Recipe of the month May 2019

Italian Papardelle Al Cingiale’ Recipe

CV Villas’ recipe of the month for May comes from Piero Capriotti, the resident pasta chef at Enoteca Tognoni, a restaurant located within the medieval hamlet of Bolgheri in Italy renowned for its Super Tuscan wines. 

Piero is a devoted foodie and when he’s not working you’re likely to find him in the forests of San Miniato with his truffle hunting dog ‘Nera’ searching for black truffle to create his delicious ‘Tagloilini al tartufo’, or in the meadows near his home of Cecina, looking for wild asparagus to create an amazing ‘Risotto agli Asparagi’. During the winter in Italy, Piero takes an annual 2 month sabbatical when he flies to Philadelphia to hone his culinary skills working at a popular restaurant called Fork.

In Italy, pasta is served as a first course. Ask Piero about his ‘Primi’, as they are known, and he will tell you that the king of the pasta jungle in Tuscany is the ‘Papardelle al Cingiale’ (Pasta with wild boar ragu). See below for his recipe, which can easily be substituted with pork mince if you struggle to find boar in your local Waitrose!

Papardelle al Cingiale’ Recipe

• 125g of papardelle pasta (per person)
• 300g boar
• 300g ground pork
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 sprig of rosemary
• 4 sage leaves
• 1 carrot
• 1 bunch of parsley
• 1 stick of celery
• 1 onion
• 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 red pepper
• 1 glass of red wine
• salt
• 3 tablespoons of tomato paste.
• White Vinegar

1. The day before cooking, soak the wild boar in a saucepan filled half with water and half white vinegar. Leave to soak for 12 hours before rinsing. 
2. The day of cooking prepare a mixture of garlic, rosemary, sage, carrot, parsley, celery and onion and fry in a pan with oil. 
3. Combine the ground pork and wild boar, red pepper and salt. 
4. Fry everything, then add the red wine and simmer for half an hour.
5. Dilute with half a cup of hot water. Cover with the lid and cook for a further 40 minutes, adding more water if necessary.
6. Meanwhile, heat a large pot of salted water to boil, and then cook the pappardelle to al dente. 
7. Serve the pasta, dressing thoroughly with the sauce.

To accompany the dish, Piero suggests serving with Bolgheri Superiore Greppicaia 2016, a full-bodied Super Tuscan red wine.

Piero is available as a guest cook on Mondays and Tuesdays at a range of villas including Bolgheri Beach House, La Sassicaia, Casa della Loggia and Casa Isola.

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