Civet de Senglar de la Conca de Barberà

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Nonreactive covered container large enough for the marinade
• •Heavy lidded casserole or Dutch oven, 6-7 litres
• •Wide frying pan, 28-30cm
• •Mortar and pestle
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Marinate the boar

   Put the boar in a close-fitting nonreactive container with the wine, onions, carrots, leek, six crushed garlic cloves, bay, thyme, rosemary, cinnamon, and peppercorns. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours, turning the meat once after 12 hours so every piece spends time beneath the wine. Keep it at or below 4°C.

   Use inspected farmed boar or hunter-harvested meat tested for Trichinella. Freezing alone is not a reliable safeguard for wild boar.
2. 2

   Drain and boil

   Set a colander over a bowl and drain the marinade. Reserve the vegetables and wine separately. Discard the bay, herb stems, and cinnamon. Pat the meat thoroughly dry. Pour the wine into a saucepan, bring it to a full boil for 5 minutes, and skim away the grey foam. Keep it ready for the braise.

3. 3

   Brown the meat

   Heat 60ml of the olive oil in a 6-7 litre heavy casserole over medium-high heat. Season the boar with 14g salt and all the ground pepper. Brown it in four uncrowded batches, giving each broad side 3-4 minutes to take on a dark crust. Transfer each batch to a tray. Pale, crowded meat releases water, and the sauce loses depth before it has even begun.

4. 4

   Build the sofregit

   Lower the heat to medium and add the drained marinade vegetables to the same casserole. Cook for about 12 minutes, stirring, until their water has evaporated. Turn the heat low and continue for 18-20 minutes, until the onion is dark gold and soft. Add the crushed tomato and cook for another 12-15 minutes, until it is dense, sweet-smelling, and the oil shows around its edges. This is the sofregit, the slow vegetable base. Rush it and the wine stays sharp.

5. 5

   Braise until tender

   Heat the oven to 150°C. Pour the brandy into the sofregit and scrape up every browned bit, then let it bubble for 1 minute. Return the boar and its collected juices. Add the boiled marinade and 350ml stock; the liquid should reach about three-quarters of the way up the meat. Bring it just to a simmer, cover, and braise in the oven for 2 hours 15 minutes. Turn the pieces once, then cook for another 30-60 minutes, until a fork twists easily in the meat and its centre has passed 71°C. Add a little of the reserved stock only if the pot looks dry.

6. 6

   Make the picada

   While the boar cooks, heat 10ml olive oil in a small frying pan and toast the bread until crisp and deep gold. Pound it in a mortar with the almonds, hazelnuts, two peeled garlic cloves, parsley, and chocolate until you have a coarse paste. Loosen it with about 100ml liquid taken from the casserole. This picada gives the sauce body without turning it heavy.

7. 7

   Add the forest

   Heat the remaining 30ml olive oil in a wide frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for 8-10 minutes, turning only after they have browned, until their released liquid has evaporated. Season them with 3g salt. When the boar is tender, set the casserole over low heat and add the mushrooms, chestnuts, and picada. Simmer uncovered for 20-25 minutes, stirring gently so the chestnuts remain whole.

8. 8

   Bind with blood

   Keep the blood refrigerated until this moment. Pass it through a fine sieve into a bowl and whisk in the vinegar. Slowly whisk 250ml hot sauce from the casserole into the blood, one ladle at a time. Turn the casserole to its lowest heat and stir the tempered mixture back into the pot. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring gently, until the sauce reaches 75-80°C and coats the back of a spoon. Do not let it boil. Taste and use the remaining 5g salt as needed.

   A simmer is already too much once the blood enters. If bubbles begin breaking the surface, pull the casserole off the heat and keep stirring until it settles.

   If the sauce becomes thicker than pouring cream, loosen it with warm unsalted stock, 30ml at a time.
9. 9

   Rest and serve

   Take the casserole off the heat and rest it for 20 minutes. The sauce will settle, darken, and cling more evenly to the meat. Serve the boar with chestnuts, mushrooms, and plenty of sauce in warmed deep plates, with pa de pagès or another sturdy country bread beside it. Tal com es fa allí, exactly as it is made there.

Chef Tips

• •Order the blood from a licensed butcher and confirm that it is sold for cooking. Blood from an untested hunted animal is not suitable. Keep it below 4°C and use it by the butcher’s stated date.
• •Rovellons, saffron milk caps, give the pot a firm bite and a faint woodland sharpness. If they are unavailable, use firm brown mushrooms. The sauce will be less resinous but still sound.
• •Use cooked peeled chestnuts, including vacuum-packed ones, and check that they are unsweetened. Raw chestnuts can be roasted and peeled first, but nothing is gained by making this difficult for sport.
• •Choose a dry red wine you would drink, preferably from the Conca de Barberà and based on Trepat, Garnatxa, or Ull de Llebre. A heavily oaked or sweet, jammy wine becomes tiring after four hours in the pot.
• •Venison shoulder is the nearest substitute for wild boar. It remains lean and gamey, but it changes the dish into civet de cérvol. Domestic pork shoulder is sweeter, fattier, and much milder.
• •For a slow cooker, complete the browning and sofregit on the stove, then transfer everything with the boiled wine and only 200ml stock. Cook on LOW for 7-8 hours. Add sautéed mushrooms, chestnuts, and picada for the final 40 minutes, then move the stew to a casserole and complete the blood-binding step on the stove where you can hold 75-80°C.
• •The civet is better after a night’s rest. Cool it within 2 hours, cover, and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat gently to at least 75°C without letting the sauce boil.

Advance Preparation

• •Marinate the boar for the full 24 hours before cooking. Turn it once so the wine reaches every piece evenly.
• •To divide the work, braise the boar and make the picada one day ahead. Chill them promptly, then add the mushrooms, chestnuts, picada, and blood while reheating on the day you serve it.
• •For longer storage, freeze the braised meat and sauce before adding mushrooms, chestnuts, picada, or blood. It keeps for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and complete the final steps fresh.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 560g)