P
Italian · Tuscany
Cinghiale in Umido con Olive e Capperi Toscano
Wild boar braised in red wine with Tuscan olives, capers, rosemary, sage and tomato — the canonical wild game preparation of the Tuscan Maremma and Chianti hills. The boar is marinated 24–48 hours in Chianti to tenderise and moderate the gaminess, then braised low and slow until the meat falls apart. The olive and caper savoury notes cut through the richness of the wild boar fat.
‹Swipe for the next dish›
I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
For the marinade
1.2 kg
wild boar shoulder or leg
cut into 5–6 cm chunks
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
750 ml
Chianti
or other robust Tuscan red
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
6
juniper berries
lightly crushed
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
3
bay leaves
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
4
garlic cloves
bruised
Your own market
2
rosemary sprigs
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For the braise
60 ml
extra-virgin olive oil
Your own market
1
white onion
finely chopped
Your own market
2
celery stalks
finely chopped
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1
carrot
finely chopped
Your own market
400 g
500 ml
Chianti
fresh bottle, not the marinade
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
2
rosemary sprigs
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
4
sage leaves
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Added in the last 30 minutes
120 g
Taggiasca or Leccino olives
pitted
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
30 g
capers
salt-packed, rinsed
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Added in the last 10 minutes
20 g
dark chocolate (85%)
broken into small pieces
Your own market
1 tsp
fine sea salt
Your own market
1 tsp
black pepper
freshly ground
Your own market
Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.
II
The Method
1
Combine the boar chunks with the Chianti, juniper, bay, garlic and rosemary in a non-reactive bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 24–48 hours. Lift the meat out, discard every drop of the marinade, and pat the chunks thoroughly dry with kitchen paper. The surface must be dry to the touch before browning begins.
2
Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy casserole over high heat until a wisp of smoke just appears. Brown the boar in uncrowded batches, turning each piece without moving it prematurely. This is where the dish lives or dies: every surface must reach a deep mahogany crust — a pale, grey piece cannot recover its flavour in the braise. Set the browned meat aside.
3
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion, celery and carrot to the same casserole and cook in the residual oil, stirring occasionally, until softened and faintly golden at the edges — the soffritto should smell sweet and caramelised, with no raw bite remaining.
4
Return the browned boar to the casserole. Pour in the fresh Chianti and raise the heat; let it bubble vigorously until the sharp alcohol smell dissipates, then add the crushed tomatoes, rosemary and sage. Season with salt and pepper.
5
Cover, reduce to the lowest possible simmer and braise for 1 hour 30 minutes, turning the meat once at the halfway point. The meat should offer only slight resistance when pressed with a spoon — it is not yet done if it springs back firmly.
6
Add the olives and capers. Continue braising, covered, for a further 30 minutes. The olives should be just yielding but retain a faint bite — not collapsed or translucent.
7
Remove the lid. Stir in the dark chocolate pieces and simmer uncovered for the final 20 minutes. The sauce must reduce to a coating consistency — it should fall from a spoon in thick, slow ribbons and coat the back without running. Taste and adjust salt.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Wild boar shot in the Maremma or Chianti hills in autumn, hung 3–4 days; Chianti Classico Riserva for the braise; hand-harvested Taggiasca olives in brine; salt-packed Pantelleria capers, rinsed and dried.
02
Estate — Farmed wild boar from a reputable game supplier; a sound Chianti Classico; quality pitted Leccino olives; salt-packed capers from a reliable Italian source.
03
Market — Game-farm boar shoulder from a butcher's counter; any robust Tuscan or central-Italian red; good-quality brined olives, well drained; capers in brine, rinsed.
04
House — Free-range pork shoulder substituted for boar (gaminess absent; marinade time may be reduced to 12 hours); any dry red wine; supermarket pitted olives; jarred capers in vinegar, rinsed twice.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Sight. The browned boar surface is a uniform deep mahogany with no grey or pale patches before it enters the braise.
◇Smell. The alcohol smell from the Chianti has fully blown off before the tomatoes are added — the steam smells of wine fruit, not raw spirit.
◇Touch. After 1 hour 30 minutes the meat yields to gentle spoon pressure without springing back, but has not yet begun to fall apart.
◇Touch. The olives at the end of their 30 minutes are just yielding under pressure — pliant but not collapsed.
◇Sight. The finished sauce coats the back of a spoon in a thick, slow-moving ribbon and does not pool or run freely.
◇Where it lives or dies. The dish lives or dies on browning the drained, thoroughly dried boar in uncrowded batches to a deep mahogany crust — pale meat produces a grey, flat-tasting braise that no length of cooking will rescue.
Pillar V
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Antinori Tignanello
Marchesi Antinori · Brunello di Montalcino DOCG
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Wine
From British Columbia
Wine
Without alcohol
GT's Synergy Organic Kombucha — Gingerade
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Non-alcoholic
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The whole pairingPillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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Sourced through Provenance