One of the things that I love about Germany (or I guess lots of places other than Boston), is that you have better access to wild game in restaurants. I love boar and venison (and bear, and elk, and moose, though you can get out west in the Rockies and such). And when I was just in Munich last week, I had a great Wild Boar Goulash. This is my version of that and it is really really good. Time consuming, as most stews are, but that was just an excuse to smell it all afternoon.
Ingredients
3-4 pounds boar roast, trimmed and cut to 2 inch cubes
2 cups crimini mushrooms, whole (if small) or halved
10-12 mini-shallots or small boiling onions, whole with outer skin removed
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, small dice
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons tomato paste
3 cups red wine
3 cups low sodium beef stock
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon herbs de Provence
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon corn starch, mixed with 3 tablespoons cold water for slurry
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 cup frozen peas
Directions
Preheat oven to 325F.
In a large dutch oven over medium, add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and heat to a shimmer. Once hot, add the onions and sauté until softened, about 8-10 minutes. Add the cimini mushrooms and sauté until they are tender; set aside (you won’t need these for a while). Add the garlic and continue to sauté until just fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove to a prep bowl and replace pan on the burner. Add remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and heat again until shimmering. Add the meat and brown (you may have to do this in batches as not to crowd the pan — you want the meat to sear, not steam). Season with salt, pepper, herbs de Provence and paprika. Once the meat is cooked, deglaze the pan with the red wine, scraping the bottom of the pan for all the fond.
Return meat and onion-mushroom mixture to the pan and add beef stock and tomato paste. Bring mixture to a low simmer and cover, a move to the oven. Let cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the meat to the bowl with the mushrooms and onions. Pour the gravy through a fat separator and let cool for about 5 minutes, letting the grease separate. Wipe out the dutch oven (no need to clean it completely) before returning the sauce, as well as the meat onions and mushrooms. Bring back to a simmer. Add the corn starch slurry and bring to a rolling boil for just 30 seconds to thicken. Remove from the heat and add in the cream. Finally, stir in the peas.
Serve with potatoes or spätzle.
