted country style bread.
