WILD BOAR DAUBE FEAST (PART THREE)

In the words of George Clinton and The Parliament Funkadelic (and later M. C. Hammer), it’s time to “turn this mutha out.” If you’re still wondering why on earth you should try wild boar much less cook it, just google “wild boar feral pig swine problem” and you’ll see what a menace they are. The meat doesn’t taste gamey or like chicken. It’s more like beef than pork. So if they need to be controlled and you’re not vegan, why not dig in? Dartagnan.com, where I bought mine (frozen) has nine different forms to choose from. Not all need to be marinated.

Okay, you’ve procured the wild boar stew meat (PART ONE). You’ve marinated it for 12 hours (PART TWO). Stews are generally better the second day, though this won’t be bad nor will the Daube Police come after you if you serve it the first night. IDEALLY…Day 1: marinate. Day 2: slow cook then refrigerate. Day 3: slow cook some more and serve. You can also add another day to marinate if you like.

This recipe will feed 12-14 people if no one asks for seconds. I used about 6 pounds of wild boar stew meat in a 5-quart Dutch oven. If you want to be authentic use a daubière, but a Dutch oven is perfectly fine. FYI: “Jean-Luc” refers to the gourmet novelist in Opposites Attack (whose fussiness in the kitchen is just another way to not have time to write). “Alyce” is the cut-corners, practical American. You decide how precise you want to be.

Be sure you also have:

A large skillet and a not-so-large skillet

Extra virgin olive oil (preferably French – I used A l’Olivier purchased on the Internet). Have at least 1/2 cup to work with.

3-4 ounces of dried porcini mushrooms, and boiling water to reconstitute them

Dried or fresh cremini and oyster mushrooms. For Alyce, any kind would do, though the beech mushrooms I picked up at an international market had no taste at all and I didn’t use them. I went through four .88 oz.packages of dried porcinis and three 4 oz. “gourmet blend” ones I found at my local supermarket (portabella, shitake, oyster). The non-porcini shrooms are used the SECOND DAY so keep them refrigerated for now. Alyce, however, would just throw them in with the porcinis and be done with it.

Salt and fresh ground pepper

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 red onions or lots of shallots (hard to say how many since their size varies), cut into small slices

4 carrots peeled and sliced

Fatback and/or bacon (get the smallest package)

1 head of garlic, separated into cloves and peeled

Some kind of dried fruit. I used currants since that’s what I had on hand. You could use dried apricots or figs that have been cut up, or raisins.

One recipe I consulted said to use 60ml (about 2 ounces) of brandy for 3 lbs. of boar and light it with a long match while browning the meat. I didn’t have brandy nor a long match and wasn’t keen on lighting anything. I used Gentleman Jack (Daniels whiskey), no flame, worked fine and smelled divine.

Bouquet garni and/or spice bundle (see below or PART TWO). Where do you find juniper berries? I found them at my local Lowe’s Foods, a supermarket chain. Look at all the designer spices you can buy now. This Dion display has three other sides to it like this one.

A few tablespoons of white wine vinegar (Don’t have any? Alyce would use any vinegar that was white, not red – unless it’s the fall or winter)

Parchment paper

Let’s turn up the heat and the aromas…

First, pour the marinated meat into a colander that’s been placed over a large bowl. RESERVE MARINADE. Remove orange peels and onions. If you’re a “Jean-Luc” you’ve made a spice bundle and a bouquet garni for the marinade (PART TWO). Squeeze the bundle over the meat and discard, reserving the garni. If you’re an “Alyce” you threw all of the ingredients into one spice bundle. Squeeze the bundle over the meat, discard it and make another. (Or make two bundles the day before.) I suppose you could re-use this one but that’s really cutting corners.

All-in-one spice bundle: parsley, thyme, bay leaves, 1-1/4 tablespoon of culinary lavender, 20 peppercorns, 20 juniper berries crushed with your fingers. You can also grind the peppercorns and juniper berries.

Bouquet garni: First three ingredients above tied with twine.

Boil water and in a separate bowl, pour over porcini mushrooms. Let stand. Use as much water as the directions on the package say. These will have a strong odor and I freaked out thinking they would overpower the dish. Once they were cooked they took on a wonderful rich, nutty flavor.

Coat the bottom of the large skillet with olive oil. Using a medium heat, place as many pieces of meat in the skillet that will fit. Sprinkle flour over them. Turn every so often to make sure they’re browned on all sides and add a little salt and pepper. Don’t overdo the salt. You don’t want the meat to cook all the way through, just brown the pieces. This is a key step to make any meat tender and juicy (the browning and the flour). Jean-Luc would pour some flour into a plastic bag, place the meat in it and then shake to coat them evenly with the flour. Alyce just sprinkles it right on every time she turns the meat the first time. If you want to pour in brandy and light it with a long match be my guest.

While you’re doing that, drain the porcinis and RESERVE LIQUID. In your other skillet, use olive oil, medium heat and throw in some peeled garlic and sliced shallots, if you like, along with the porcinis. Do a little salt and pepper grinding. Little.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees (121 celsius). Yes, you want it this low.

Set the meat aside and throw the carrots and onions in the skillet with a little more olive oil. Because I was making so much, I did the meat by itself then sautéd the onions and carrots (and the porcinis) separately. If making a smaller amount, Alyce would throw it all in at once to save time. Put the rest of the peeled garlic cloves in, too.

Once the porcinis are done and cooled a bit, coarsely chop them. Alyce wouldn’t bother.

Open the package of fatback or bacon and line the bottom of the Dutch oven with a few slices. I mixed bacon and fatback. Start filling the Dutch oven by layering the meat, the carrots and onions, and porcinis in thirds adding two more slices of bacon/fatback with each layer and a little fresh ground pepper. Don’t overdo the fatback/bacon or you’ll get the TOO MUCH SALT syndrome which is like TOO MUCH INFORMATION. Once you cross that line, you’ve gone too far and can’t go back. People can always add salt at the table if they want more. The same is true with the garlic. If you have garlic lover guests, add the garlic cloves with each layer. If you’re not sure, leave them out or just use a few. Since they’re whole you can always pick them out before serving. Add the dried fruit with each layer. How much? Up to you. If you have some leftover juniper berries, crush/grind them and toss them in but not too many. Tuck your spice bundle and/or bouquet garni in the middle separated from each other as much as possible.

This is the fatback in the 4-quart Dutch oven used on Night 2.

Back to your large skillet. Add a mixture of the leftover marinade and the porcini juice. Don’t use the funky stuff at the bottom of the porcini bowl. I was afraid the porcini liquid was too strong and used about half of it and poured in some more Viognier wine until everything smelled just right. Simmer about five minutes then ladle over the contents in the Dutch oven. Also add a few tablespoons of olive oil and white wine vinegar. If you don’t have enough liquid to reach the top, just pour in a bit more whisky, wine or water. Works for me.

Layer two strips of bacon over the top. Put a layer of parchment paper over that. This helps keep the moisture in. The Daube Police will not haul you away if you don’t use it. Put the top on the Dutch oven and place all this goodness in the heated oven and cook for 2-1/2 hours.